newbie question - wide stance

cdnuser · Post by **cdnuser** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 6:56 am

How can you get the wide stance (similar to the Zr2) without using spacers?

BobbleSmitty · Post by **BobbleSmitty** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 6:58 am

Wheels with different backspacing

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 7:28 am

Or go with Dana 44/60's

Post by **Walt** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 8:21 am

You could swap your rear axle for a Zr2 rear axle. It's got a larger rear differential, and is 3" wider overall. This will help even up the rear track with the front, but won't widen the front any. For that, your best option is spacers or aftermarket wheels.

BobbleSmitty · Post by **BobbleSmitty** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 10:59 am

Or trade in the crew for a ZR2!

Post by **Walt** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 12:14 pm

BobbleSmitty wrote:Or trade in the crew for a ZR2!

Such blasphemy will not be tolerated here! You have been warned!

Just kidding.

BobbleSmitty · Post by **BobbleSmitty** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 12:39 pm

Why not use spacers???

Post by **Walt** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 10:44 pm

BobbleSmitty wrote:Why not use spacers???

I second this. Quality spacers should hold up under almost any abuse.

04crewvt · Post by **04crewvt** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 1:57 am

I think if you look at all our rigs there are more of us with spacers of one size or another than not. I just took my crew on a pretty good offroad adventure and had no problems with the e-bay spacers. I run 2.5" rear 1" front. I think the trucks look and handle better with the wider stance and for the price and ease of modifcation it's the best way to widen the stance of your truck. Remember we are not talking about the cheap slip over the factory lug stud variety spacers but true wheel adapters with there own mounting holes to the hub and a secondary set of studs that the wheel muonts to.

cdnuser · Post by **cdnuser** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 3:42 am

Can you recommend a place to buy spacers? Anything I should be looking for in a spacer? Material...size etc?

Jigg · Post by **Jigg** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 3:52 am

Completevalue on ebay.

barch97 · Post by **barch97** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 4:27 am

I went 4" wider (2" each side) without spacers by changing to wheels with 4" backspace...

+/-$60 per wheel (including rim, center cap, lug nuts, mount/balance) Did it when I needed new tires. Made it super convenient to drop off wheels and tires at shop and not lose my truck for the day while I had the tires mounted.

On the otherhand, maybe 2" was a bit too much. I had to tighten my torsion bars and hold up/in the fender hem at the rear of each front wheel well due to tire rub when turning. I don't think I would have been as happy with the look if I had gone with any more backspace though.

Whether you go with spacers or wider rims, keep it to an inch or less in the front and you shouldn't have a problem.

cdnuser · Post by **cdnuser** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 9:40 am

Jigg wrote:Completevalue on ebay.

Has anyone tried "CJBargins" (I think that is his user ID)

Post by **Walt** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 9:50 am

Never heard of him. I would go through a more well known and tested source, such as CompleteValue, or even Aim Industries, but their spacers are more expensive than CompleteValue's.

purduecrew · Post by **purduecrew** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 9:55 am

I have ordered wheel spacers through CJBargains. All I know is my wheels are still on my truck, no balance, wobble, broken studs issues as of yet...thats all I know

Post by **Walt** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 10:02 am

That's good to know. Next time you have your tires rotated, can you snap a pic or two of your spacers for comparison to the others? This may prove to be another spacer purchasing alternative.

cdnuser · Post by **cdnuser** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 12:34 pm

Walt wrote:That's good to know. Next time you have your tires rotated, can you snap a pic or two of your spacers for comparison to the others? This may prove to be another spacer purchasing alternative.

The only thing I have noticed between the two is CJBargins is much cheaper but does not offer hub centric.

How important is hub centric spacers?

I think I may go with rear spacers of 1.5" Would this be enough to allign them with the front??

BobbleSmitty · Post by **BobbleSmitty** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 1:30 pm

That'll line you right up!

BobbleSmitty · Post by **BobbleSmitty** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 1:33 pm

HenryJ wrote:
BobbleSmitty wrote:What is the difference between the two?
Hubcentric has a hub for centering the wheel. Those without are lugcentric, and center the wheel using the lugs.
Hubcentric just adds a little extra to hold the wheel centered.

Snoman002 · Post by **Snoman002** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 3:53 pm

Yeah, hub centric really isn't needed on these trucks, it's kinda nice to not have the entire load supported on the lugs but it doesn't really matter.

Some vehicles are hub centric only, in that case it would be important, but it's not something you have to worry about on these trucks.

Just be carefull, spacers or wheels with less backspacing put extra stress on the front end components. My 15x8" wheels with 4" BS, combined with cranked t-bars eats (or used to anyways) balljoints every year. Granted I did drive crappy dirt roads every day which I'm sure accelerated the wear on the balljoints.

cdnuser · Post by **cdnuser** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 5:47 pm

barch97 wrote:I went 4" wider (2" each side) without spacers by changing to wheels with 4" backspace...

+/-$60 per wheel (including rim, center cap, lug nuts, mount/balance) Did it when I needed new tires. Made it super convenient to drop off wheels and tires at shop and not lose my truck for the day while I had the tires mounted.

