Running 3” Spacers

[xxiaze]

I will need new wheels to accommodate my body kit - the thing is I’m tight for cash, but want to get the kit on. So, can I just buy 3” spacers to rock for a while? Anyone know a reputable brand for this?

 

[RubenZZZ]

3” spacers? How wide is your body kit?

I would contact someone at https://www.ezaccessory.com/default.asp

I’ve bought spacers and lug nuts in the past from them without issue.


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[xxiaze]

3” spacers? How wide is your body kit?

I would contact someone at https://www.ezaccessory.com/default.asp

I’ve bought spacers and lug nuts in the past from them without issue.


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Thanks man, I’ll look into them. Should be safe enough right? Lol... the body kit is +2.75” on all corners.

 

[RubenZZZ]

Just a thought... what about running 17x9 foxbody mustang wheels? They should have offsets in the mid 20s.


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[PunkST]

Dont stack spacers. Use fox body wheels. Way safer

 

[xxiaze]

I found some actual 3” spacers so wouldn’t need to stack, I’m just trying to avoid having to spend money on wheels and tires that aren’t the right fitment. If I just have to hold off on the body kit for a year or something until funds are appropriate for proper wheels then I guess that’s just how it is.

 

[xxiaze]

But In reality they might not need to be 3” I need to dry fit the kit for real measurements... just speculating for now.

 

[Philld_with_donuts]

But In reality they might not need to be 3” I need to dry fit the kit for real measurements... just speculating for now.

I’ve ran 2.5” spacers for track use and they’ve held up, but if you have the cash to get hub centric spacers, I’d absolutely recommend it. Especially in a daily driver.

Mine are not hub centric, but it’s a bit sketchy at best. I also rarely drive mine on the street.

The G force is the highest in the suspension hitting pot holes, so hubcentric spacers will help give you peace of mind that you’re not going to sheer lug bolts going down the highway.

 

[xxiaze]

I’ve ran 2.5” spacers for track use and they’ve held up, but if you have the cash to get hub centric spacers, I’d absolutely recommend it. Especially in a daily driver.

Mine are not hub centric, but it’s a bit sketchy at best. I also rarely drive mine on the street.

The G force is the highest in the suspension hitting pot holes, so hubcentric spacers will help give you peace of mind that you’re not going to sheer lug bolts going down the highway.

Great info, I’ll look into that then! Hoping to just offset the stock wheels for now so the spacers are way to go. I figure I can get a set of 4 for like 300$? That’s a much better temporary cost than 4 wheels and 4 tires... even used I think a used wheel tire combo would run me at least 500$ I dk. Will only been street driven, likely to not see the track in wheel spacer stage.

 

[Philld_with_donuts]

Great info, I’ll look into that then! Hoping to just offset the stock wheels for now so the spacers are way to go. I figure I can get a set of 4 for like 300$? That’s a much better temporary cost than 4 wheels and 4 tires... even used I think a used wheel tire combo would run me at least 500$ I dk. Will only been street driven, likely to not see the track in wheel spacer stage.

I think $300 would be the upper end. You can find some as low as $130-150, but it does get hard to find 3" (75mm) in our bolt pattern.
I'd sell you mine, but unfortunately I recently picked up a set of wheels that need them.

I've seem some cheap used tire combos, but spacers will always be cheaper.

Just want to make sure I reiterate that you'll want to try and get off the spacers as soon as possible for street driving. The loads track use puts on spacers is actually much less than hitting a big pot hole on the highway. You will be at the highest risk while street driving.

Just to give you the comparison, track loads at the wheel end (Not hitting the apexes) would range somewhere in the 1G to about ~2G. Because the roads are smooth, and sudden vertical changes at the wheel end are relatively small, G force at the wheel is about the same as G force in the vehicle.

Driving offroad (like a rallycross) can result in pretty high forces at the wheel end. (~4-8G) Rapid changes in wheel acceleration as you go over bumps and kickers would be very harsh on your spacers and wheel lugs.

Say you decide to jump your car at about 45mph... (I'm being a bit silly now, but you'll see my point in a moment) But jumping a car may result in forces at the wheel end near 10 - 15G, and depending on how firm your spring rates are, you'll feel most of that at your seat when you land.

Then finally, the worst thing you can do to you suspension.... hit a hard pot hole on the highway... your wheel end can see forces >20G. This is why rims break, lugs break, suspension parts break... all these things break on street cars that you never really hear about on track cars. The hardest loads around are daily drivers nailing that hidden pot hole.


TLDR:
If you can find hub centric in that width, that will help distribute the load away from the lug nuts. If you can find this, you can feel relatively safe driving around.
If you cannot find hub centric in that width, you'll still be okay to drive around, but just be very cautious because a big pothole at highway speed could result in a very bad day.

 

[xxiaze]

I think $300 would be the upper end. You can find some as low as $130-150, but it does get hard to find 3" (75mm) in our bolt pattern.
I'd sell you mine, but unfortunately I recently picked up a set of wheels that need them.

I've seem some cheap used tire combos, but spacers will always be cheaper.

Just want to make sure I reiterate that you'll want to try and get off the spacers as soon as possible for street driving. The loads track use puts on spacers is actually much less than hitting a big pot hole on the highway. You will be at the highest risk while street driving.

Just to give you the comparison, track loads at the wheel end (Not hitting the apexes) would range somewhere in the 1G to about ~2G. Because the roads are smooth, and sudden vertical changes at the wheel end are relatively small, G force at the wheel is about the same as G force in the vehicle.

Driving offroad (like a rallycross) can result in pretty high forces at the wheel end. (~4-8G) Rapid changes in wheel acceleration as you go over bumps and kickers would be very harsh on your spacers and wheel lugs.

Say you decide to jump your car at about 45mph... (I'm being a bit silly now, but you'll see my point in a moment) But jumping a car may result in forces at the wheel end near 10 - 15G, and depending on how firm your spring rates are, you'll feel most of that at your seat when you land.

Then finally, the worst thing you can do to you suspension.... hit a hard pot hole on the highway... your wheel end can see forces >20G. This is why rims break, lugs break, suspension parts break... all these things break on street cars that you never really hear about on track cars. The hardest loads around are daily drivers nailing that hidden pot hole.


TLDR:
If you can find hub centric in that width, that will help distribute the load away from the lug nuts. If you can find this, you can feel relatively safe driving around.
If you cannot find hub centric in that width, you'll still be okay to drive around, but just be very cautious because a big pothole at highway speed could result in a very bad day.

Thank you so much for the meaningful help, I really appreciate your time!

 

[Philld_with_donuts]

Thank you so much for the meaningful help, I really appreciate your time!

No problem! Good luck and feel free to drop me a message if you need any more help.