How to Install Wheel Spacers on a Jeep Wrangler JK

Chris

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The Jeep Wrangler is a mean looking car, but if you want it to look even meaner, nothing can do that as much as a wider stance. Wheel spacers are little steel devices that bolt onto the rotors, which creates a bit of space so the wheels stick out. There has been a long debate about if they are safe or not. Nothing is safer than stock, so if you're comparing it to stock, the obvious safe option is how the Jeep came out of the factory; however, if you insist on widening your stance, which could assist in stability, be sure to install the wheel spacers with the studs, as these tend to hold much better than just the steel plate. Read on to learn how to install wheel spacers in your Jeep Wrangler.

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Figure 1. Wheel spacer installed.

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Materials Needed
  • Socket set
  • Jack and jack stands
  • Wheel spacers
Step 1 – Raise car and remove wheels
Loosen the lug nuts on the wheels you will be installing wheel spacers on, raise the car using your jack, then secure it with jack stands. Remove the wheels that are off the ground.

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Figure 2. Raise and secure your Jeep.

Step 2 – Install spacer
Install the wheel spacers, but don't use the factory lug nuts because you will use the lug nuts that came with it. Put the wheel spacer on the rotor's studs with its studs facing out. Install the lug nuts that came with it, with the rounded edge facing inside, towards the car. Use your socket to tighten them in a star fashion.


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Figure 3. Align spacer.


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Figure 4. Install lug nuts.


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Figure 5. Tighten lug nuts.


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Figure 6. Spacer installed.

Step 3 – Install wheel
Install the wheel over the wheel spacer's studs and install the lug nuts, but don't tighten. Remove the jack stands and lower the car, then tighten the lug nuts.

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Figure 7. Install wheel.

Featured Video: Wheel Spacer Install Jeep Wrangler

 
Adding a word of caution, take off the wheels and re-tighten everything after a few days of driving. Had an issue with my old TJ with a wheel falling off on the road...
 
I've waffled between using spacers and going with an offset on a rim that naturally gives the stance I want. I like the black factory 17" rims enough and after researching the safety aspect of it, think I'll go with spacers to get what I want. As long as they're hubcentric spacers it sounds like it's as safe as wheels being installed without the spacers. Thanks for the write up.
 
I bought steel 1.25” and put anti-seize around the hub area on the jeep and on the factory wheel. Had momma come out and hold the brakes on so I could torque the spacers on. Drove it a couple days and torqued the spacers again. None were loose. Checked the wheel lug torque a couple days later and haven’t given it a second thought until I got new tires.
Changed to 285/70R17 and checked the spacer torque and torqued the lugs in about 50 miles. No rubbing and looks good.
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I went with 1.5 inch G2 spacers and they are working great for me. Had to remove the spacers and rotors to replace ball joints, and the spacers almost felt welded to the rotors - needed to hammer them off.

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Don't wheel spacers cause premature load wear on the bearings ( physics )? Just asking, does highway handling get better or worse?
 
Don't wheel spacers cause premature load wear on the bearings ( physics )? Just asking, does highway handling get better or worse?
Not any more than wheels with the same backspacing - there's no difference between the two as far as wear is concerned.
I dont find any issues at all with highway or any other type of driving, with the spacers I have. Hard for me to say if the handling is better or worse since I did the lift and the spacers at the same time. Handling is much better, but most of that can be attributed to the lift.
 
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Good to know, will try them out next year when I blow the dust off my 17in OEMs. And put on some aggressive all weather tire. No lifting, my wife complains about the height with the 225/75/16 getting in. I took the stock step bars off, because they were a pain in the snow belt here. I was in the calibration field once, so I have a lot of torque wrenches. Guess it would the 1/2in drive, like my wheel nuts.