Many car owners install wheel spacers to achieve a more aggressive stance. But what if you drive a truck? Can you install wheel spacers as well? Why not? Many truck drivers install wheel spacers on their trucks, achieving a more aggressive stance and increased stability, as well as other benefits of spacers.
If you aren’t sure if your truck needs spacers or not, this article is perfect for you. Here, we will tell you everything you want to know and share some additional tips with you, so keep reading!
When Does a Truck Need Wheel Spacers?
Your truck needs wheel spacers if and when you intend to install larger tires or aftermarket wheels. You start by installing wheel spacers, then proceed to install larger tires. There are also other situations that make wheel spacers necessary. Here are five instances when your truck needs wheel spacers:
1. When You Want to Upgrade Your Brake Calipers
One such situation is when you want to upgrade your brake caliper. Oftentimes, the new calipers are too big, and they start to rub against suspension parts or other brake components. To prevent that from happening, you need to create more space for brake calipers by installing truck wheel spacers.
2. When you Are Transporting Heavy Loads or Driving Off-road
If you are transporting heavy loads or driving off-road, having a wider stance will help protect your suspension and other components in your truck. It will also provide you with better control over your vehicle, especially when making sharp turns.
3. When you Want Better Aesthetics
Finally, many truck owners think their trucks need wheel spacers for purely aesthetic reasons. No matter what your personal preferences are, that’s a completely valid reason. If you think your truck will look better with wheel spacers, then your truck needs them.
What Do Wheel Spacers Do on a Truck?
The function of wheel spacers on a truck is pretty much the same as that of regular cars. They create the additional space between the wheel and the wheel hub. In so doing, truck wheel spacers increase track width, which has several effects on your truck’s performance.
Apart from the visual appeal of a more aggressive stance, a wider track width had several other benefits. Trucks with wider tracks are more stable, especially when making turns. Also, the additional space that these spacers create allows truck drivers to install larger tires or brakes.
How to Install Wheel Spacers on a Truck
If we managed to persuade you to install wheel spacers on your truck, let us show you how to do it properly. It’s not too complicated, you just need to follow these steps:
- First, park your truck on a flat and even surface.
- Then, gather necessary tools, such as a floor jack and jackstands, a lug or impact wrench, a wire brush, sandpaper, and a torque wrench.
- Using a floor jack, lift your truck so that you can work with it. Don’t forget to secure it with jack stands. Pro tip: loosen the nuts before lifting the truck.
- Remove the previously loosened nuts and remove the wheels. Place them somewhere where they can’t be damaged.
- Clean rust, dirt, and other debris from the wheel hub by using sandpaper and a wire brush. This will ensure that the spacer sits snugly once installed.
- Next, it’s time to install the spacer. Align it with the hub and secure it with the provided nuts or bolts. Torque these bolts as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Reinstall the wheels and tighten the lug nuts manually.
- Lower the truck so that the wheels touch the ground, but not completely. With a torque wrench, tighten the lug nuts as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
Recommended Wheel Spacers for Trucks
Here are our top recommendations for truck wheel spacers:
4x156 Wheel Spacers for Polaris Ranger and Other Models
The 4x154 Wheel Spacers from Orion Motor Tech can add 4 inches to your truck’s axle track, improving stability, handling, and control. It is crafted from durable T6 aircraft-grade aluminum with corrosion-resistant bolts.
It is designed for truck wheels whose center bore is 5.2 inches or smaller, tires that follow a 4x156 bolt pattern, and quadricycle studs that protrude less than 2 inches. The fitment for these tough spacers includes
- Polaris Diesel 4x4 (1999-2006)
- Polaris Ranger (1998-2009)
6x5.5 Wheel Spacers for Toyota FJ Cruiser, Tacoma, and Other Models
This 6x5.5 wheel spacer kit is made for the Toyota FJ Cruiser, Tacoma, and other models. It expands the axle track by 3 inches. It is corrosion-resistant and built from strong T6 aircraft-grade aluminum
Conclusion
Truck wheel spacers are becoming increasingly popular among truck owners for many good reasons. In this article, you learned many useful things about these spacers, which will help you decide whether your truck needs them or not.
