ok boys and girls. i purchased rear wheel spacers after reading the tech article from this site.had a friend that installed them that regularly works on vehicles. they where on 3 days and one came off which caused me to go right off into the ditch which could have caused me to roll /forums/images/graemlins/angryfire.gif. the kicker is that i just dropped off my 3 year old little boy at my parents house.i really dont much care about myself, but if anything would have happened to my little boy i couldnt have lived with myself. my little boy worships his daddy and the "daddy truck".now im not saying this will happen to every one, but it did happen to me. the tire came off (33's), rolled across the road and went way out in a corn field. dont even want to imagine if someone could have been coming from the opposite side(at the same time),and what could have happened. is the little gain you get from these worth your life, your families, or serious damage to your rig ? i think not. if you must use them, please regulary check them for tightness, i suppose even after three days i should have. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif btw, no serious damage to my rig other than cracking already exhisting rust and alittle paint damage, thank god no worse and i dont want this to happen to others.
CK5
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please, please, do not use wheel spacers
- Thread starter big d
- Start date
outlaw612
1/2 ton status
Damn man, that sucks. Glad youre alright. I bought a van 14 bolt because I didnt like the idea of spacers.
SAVAGE1
1/2 ton status
How exactly did they come off? What axle did you have it on? Just curious cause I'm running the spacers on 42's... it would suck if they failed /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif
How did it come off? I assume it came loose and then sheared studs, any insight about the root cause? I have not heard that these spacers were prone to coming off. Did you use a torque wrench to tighten them?
im running it on a 12 bolt. they just come unbolted ? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif i watched the guy install them and i wouldnt have done a damn thing different than he did. just a little vibration before it came off and a boom! very scarey /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif soon as it started i sarted to slow down, couldnt imagine if i was going 65 +. i couldnt even put the rim back on cause it screwed up the treads on the drum. it ended up just being aluminum from the spacer just still had to be cleaned up. total cost 115.00 bucks(towing/labor) /forums/images/graemlins/angryfire.gif, not including the original cost of the spacers /forums/images/graemlins/angryfire.gif. really sucked, sorry i bought em'. dude, i dont know ya, but as a fellower ck5 brother, id say ditch em'. but to each their own.
it didnt shear the studs, but it did a # on them. the dude used two different lug nut wrenches when he installed them to get a better torque.as i said, i watched the whole time, and if i had a chance to do anything different, maybe an impact ? still not worth it.if i really wanted to even up the ass end in the future its going to be a van 14 bolt. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
Z3PR
Banned
Scarry, scarry !!!! I've thought of useing different back spacing (rims) to line the tires up. Wouldn't matter when ya gotta put the spare on couse I normally get my main tires repaired or replaced right away. Whe rear would look like they are deeper dish then the fronts though.
twenty_below0
1/2 ton status
14 bolt is obviously the best choice but i have ran the spacers and had NO problems. I tightened the "piss" out of them with a 4 way and never had a loose nut. More is better when it comes to these type add on's. I'm glad to hear your truck and most of all your son are doing fine. I too have children and wouldn't want a thing to happen to them.
Only thing I can add on this is I have had them on two different axles and NEVER had a problem with them. The instructions tell you to drive them a little way and then to re-check the lug nuts on the spacers. Its kinda like a new chrome wheel and new chrome lug nuts. Untill they are seated and keep their tight, you need to check them every so ofter. Usually after one or two checks they are seated and stay tight.
Its not the spacers fault that the lug nuts worked loose and let the wheel come off. Was the spacer still firmly attached to the wheel?
Depdog
Its not the spacers fault that the lug nuts worked loose and let the wheel come off. Was the spacer still firmly attached to the wheel?
Depdog
I have used/sold spacers and necver had problems. I do make a practice of rechecking torque on wheels. Most company's will tell you to recheck torque after 100 miles or so. especially with aluminum wheels.
Butch
1/2 ton status
My aluminum wheels were that way. After installing them I would have to drive 20-25 miles to get them a little warm and retighten the lug nuts then they would stay tight if now they would work loose too. I went the staggered offset way with mine to avoid spacers. Since they reverse the rear rims to get 2" of backspacing they are very simular in appearance. If you just walked by my Blazer you would never even notice.
Thumper
1/2 ton status
Close call huh? Good to hear nothing bad happened to you or the little guy. Ummmm wanna sell them? Are they 6 lug ones?
