wheel spacers and tire sizes

[mtbskierkj]

I have a 2007 jeep liberty all stock and i wanted to start to do some work on it but a lift is to much at the moment but i wanted to know if wheel spacers affect anything with clearence with wider tires on them such as rubbing on the fender and a good size of either just tire or good size spacer with a good size tire

 

[tommudd]

Yes you will more than likely rub on the pinch weld and fender/bumper with spacers, go to a 245-70 on stock wheels and be done!

 

[sevenhelmet]

Or get some new rims. My Cragar soft-8s stick out 1.5" farther than stock, which gives the KJ a beefier appearance, IMHO (and I have bigger tires.) You can do this with with up to 245-70 tires and have minimal to no rubbing on a stock suspension. You could even run the soft-8s (or similar) with stock tires for a while if you're looking to save a little cash.

I would not recommend wheel spacers. They're illegal in some states, and some types have been known to fail catastrophically, especially the slip-on type.

 

[mtbskierkj]

thanks how much backspacing is there on those rims?

 

[ptsb5a]

Soft 8's are typically 4". At least my 15x8 are.

 

[sevenhelmet]

Yep 4" Backspacing versus 5.5" for the factory rims.

 

[Saltydog]

I know this will raise some controversy but...
I'm not for wheel spacers on a vehicle that goes highway speeds, a rockcrawler, ect.. then they are fine. The spacers create a weak link that could fail, and a failure in a wheel space could be of epic proportions. Just do a bit of research before using them and hauling your family around in the truck with them installed.

 

[ptsb5a]

I know this will raise some controversy but...
I'm not for wheel spacers on a vehicle that goes highway speeds, a rockcrawler, ect.. then they are fine. The spacers create a weak link that could fail, and a failure in a wheel space could be of epic proportions. Just do a bit of research before using them and hauling your family around in the truck with them installed.

No controversy here, just a cautionary tale of woe..... good advice too. Consult LEOs before putting spacers on.

 

[LibertyFever]

I know this will raise some controversy but...
I'm not for wheel spacers on a vehicle that goes highway speeds, a rockcrawler, ect.. then they are fine. The spacers create a weak link that could fail, and a failure in a wheel space could be of epic proportions. Just do a bit of research before using them and hauling your family around in the truck with them installed.

I have to agree too. I have spacers on my YJ so I can run with stock 15" wheels but it's meant for the trails only, not highway driving or daily driving.

I could be wrong but I believe most people run with 245/75R16 tires on stock rims on their Libby's. The only reason for using spacers or backspaced rims on a Libby is if you're going to run on 15" rims.

Also when you look at the cost of a set of stock rims and spacers you could easily buy a set of backspaced rims.