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Old 03-22-2014, 09:22 AM   #1
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Wheel Spacers

Wow! Looking through this forum and others I am seeing so many varying opinions on the use of wheel spacers. I am looking at adding rear wheel spacers for the following reasons:
- Increase rear track width in order to match front for safety reasons
- Increase rear track width in order to match front for aesthetic reasons
- Increase rear track width because new 285/65/16 tires rubbed a hole in my Firestone airbags

I know that there are several posts on this, and I have heard that Ujoint is the guy to get them from but I would like input as to whether you guys think they are a safe alteration, what size would be appropriate (can I simply measure the difference between the front and rear and divide that by two to get my spacer size?), and why Ujoints are superior to the ones that cost 1/4 the price on ebay? To be clear, I am not opposed to spending the $ for the Ujoint spacers, but I would like to know what makes them better than the others? I ask this question with all of the due respect to Ujoint as there seems to be very good reason for the respect he has received. I have not personally seen any of his/their work, but have spent hours of my life drooling over his website!

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Old 03-22-2014, 05:19 PM   #2
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Re: Wheel Spacers

I've been running UJOR spacers for almost a year with no problems. The ones on eBay are usually aluminum, whereas the UJOR ones are steel.
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Old 03-22-2014, 06:14 PM   #3
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Re: Wheel Spacers

Quote:
Originally Posted by bknudtsen
I've been running UJOR spacers for almost a year with no problems. The ones on eBay are usually aluminum, whereas the UJOR ones are steel.
Good info; thanks! What width are you running; it seems like 1.5" would work for me.
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Old 03-22-2014, 08:52 PM   #4
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Re: Wheel Spacers

Good question... I will have to check.
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Old 03-28-2014, 09:23 AM   #5
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Re: Wheel Spacers

Quote:
Originally Posted by Taylor3633
Wow! Looking through this forum and others I am seeing so many varying opinions on the use of wheel spacers. I am looking at adding rear wheel spacers for the following reasons:
- Increase rear track width in order to match front for safety reasons
- Increase rear track width in order to match front for aesthetic reasons
- Increase rear track width because new 285/65/16 tires rubbed a hole in my Firestone airbags

.......cut........
I can relate to your aesthetic and clearance points, but I'm not as sure about the "safety" advantage. A wider track may reduce the van's tendency to roll over, but if that were the only factor I'm certain Ford could have widen the rear track to match the front.

The difference in track is approximately 3 inches so 1.5 inches per side will make tracks near equal. I'd just measure to make sure your wider tires won't hit the van on the outside.

If spacers are 1.5 inches thick and made of quality steel, they should be plenty strong provided they are manufactured to exact dimensions. That's what would concern me about cheap stuff.

Another concern I'd have with any spacer is additional loads it places on bearings by mounting tires further out. Would be more of a concern with heavier van or if driven off road.
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Old 03-28-2014, 11:43 AM   #6
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Re: Wheel Spacers

Wheel adapters or spacers from:

http://wheeladapter.com/

Are highly recommended. Fred is highly knowledgeable about axles, bolt patterns, lug-centric vs. hub-centric, etc. His are aluminum, but they are machined from quality, extruded stock and are more than strong enough.

Mike
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Old 04-01-2014, 12:00 AM   #7
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Re: Wheel Spacers

I went with wheeladapter's aluminum, 2". No problems, they definitely helped with rear stability and make the rear look right, tires are now at the outside edge of my bushwacker fender flares.
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