On the otherhand, maybe 2" was a bit too much. I had to tighten my torsion bars and hold up/in the fender hem at the rear of each front wheel well due to tire rub when turning. I don't think I would have been as happy with the look if I had gone with any more backspace though.

Whether you go with spacers or wider rims, keep it to an inch or less in the front and you shouldn't have a problem.

I was talking to a co-worker of mine who I found out mods s10s for off road fun. He recommends not using spacers (but says they are perfectly safe) and go the route that you did and change the rims. But keep the factory distance from mounting side of the rims.

I have been dying to see this guys current project. He bought a 98 s10 std cab short box, stripped it and made his own frame and put in a 350.

If I can I will post pics

04crewvt · Post by **04crewvt** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 6:00 pm

If I was looking to get different rims getting a different backspace would be ok, but to get the wheels to line up the way I have then on my truck I would need different offset for the front and rear which would be a pain. Since I really like the ZR-5 rims I was fine with going with spacers and everyone who sees the truck thinks they look great.
I would like to hear why your friend does not recommend spacers. Other than a little more wear and tear on the front end components that some feel the spacers contribute to, I do not see a disadvantage to the spacers.

killian96ss · Post by **killian96ss** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 6:01 pm

cdnuser wrote:
Jigg wrote:Completevalue on ebay.
Has anyone tried "CJBargins" (I think that is his user ID)

I got my spacers from CJBargins and I've had no problems so far in the last 20-30k miles.

These are very high quality spacers with excellent machine work done to them. He includes all the necessary lugs nut also. These spacers are not hub-centric, but our trucks do not need hub-centric spacers anyway.

Steve

Post by **Walt** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 8:14 pm

New wheels or not, the reason most of us run spacers in the rear is because the front track is wider than the rear. That, combined with the pronounced bulge in the rear fender, serve to make the rear track look even narrower.

cdnuser · Post by **cdnuser** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 4:18 pm

I find it odd that GM made the rear track narrower. I have only noticed it on the s10s.

Would a zr2 rear end even things out or would it bring it too far out?

Post by **Walt** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 6:12 pm

A Zr2 rear axle would be perfect. It would make the rear 3" wider than the front overall.

Snoman002 · Post by **Snoman002** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 9:29 am

A ZR2 would result in a rear track just over 2" wider than the front. IMO that would be to wide to look right, even with the extra buldge the CC has in the rear. Also, isn't the spring pearch width wider on the ZR2 axle. Honestly I don't know, but I would imagine it would be with the wider frame and all.

All 4x4 S-series have different track widths, not sure on the 2wd's though.

F9K9 · Post by **F9K9** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 9:49 am

Snoman002 wrote:.......... Also, isn't the spring pearch width wider on the ZR2 axle...........

Brule and I discussed the ZR2 swap a while back because of the added strength. This was when I was looking at rear diff covers for their added strength but, it may have been through a PM. The ZR2 rear axle should work
work with our springs and shocks. This came up when I pointed out that the ZR2s had the driver's side lower shock mounted behind the axle and the passenger's side lower shock mounted in front of the axle. This is due to their trac bar. The ZR2 diffs were expensive when I could find a used one so, I went with the diff cover instead.

Post by **Walt** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 10:52 am

The Zr2 rear axle would only be 1.5" wider per side, which would bring the rear track inline with the front, plus a half inch on each side. I've run 2" spacers on the rear, and the lined the rear tires up perfectly with the outside edge of the fender, so 1.5" shouldn't be too much.

cdnuser · Post by **cdnuser** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 2:53 pm

Is the zr2 chassis the same size of the crewcab. So I could just drop the body and bed on a zr2 frame??

I saw a dead 2000 Zr2 in the paper for a couple of grand. HUMMMM.

F9K9 · Post by **F9K9** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 3:03 pm

cdnuser wrote:Is the zr2 chassis the same size of the crewcab. So I could just drop the body and bed on a zr2 frame??

I saw a dead 2000 Zr2 in the paper for a couple of grand. HUMMMM.

The extended cab ZR2 frame is approx. the same length but, it would take a good tech head to determine if, it would work. Body and bed mounting locations would have to be different. It has been done but, only on a custom basis. It isn't a "plug and play" situation.

BADs Crew · Post by **BADs Crew** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 4:32 am

f9k9 wrote: The ZR2 diffs were expensive when I could find a used one so, I went with the diff cover instead.

If I remember correctly ZR2 rears where selling for $1000 or more. I just ran them on car-part.com and was surprised to find some as low as $500.

F9K9 · Post by **F9K9** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 6:12 am

BADs Crew wrote:
f9k9 wrote: The ZR2 diffs were expensive when I could find a used one so, I went with the diff cover instead.

If I remember correctly ZR2 rears where selling for $1000 or more. I just ran them on car-part.com and was surprised to find some as low as $500.

Mileage? disk brakes or drums?

Post by **HenryJ** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 6:17 am

Prices vary widely in different parts of the country.

BADs Crew · Post by **BADs Crew** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 6:51 am

Here is one listed in WV.

4X4,ZR2,GT4,G80,3.73 LOCKER
66,746
$450
USA-WV(Fairmont)
1-888-733-2540

I tried to list the page but it doesn't work.