5x5.5 wheel adapters on a 5x4.5 XJ
 

I have a bead on some nice 33" tires and wheels for $200.00. I have the stock 5x4.5" set-up. What's your opinion on the wheel patern adapters. Good? Dangerous? I wanted 30-31's, but these are a great deal. I might even buy them to trade down to 31"s.

33"s look bad.

I dont see a problem with them but depends on the backspacing of the rims it comes with. Further the tires are from the bearing, the more stress they see and the quicker they wear out. My gf runs '10 sahara wheels on her 01 XJ and we havent had any issues with the adapters. But she doesnt wheel

If you do wheel it, expect the lugs that thee adapter is bolted to, to break. And possibly the adapter lugs as well.

^^ I have to disagree, I have spacers on my JK and have wheeled it pretty hard through some pretty rough stuff and haven't ever had an issue. I also know plenty of guys that run stock rims with bigger tires and spacers and beat their jeeps a lot harder than I do and they've held up fine. If you're a weekend warrior, I say go for it, just keep an eye on them, especially after a wheeling trip.

I ran spacers for awhile and didn't have any issues. Just be sure to check the lugs regularly.
If you do end up getting them and want 31's instead, let me know. I'm looking for some 33's and have 31's.

ANother internet Myth.


I had a set on my Trail rig on 33's. I had zero issues with them. Make sure you use lock tight on the hub to adapter studs, and torque to spec .

spacers
 

if u do run adaptors make sure if ur gonna wheel them to run some locktite on the hub lug studs....u can check the torque on the wheel lug nuts easily. but the adaptor lugs are harder to get to...

keep a check on them regularly and youll be ok.. i know lots of people running them on newer model jk's and they do just fine...

Not a myth. Message dpace7XJ on here. He is my good buddy. He has ran his spidertrax spacers for a couple years and is ALWAYS breaking lugs. He replaces them regularly. He even has lost so many of the special lug nuts used on the adapters from them breakin and fallin off that. And spidertrax wont sell the lug nuts alone, so he is out of luck on them. Its just the experience ive witnessed with them. Maybe he has just been unlucky.

He also runs 35x13.50 tires on a deep offset, which im sure doesnt help.

Yeah pretty much true....they break quite often. Don't know why, but Dev, Spidertrax will sell a set of only 5 nuts for 12 bucks...but thats kinda pricey. No matter how much loc tite i use and how tight i get the nuts, i've even had them get loose on the road before also...i don't run them any more. Cuz i got rims with a better offset, i never ran them with the deep offset. But yes, i have lots of extra studs when i do run them.

Ha! Im glad you chimed in. They seemed like kinda a pain. But if you cant afford new rims, then they will work!

Yes for the price, go for it...200 bucks for 4 aint bad...but you can get rims for not much more than that! I paid less than 400 for a new set of rims that got rid of my spacers

If you don't HAVE to use them don't.

Im runnig them on my jeep right now with 32's an jk wheels an have had no problems with them an there the spiderdex ones. I mean i paid an arm an leg for them but the do the job well.

ive never had an issue with using a reputable spacer.

there is no reason that the lugs should break, or ever come loose if properly tightened and loc'tighted.

Not so. Think of the wheel bearing as fulcrum, which it is, and the lugs as the lever outward. The longer the lever becomes, i.e. bigger spacers, the longer the lever and more leverage. The more weight you add, i.e. bigger tire/wheel, the more force exerted on the lugs. And consequently, they snap.

Its no different stress wise than a wheel with less backspacing. If youre having that many issues with spacers when most people are not, then YOU are doing something wrong.

Haha ive never personally ran spacers. Just seen only negative effects. Im not saying they are all bad. But if youre gonna run big meats, its better to stay away from them.

X2


I have run spider trax, and trailsport ones. I can tell you I was very hard on both sets, and never had an issue with the studs breaking.

I put a set of spacers on my son's rig.
35's and yes it gets wheeled.

No problems, ever.

Spacers
 

I have Spidertrax 5x5 to 5x4.5 spacer/adapters on my XJ. Its been wheeled for years and even jumped a few times and I have never even had to re-tighten them. Use a quality spacer and you will be fine. I also have Advanced Adapters spacers on my Datsun, they are not as well made as the Spidertrax ones but they work. FYI, Spidertrax DOES sell replacement studs, I know because my nephew cross threaded a lug nut on one of my studs. It was $14.95 for 3 of the studs including UPS.

Sorry to hijack, but what are some reputable brands for the spacers?

Spidertrax