Negative Offset wheels or wheel spacers

[Rob S]

Hi All,

Seeking general consensus and opinions on widening the wheel track! 

I have been looking into doing the above for two reasons . . . . . one cosmetic (whether or not you agree!) and the other with the mind that its sensible thing to do when (not if haha!) I eventually upgrade suspension and do a 1-2inch lift.

I currently have an offset of +25. So moving to zero offset wheels will give me 25mm wider each side. If I move to -10, I will get 35mm wider each side.

Whats the advantages / dis-advantages of just getting zero or negative offset wheels, or getting some good quality spacers fitted.

(and if anyone wants to offer advice about the ideal spacer size or offset please go ahead, all opinions welcome!)

(and if its relevant, its for a toyota prado)

Cheers,

Rob

 

[Frederic]

34 minutes ago, Rob S said:

Hi All,

Seeking general consensus and opinions on widening the wheel track! 

I have been looking into doing the above for two reasons . . . . . one cosmetic (whether or not you agree!) and the other with the mind that its sensible thing to do when (not if haha!) I eventually upgrade suspension and do a 1-2inch lift.

I currently have an offset of +25. So moving to zero offset wheels will give me 25mm wider each side. If I move to -10, I will get 35mm wider each side.

Whats the advantages / dis-advantages of just getting zero or negative offset wheels, or getting some good quality spacers fitted.

(and if anyone wants to offer advice about the ideal spacer size or offset please go ahead, all opinions welcome!)

(and if its relevant, its for a toyota prado)

Cheers,

Rob

 

Hey @Rob S !

I agree on the cosmetic part and love a bold wide stance on any 4x4. For me personally during self recovery I always stick my head out of the window and observe my tyres so I can crawl out of the situation. Having the wheels sticking out of the fenders helps for that. 
 

Basically if you decide you want to change the rims, you can indeed go for an offset of 0 or even negative (depends on the original ET value). Just be careful that your tyres are not rubbing too much against the fenders while off-roading. When you are up to change rims, you can visit a tyre shop and ask them to fit one of the rims on your car before deciding on the correct offset.  Once you have a lift kit, the rubbing wouldn’t be an issue anyways.
 

If you fancy keeping the original rims, then wheel spacers are a good option. (H&R spacers are great). A 2 inch wheel spacer will give a nice wide stance. 
 

Original rims are very good quality and much better than going for cheap Chinese rims. So when you do get rims, try to go for a known brand and not a replica or rip-off. 
 

 

[ASAD.]

@Rob Shave you been able to narrow down on what type of lift you will go with? or which one works best for a Prado? 

[Rob S]

hi @ASAD., not yet researched much about what type of lift (that will come later!). I will replace tyres soon so first evaluating keeping current wheels and adding spacers or buying new wheels with the new tyres as I want the wider look! 

Edited January 10, 2022 by Rob S

[ASAD.]

personal opinion but im not very comfortable with spacers. I think it just adds another potential point of failure. I would go for offset rims whenever i go for the wide stance. But many people have had spacers are happy with them. 

[Srikumar]

Widening the stance excessively does add additional load on your CV joints causing premature wear.

You could either get good quality spacers or a deep dish rims. In both options you need to ensure that it's of a good make else you will be adding a lot of unnecessary vibrations while cruising on the highway.

 

[Mario Cornejo]

@Rob S I went on the same path as you, install lift, wheels with negative offset, A/T tires, etc. I did this in steps and with different vendors (i.e. garages, tire shops).

If I were to repeat the process I would look at all together as a whole system and research every part: springs, shocks, bump stops, drop case, adjustable arms, drag link, bushings, wheels, etc. 

In the process I visited 3 garages, the last one was meticulous enough to review the modifications and correct a few things that should have been done from day 1.

Hope this helps!