Help please what size wheel spacers ?

[Shayne]

I have a swb 90 with steel 16x8 zero offset wheels and 285/75 R16 cooper stt tyres . No lift at all just trimmed the seam and mudflaps . Tyres touch the chassis on full lock . I think a spacer will cure this though i expect it will also mean i will have to trim the seam some more . The trouble is the only way i can test for what size spacers i need is to buy a set and hope a get lucky .

30mm wheel spacers seem quite common and should definately cure the rubbing on chassis but i'm inclined to think a 30mm spacer will mean the mudflaps will have to go altogether and trimming the seam further will not be enough . Besides this 30mm will put the treads outside my guards which will destroy the body paint .

I am on the verge of buying 20mm spacers and just hoping for the best but before i do i'd be grateful for comments and suggestions from those with experience .

 

[geo-smc]

the spacers will definately make you wheel touch at the mudflap end a lot more,i fitted 30mm on one a few years ago and had to take them off as they rubbed badley.

 

[Shayne]

Thanks Geo-smc its all been done before which is why i'm looking for your own personal experience , i don't want to spend a lump on spacers that turn out to be no good to me only to have someone comment the next day saying you should have got such and such . I guess what i'm really trying to find out is how small a spacer i could get to cure rubbing on chassis . Of course each truck and tyre is different and almost all with 285's on have a lift as well (strut spacers on mine very likely but i'm running out of time before i'm away from home for a while) . Just thinking someone might have cured thier own rubbing with a 5 - 10 - 15mm spacer ?

 

[Graham]

Just thinking someone might have cured thier own rubbing with a 5 - 10 - 15mm spacer ?

.
Might be very difficult to get 5-10-15mm spacers.

5mm spacers are generally just a big "washer" that fits over the existing 6 wheel studs.
thicker than 5mm, then the spacer needs to be thick enough to hold the alternative 6 captive wheel studs.

Gra.

 

[Shayne]

Thanks Graham i should of thought of that when i made a 20mm wood spacer just to give me a better idea of clearances . Of course when i put the spacer on i had no stud thread left to fit the wheel DOH!

This is really frustrating - should i spend about 150 quid on a 20mm spacer just to see if it works to stop rubbing without causing to many other problems - then if it does work i just know i will end up ordering the negative 20 alloys i originally wanted from America - thats probably a grand all in when the wheels i have look good and do the job . I live in what the mrs and the poll tax people call a cul-de-sac , i call it a dead end street . This means a tight 3 point turn everytime i go out , while the rattle of tyres on chassis is to me a nuisance rather than a problem (i'm half deaf anyway) it saps confidence , at the back of my mind i'm always thinking about excessive wear on the steering rack . It's not realistic i know but its a minor fail in an otherwise perfect truck .

 

[Graham]

Thanks Graham i should of thought of that when i made a 20mm wood spacer just to give me a better idea of clearances . Of course when i put the spacer on i had no stud thread left to fit the wheel DOH!

This is really frustrating - should i spend about 150 quid on a 20mm spacer just to see if it works to stop rubbing without causing to many other problems - then if it does work i just know i will end up ordering the negative 20 alloys i originally wanted from America - thats probably a grand all in when the wheels i have look good and do the job . I live in what the mrs and the poll tax people call a cul-de-sac , i call it a dead end street . This means a tight 3 point turn everytime i go out , while the rattle of tyres on chassis is to me a nuisance rather than a problem (i'm half deaf anyway) it saps confidence , at the back of my mind i'm always thinking about excessive wear on the steering rack . It's not realistic i know but its a minor fail in an otherwise perfect truck .

.
Hi Shane,
I don't see that many 20mm spacers for sale, they all seem to be what I had, which was the 30mm solid billet stuff.
May be with the counter boring from the back, to fit the captive head of the stud, they found 20mm didn't end up with much meat left to feel secure with, so may be this is why they are 30mm now.
Just an idea, after seeing how strong and secure the 30mm ones feel.

Gra.

 

[Shayne]

Agreed Graham talking just helps me think (i'm pretty isolated since i moved to wales) . I'm now going to get some 10mm ply and make a spacer just so i can visually gauge how much offset i need to clear chassis , smaller the spacer the less need for trimming . Perhaps there is light at the end of the tunnel because if i cant get a suitable spacer i have no choice but to buy new wheels with a negative offset !

Just wish i'd known i'd need a spacer BEFORE i bought zero offsets .

 

[Shayne]

Its worth mentioning for others going this route that i have something of a different opinion with regards to bigger rubber and gearing etc . On the standard set up my truck was very nippy . Put it this way it accelerated fast enough to scare my mrs and she drives a Hyundia coupe SIII . Using first gear was pointless . Since i've put steel wheels and 285's on it feels right . I use first gear as i should (but not at all if the back wheels are over an inch higher than the front on a downhill) . I wouldn't say there is any sap in power as such its just the power is delivered in a different way . To my mind this results from having maybe double the weight of wheels . A bit like towing a trailers with 5 standard wheel and tyres in it all the time . Just a rambling thought but might make a difference for those trying to decide between steel rims or alloys - less weight less fuel perhaps .

