Qx4 wheel spacers, got pics?

[CanuckQx4]

Im looking to add a wider stance to my Qx4 in the rear. I just put in Airlift1000 air springs so the rear end is pretty solid with the bags @ 20psi it doesnt bounce much at all.

Has anyone spaced out the wheels on a Qx4?

Im curious what a 1.5 - 2" looks like in the rear. And if we would kiss fender flare with biggers rims and low pros

[sicwitit]

Spacers are usually frowned upon...but have you thought about adding some wider wheels with lower offsets? I installed 8 inch wheels with a +5 offset and they sit very close to flush with the fender flares (mostly the tire). Next I'll be going for a 20" x 9" with a +12 offset and rolling the inner fender lips to get as much of that kind of stance as possible.

[CanuckQx4]

Does the rear tire have to be able to tuck under/behind the fender flare??

I dont want to buy new rims, I love the ones I have, Im just curious if because Ive stiffenned up my rear end so far that I want to space each side1.5-3" (havent measured, but I want a wide rear look)

[01silvapathy]

How are wheel spacers frowned upon...sure they get a bad rap cause idiots who dont know how to correctly install them wind up having their wheel come off while driving....same thing would happen if you dont torque your lug nuts enough. With aluminum wheel spacers the right tq while instaalling is the key. And yes for the rear you do need to worry about the tire clearing the fender flare...that is if you off road but since you are talking about lo pro s*** then id assume you are no where near needing to worry about clearance issues. I have wheel spacers up front and have had em for two years now without issue, if I had them out back my tires would rub and I would not be able to flex for the life of me.

[CanuckQx4]

Im not worried about the wheel spacers being frowned upon either, kinda disregarded that comment

This is a daily car, no offroading and lo-pro tires like you said. And Ive stiffenned up the rear ALOT with the air lift springs at fairly high psi

[fueler]

How are wheel spacers frowned upon...sure they get a bad rap cause they come off while driving....

they are frowned upon cause they're dangerous, even when installed correctly.

If you use wheel spacers, that means you have the wrong wheel offset / width for your setup. People are too cheap to buy the right wheels, so they bolt up some chinese spacers instead to save some money while risking their lives.

Don't get me wrong, i've used spacers on my QX4 before, when i was young and dumb. You live and you learn.

[01silvapathy]

I just cant see where a solid piece of machined aluminum with pressed in studs can "go wrong" There is no actual way for the stud to back itself out while installed and the chances of breaking off every single one of the studs is EXTREMELY slim. If you torque the lugs to spec there is no difference than how its setup from the factory just pushed out. Spacers are very widely used in the off road world...even on driveshafts...and the percent of horror stories you hear compared to the actual number of people using wheel spacers is very low. I have not had an issue with my wheel spacers and 33's except one that was caused by a dumbass tire tech at NTB....overtorqued or cross threaded a lug with an airgun thus the stud had to be cut then pressed out and replaced....same thing happens on stock setups all the time.

[miamiheat3332]

I dont have wheel spacers and never did but i can verify 01silva pathies story about his ordeal with ntb.

I took my sonata for state inspection to STS tire center thing cause i had coupons or something. Everythings fine etc,

then like a month later i was taking off my wheels to paint my calipers on it, and they were tightened down so F&*KING hard with whatever gun that dumbass tech used, me and my dad had to use the lug nut wrench that comes with the car, and bounce on it for a couple times with our body weight in order to crack them loose.

[fueler]

Wheels are designed with backspacing and offset in mind, when it comes to stress and load levels. Spacers change the forces acting on the bearings, lugbolts, and control arms. You'll not find any chassis engineers that will approve using spacers. Their answer is always to use the properly-designed and manufactured wheel so you don't need spacers.

You won't find spacers on high-dollar pro desert racers. You will only find custom wheels that fit right.

01silva, If you want to run rinky dink chinese spacers off-road, than be my guest. The chances that something will fail are slim... but why take the chance? Getting the right wheels that fit your needs is much safer and much more satisfying to know that the job is done "right".

[fleurys]

I run wheels spacer also since 2 years and the rules are simple... do not overtorque them... wheels lug nuts should always be bolted by hand. I have been doing this for about ten years and have always enjoy a no problem tire changes. (here in quebec, we change tires 2 times a year in order to put winter tires), but on my truck with my mud tires, I change them every 5000km in order to prevent cupping and uneven thread wear...

aluminum spacers need 100 ft/lbs no more, no less....

I can understand where the fear comes from when the spacers were made from cast aluminum... they were not well balanced and were often uneven.... today's spacers are a world away from these old ones... precision machined and practically the same weight to a fraction on an ounce and balanced perfectly... These are now precision pieces.... mines don't even have locktite on it... anyway.... my opinion is that they are not a danger if you respect the rule... (which is true even of you do not have spacers...)


getting a wheel with the right backspace will always be the simplest and safest way to go with (since you eliminate a variable), but sometimes it is impossible to find or to afford..