wheel spacer help

  • i got a 1996 xj I put hub centric wheel spacers on it and got the death wobble . my tires are balanced and new I put new steering damper on and all front in parts are tight . Any ideas what I should do trying fix it b4 my lift get here Monday.

  • Try removing the spacers (if the tires will fit) and see what happens. Wheel spacers alone shouldn't cause death wobble... but maybe the ball joints or wheel bearings are bad? Wheel spacers put more leverage on the wheel bearings and ball joints.

    Jerry / Whatevah

    2020 Gladiator Mojave - 33" Falken mud tires, LoD side steps, Zroadz bed rack, Quadratec QRC winch bumper, Superwinch EPi 9.0, Kleinn on-board air, Kleinn air horns, lots of lights, Yaesu ham radio with GPS tracker.

    Gone- 2012 JK Rubicon with stuff. Long gone- Long-arm 2001 Cherokee with stuff.

  • Not to get off topic, but riddle me this batman...
    Wouldn't a larger offset rim do the exact same thing "geometrically" as a spacer? Essentially, moving the center point of contact away from the ball joints etc? I understand the extra leverage point, makes perfect sense... Just wondering why an offset rim is preferred to a spacer?


  • Not to get off topic, but riddle me this batman...
    Wouldn't a larger offset rim do the exact same thing "geometrically" as a spacer? Essentially, moving the center point of contact away from the ball joints etc? I understand the extra leverage point, makes perfect sense... Just wondering why an offset rim is preferred to a spacer?


    Yes, they'll do exactly the same thing. Spacers are illegal in some states which may sway some. I'd prefer an off set rim over spacers simply for price but if you like your current rims, spacers are cheaper and perfectly safe.



    i got a 1996 xj I put hub centric wheel spacers on it and got the death wobble . my tires are balanced and new I put new steering damper on and all front in parts are tight . Any ideas what I should do trying fix it b4 my lift get here Monday.


    I've only seen lug centric spacers for the dana 30. :shrug: What kind are they?

  • I had wheel spacers on mine (1.25") and they brought a loose ball joint problem to the surface. They can and do mess with the front suspension, so check all of your front end joints thoroughly. My money is on a loose joint.

  • believe it was a wheel bearing I took it off have a 1/4 inch play in it put new one on last night getting ready to head to beach and try it so I hopen for the best :fishing:

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