 

[Chris Green90]

I do quite alot of motorway miles. My 90 with 31's on alloys does 75mph at about 3000 rpm. It is very quick off the mark aswell.

Now I may be totally off base here but won't fitting bigger tyres improve this. I have always thought my truck feels like it needs another gear. again I may be wrong in my understanding but with the standard 4.10 diff I have on and then fitting 35's won't this mean that my accleration off the mark and through the gears will be slower but the rpm at 70 for example will be less (Thus improving the mpg((or at least balancing it out with the weight of the heavier tyres.)

 

[chadr]

My reckoning is that fitting bigger wheels meansyou will be going faster for a set engine RPM and perhaps accelerate faster. Think of it like this; one revolution of your 31" wheel will take you approx 97", whereas a 35" tyre will do approx 110" in one revolution. So if you don't change any other gearing such as trans, diff etc. your speed will increase for a given engine RPM. I think whether you will be able to accelerate faster, assumes there is enough power. If you haven't got enough power/torque you will bog down......and acceleration might actually be slower.

My 2p worth.

 

[Chris Green90]

I see, so the slowdown experienced in acceleration would be more to do with the torque required to overcome initial inertia??? Good Job these 1KZ-TE's are pretty torquey then.

 

[Chris Green90]

35" tyre will do approx 110" in one revolution.

Pretty cool to think you would be traveling the length of a Landrover in 1 rotation of the wheel.

 

[Shayne]

Foot to the floor top speed on a motorway with 35" tyres on would likely have you travelling at 160 plus mph ! . What i was talking about was the feel of the truck before and after , it went from a sprightly jack in the box old mini cooper to drive to a torque loaded and planted grunt of a machine that instead reminds me of driving a ten tonne lorry . A preferable feel for me . Just pointing out that lighter alloys would likely increase acceleration at lower speeds . I only mentioned it because while browsing the web i've seen lots discussing alternative gearing and i'm thinking all of the above would be far less obvious in an auto truck .

 

[Chris Green90]

Thats sort of what I am trying to figure Shayne. Mine on 31's is still very sprightly and I was wondering what affects going bigger have on the feel and drivability of the truck.

IIRC from reading on here the auto's seem to struggle more with the bigger tyres due to the distances between gear changes in the auto box

 

[Shayne]

Well if you think about it an auto box changes at a precise moment with set revs etc so it is going to struggle , with a manual you can simply give it a bit more rev before changing to balance things out . 35's i'd guess if they did work would need to be on alloys and road tyres instead of nobblys to keep the weight down . Even then i imagine clutch changes would be a frequent event .

Please note though this is all just theory i'm probably the least qualified on this site to offer any mechanical advise !

 

[Roger Fairclough]

I do quite alot of motorway miles. My 90 with 31's on alloys does 75mph at about 3000 rpm. It is very quick off the mark aswell.

Now I may be totally off base here but won't fitting bigger tyres improve this. I have always thought my truck feels like it needs another gear. again I may be wrong in my understanding but with the standard 4.10 diff I have on and then fitting 35's won't this mean that my accleration off the mark and through the gears will be slower but the rpm at 70 for example will be less (Thus improving the mpg((or at least balancing it out with the weight of the heavier tyres.)

You are correct in your assumptions about the gearing etc. What you had was a 5 speed box. What you will get is a 4 speed box with overdrive. You will not necessarily get improved mpg figures. Yes, you will be using lower revs, but for any given speed you need a given amount of fuel. It will depend on the specific fuel consumption of the engine at certain speeds.

Roger

 

[Roger Fairclough]

Its worth mentioning for others going this route that i have something of a different opinion with regards to bigger rubber and gearing etc . On the standard set up my truck was very nippy . Put it this way it accelerated fast enough to scare my mrs and she drives a Hyundia coupe SIII . Using first gear was pointless . Since i've put steel wheels and 285's on it feels right . I use first gear as i should (but not at all if the back wheels are over an inch higher than the front on a downhill) . I wouldn't say there is any sap in power as such its just the power is delivered in a different way . To my mind this results from having maybe double the weight of wheels . A bit like towing a trailers with 5 standard wheel and tyres in it all the time . Just a rambling thought but might make a difference for those trying to decide between steel rims or alloys - less weight less fuel perhaps .

If you find that ideally you would like a 10-15 mm spacer, then all is not lost. My wife's Shogun uses alloy wheels with wheel nuts that locate by fitting through the wheels. This gives an extra 10 mm of thread (or thereabouts) but you would need to source the nuts and machine the wheels to accept them.

Roger

 

[Shayne]

Heres a thought , if your running an auto , why not just get the ECU reprogrammed somewhere that does dyno testing . I bet all modified vehicles could benefit from that . From just general knowledge i believe they can reprogram for more low down power or greater top speed or even better fuel consumption .

 

[Shayne]

Thanks Roger thats an interesting suggestion but a little extreme for the benefits . Did your wife buy her Shogun from someone who makes aircraft components by any chance .

 

[Roger Fairclough]

Thanks Roger thats an interesting suggestion but a little extreme for the benefits . Did your wife buy her Shogun from someone who makes aircraft components by any chance .

No, Viv and I bought the Shogun directly from a Mitsubishi dealer as a new car.

Roger