Mike
Mike
jc71355
1/2 ton status
Just glad everybody's ok. Had a wheel come off my dad's z-71 and it was scary.
First, glad everyone is OK
But with aluminum wheels, new lug nuts, wheel spacers, etc., there are 3 words you need to remember Re-Torque, Re-Torque, and you guessed it....Re-Torque. It won't take long for lugs to loosen up (as you have found). I have wheel spacers and never had a problem as long as I retorqued them after initial use. My aluminum wheel and SS lug nuts caused more loosening than my spacers ever did. I had to retorque the lug nuts after putting my new wheels on 4 times before they "held torque". I only had to retorque my wheel spacers twice.
But with aluminum wheels, new lug nuts, wheel spacers, etc., there are 3 words you need to remember Re-Torque, Re-Torque, and you guessed it....Re-Torque. It won't take long for lugs to loosen up (as you have found). I have wheel spacers and never had a problem as long as I retorqued them after initial use. My aluminum wheel and SS lug nuts caused more loosening than my spacers ever did. I had to retorque the lug nuts after putting my new wheels on 4 times before they "held torque". I only had to retorque my wheel spacers twice.
I, too, am glad that everyone was okay. I have heard other stories about wheel spacers coming off. But, on the other hand, I have run my spacers for rigth at a year now with about 8,000 hard miles and never had a problem. Its like any other mod with our trucks. They could all be risky no matter who installed them or how. Things can break. But that isn't a guarantee. I have run 10-bolts with a good deal of HP and 35s with Detroits for over a year and not broken a single shaft. That could be just as dangerous as losing a spacer. Same basic risk.
Darren, glad everyone is fine.
Seriously, I think the problem is the lug studs on the GM 1/2 tons being a 7/16" thread size is the biggest problem here. You arent gonna see much problems with the 3/4 and 1 ton size of 9/16" threads.
I had an '81 K10 shorty once which had 4" and 33's. I was driving along a sand road one day and took the corner a little too fast. The rear slid over and hit the side of the road which a sharp embankment went up. As soon as I straightened back up, the rear tire wobbled. I went to the nearest gas station, since it happened in the middle of the night, and checked the tire. Turned out the impact of the slam had stripped the lug studs. /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif I had to use a lug wrench and tighten the nuts and then go straight home and park the truck. Next day I had to take the rear shaft out and get all new studs pressed back in. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
So, I believe the fault is the weak 7/16" thread size here. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Seriously, I think the problem is the lug studs on the GM 1/2 tons being a 7/16" thread size is the biggest problem here. You arent gonna see much problems with the 3/4 and 1 ton size of 9/16" threads.
I had an '81 K10 shorty once which had 4" and 33's. I was driving along a sand road one day and took the corner a little too fast. The rear slid over and hit the side of the road which a sharp embankment went up. As soon as I straightened back up, the rear tire wobbled. I went to the nearest gas station, since it happened in the middle of the night, and checked the tire. Turned out the impact of the slam had stripped the lug studs. /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif I had to use a lug wrench and tighten the nuts and then go straight home and park the truck. Next day I had to take the rear shaft out and get all new studs pressed back in. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
So, I believe the fault is the weak 7/16" thread size here. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
cheyenne_77
Registered Member
I can hear the wheel nut braces clanging from here in Australia. Thank you for your insight on this as i was thinking about whether to go for an offset on my rims or a spacer. Thank you for clearing that. Thank god you are all ok. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Hey I had a similar problem with just new wheels.
The trick is to tighten them, go on a small trip, then tighten them again.
Then for a week just check them every day untill you don't see a difference.
I didn't know that and I had been on a snow run and when I was getting off the trail, I go to unlock my hubs and only find 2 out of six nuts, still holding on the last 2 threads.
The problem is that the shape of the nut and the shape of the groove in the spacer or the wheel isn't always exactly the same, so it take time for them to take each others shape.
I still don't like the spacer idea, just another thing to break or get loose, but there is a way to prevent this from happeneing again.
/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
The trick is to tighten them, go on a small trip, then tighten them again.
Then for a week just check them every day untill you don't see a difference.
I didn't know that and I had been on a snow run and when I was getting off the trail, I go to unlock my hubs and only find 2 out of six nuts, still holding on the last 2 threads.
The problem is that the shape of the nut and the shape of the groove in the spacer or the wheel isn't always exactly the same, so it take time for them to take each others shape.
I still don't like the spacer idea, just another thing to break or get loose, but there is a way to prevent this from happeneing again.
/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
