If you are thinking of installing wheel spacers on your truck, you already know that they are an aftermarket item.
They only have one purpose- to move your wheels away from your truck’s body.
The installation process of wheel spacers is a straightforward one, and you can do it yourself.
You have nothing to worry about as we will hold your hand through the process. So, let’s get to know how to install wheel spacers on a truck.
Table of Contents
Benefits of Installing Wheel Spacers
If you are doubtful whether to install wheel spacers, know that these parts will benefit your truck greatly. Before you buy wheel spacers check their pros and cons. The benefits are as follows:
So, if you are still on the fence about installing wheel spacers on your car, these facts should change your mind.
Required Tools
Although the installation process is an easy one, there are some tools that you will need to conduct the procedure. They are listed below.
You may want to consider using these tools as well. While they are not compulsory for the installation, they will help you through the process.
Caution
Spacers can vary a lot from one another in terms of thickness. You have to make sure to choose the right type of spacer that fits your truck.
Firstly, you have to select the most suitable pattern that suits your vehicle. Otherwise, those spacers will not work.
You also have to make sure not to modify your spacers in any way.
How to Install Wheel Spacers on a Truck
Now that you have the basic knowledge of wheel spacers, let us get down to installing one.
Park the Truck
To start the process, you have to park your truck first. While telling you to do this may sound redundant, it is a necessary step of the task.
Make sure that the space you park on is an immovable, flat surface.
Jack up the Car
It would help if you loosened the lug nuts that keep the wheel in position on the hub. Slide a floor jack beneath your truck.
Do not slide it so hard that it goes into outer space. Slide it to an appropriate point.
Bring the car down onto the jack stand. Now, do it for all the corners of your truck.
You have to be cautious while performing this part of the task. It can damage the automobile parts and injure you. So, try not to work under or over the tire.
Remove the Wheel
Once you have unscrewed all the lug nuts, take the wheels off by sliding. You can use a tire iron or breaker bar to remove these wheels. Now, you can either opt to move on to the next step or optimize this phase.
Thoroughly spray the degreaser onto the lug studs and then use a rag to wipe them down.
Use a wire brush to scrub off excess dirt from the studs. You should also clean up the surface of the hub.
Fasten the Wheel Spacers
Place the bolt-on type spacer over the lug studs and secure the lug nuts onto the studs. That way, the hub will have the spacer bolted on it.
In case it’s not a bolt-on design, slide the spacer onto the lug studs. The spacer has holes in it.
Line these holes up with the lug studs and slide it. It will fit firmly against the wheel hub.
Install the Lug Nuts
After you have secured the wheel spacer, fit the wheel by sliding it along the studs. Make sure that the wheel has fitted securely against the spacer.
Once you have done one wheel, install the lug bolts onto it. Now repeat this process for the remaining three corners of your truck.
Bring Your Truck Back
Once you have completed all these processes, your truck is almost ready. Now it is time to bring it back to the ground. Take precautions while performing this step.
Place a floor jack beneath your truck. Use it to raise the vehicle to a higher level. That way, there will be no weight on the stands of the jack.
Remove them. Now, bring your car back to the ground by slowly lowering each corner sequentially.
Secure the Lug Nuts
This is the final step. Tighten the lug bolts either in a star pattern or a crisscross pattern using a torque wrench.
Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s recommended settings.
Post-Processing
Even though you feel confident that you have installed the wheel spacers correctly, some check-up is a good idea.
After you have driven around for a hundred miles, check if the bolts are tight or not. Also, make sure that the wheel spacers are still in place.
Final Words
The wheel spacers are a simple mod that can enhance your truck performance.
If you know how to install them properly, you should be good to go. So, we hope that after reading our article, you now have full knowledge about how to install wheel spacers on a truck.