spacers or not

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I have spacers and have done for a while.
So far no problems to report.
They will put extra strain on the bearings, but you will hear them going and know its time to replace them:D
Stops yer tyres rubbing on the radius arms a treat:D:D
And its a 0.5 spanner job:D
 
Vagrent said:
I have spacers and have done for a while.
So far no problems to report.
They will put extra strain on the bearings, but you will hear them going and know its time to replace them:D
Stops yer tyres rubbing on the radius arms a treat:D:D
And its a 0.5 spanner job:D
Click to expand...

I dunno what all the fuss is about with strain on the bearings......only starts to be an issue when you put a working engine in :doh::D:D
 
read somewhere that for every 20mm of spacer u shorten the life of bearings by 5%-10% considering how long bearings last, its not really that much of a worry.

edit: thats on a normal road going car, i imagine on a landrover bearing last for millions of miles :p
 
i've heard the same, but still want some spacers for my 90...

the bearings are only a tenner each and **** easy to replace.
 
I do wonder about whether the effect of spacers on bearing isn't the same on many peoples landys due to the wide tyres they use.

I mean, if the theory goes that manufactures design hubs and wheel offsets so as to get the centre of the tyre is aligned with the centre line of the inner bearing. And that on most vehicles, fitting spacers, or same width wheels with a different offset, causes the centre of the tyre to be offset to the centre of the inner bearing, thereby causing a leverage effect on the bearing in addition to normal rotation. (The leverage causing the additional wear).

But you cant ignore that many landy people who use spacers swear that they don't wear the bearings any more than normal. So why?

Could it be that many landy people fit the spacers only because they've fitted wider tyres. And that the wider tyres reduces the expected leverage effect, so that any additional wear wouldn't be as bad as if they had fitted spacers with the standard 205r16 tyres.

Does that make sense? Or is my theory bollocks?

I personally have never tried spacers so cant testify either way.
 
mundungus said:
I do wonder about whether the effect of spacers on bearing isn't the same on many peoples landys due to the wide tyres they use.

I mean, if the theory goes that manufactures design hubs and wheel offsets so as to get the centre of the tyre is aligned with the centre line of the inner bearing. And that on most vehicles, fitting spacers, or same width wheels with a different offset, causes the centre of the tyre to be offset to the centre of the inner bearing, thereby causing a leverage effect on the bearing in addition to normal rotation. (The leverage causing the additional wear).

But you cant ignore that many landy people who use spacers swear that they don't wear the bearings any more than normal. So why?

Could it be that many landy people fit the spacers only because they've fitted wider tyres. And that the wider tyres reduces the expected leverage effect, so that any additional wear wouldn't be as bad as if they had fitted spacers with the standard 205r16 tyres.

Does that make sense? Or is my theory bollocks?

I personally have never tried spacers so cant testify either way.
Click to expand...
think youve answerd your own qs:D
 
Spacers were the 'in thing' back in the days of the original Minis. The rally teams were running with wider wheels so the boy racers wanted to look like them. However with British Leyland build quality, front wheel drive, two inch spacers (often made in a shed somewhere) and an idiot behind the wheel you'd better believe that there were wheel bearing problems. Along with drive shaft problems, gearbox problems and car-on-it's-roof problems. That was where the urban myth that spacers will instantly demolish your wheel bearings come from.

If you're going to fit them just be sensible and check your wheel bearings whilst you have the wheel off.
 
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