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Wheel spacers and bearing life expectancy

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Offline olija

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Wheel spacers and bearing life expectancy
« on: December 09, 2017, 09:56:23 PM »
I just replaced the original wheel bearings on my XL7 at 242,000km after I got them full of water last summer. I'm having some issues with my aftermarket 17x8 wheels hitting my aftermarket A-arms when at full lock, and I can't find any 17x7 wheels that will remedy my problem, so I'm thinking of just putting some 1" spacers on. Does anyone have long-term experience running spacers? How much are they going to affect my wheel bearings' life expectancy? Any other issues like lug nuts coming loose over time, etc?
97 Sidekick 4door 5 speed, 1.5 spacer lift, 2" body lift, CJ rims, locked rear, 31's, 4:1 low <SOLD>
01 Vitara 2.0L 5 speed, 2.5" Calmini lift, 2" body lift, Sidekick rims, locked rear, 31's, 4:1 low, 5.13 diffs <SOLD>
03 XL7 2.7 5 speed, 4.5" AE lift with OME springs, 2" AE body lift, 5.13 diffs, 3:1 low, 235/80R17 BFG AT's on Ultra 17x8 with 1" spacers, skid plates, Balmer Fab front bumper

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Offline JollyZuk

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Re: Wheel spacers and bearing life expectancy
« Reply #1 on: December 22, 2017, 08:25:11 PM »
There probably isn’t going to be much difference between wheel spacers and crazy offset wheels.  They both change the way the weight is distributed to the bearing.  If spacers are easier to get than offset wheels then run it.
1995 Sidekick JLX
16v 5 spd, milled head, LROR Stage 2 clutch
2" Spacer lift, XL7 rear springs,  2nd Gen front springs, W-Body GM Struts on front
OEM ROOF RACK!!!

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Offline olija

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Re: Wheel spacers and bearing life expectancy
« Reply #2 on: January 04, 2018, 08:43:10 PM »
I went with 1" wheel spacers because the price was much better ($100 for 4 vs over $100 each for rims that may or may not work), and I figured with a 1" spacer I may be able to run a more generic 15" steel rock crawler wheel if I decide to go that route in the future. Tires are alot cheaper for smaller rims and they tend to ride better off road since there is more sidewall to flex and there seem to be more load range C tires in that category for some reason.
97 Sidekick 4door 5 speed, 1.5 spacer lift, 2" body lift, CJ rims, locked rear, 31's, 4:1 low <SOLD>
01 Vitara 2.0L 5 speed, 2.5" Calmini lift, 2" body lift, Sidekick rims, locked rear, 31's, 4:1 low, 5.13 diffs <SOLD>
03 XL7 2.7 5 speed, 4.5" AE lift with OME springs, 2" AE body lift, 5.13 diffs, 3:1 low, 235/80R17 BFG AT's on Ultra 17x8 with 1" spacers, skid plates, Balmer Fab front bumper

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Offline 40nTheFloor

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Re: Wheel spacers and bearing life expectancy
« Reply #3 on: January 06, 2018, 09:14:09 AM »
olija,

I think your ball joints experience increased load with spacers or offset changes not, wheel bearings.  I also own a 1988 Cherokee and have steel wheels with 1.50" less backspacing (i.e., 3.75" BS decreased from the OE 5.25" BS).  If this change is made with new ball joints there is not much difference to be expected in the lifetime of the ball joints.  However, when making changes to wheel/tire offset/BA and used ball joints you are likely to see a reduction in usage before needing to replace them.  My Cherokee is much heavier than my 2nd generation 4Dr/4WD Tracker so, vehicle mass is also a factor.