Offroad Setup - Use Spacers or Offset Rims.

Just got a Gen 5, 2021 4Runner that I want to set up for off road (dirt & rock) using a second set of rims for off-road tires and keeping the stock wheels with highway tires (which I'll probably use most often).

I believe a wider setup is better for off road. Should I use spacers or get the new wheels with built in offset for off road wheel.

And what offset would you recommend for dirt & rock.

Seahound1

 

Why is wider better off-road? As an alternative, less scrub radius will allow larger diameter tires with fewer modifications.

 

If you don’t want to be cutting (chopping) your 4 Runner to avoid rubbing, you might follow this chart. It came from this forum. The green should be no rubbing assuming stock setup regarding offset, backspace and no spacers. I think the TE model means Trail Edition. Those 17x7.5 wheels with 4.875” backspace (and 15mm offset ) match the Off-road wheels.

 

Did someone say scrub radius?

https://www.4runners.com/threads/orp-wheel-fit-options.31701/#post-451768

 

You’re in luck! They come that way from the factory.

 

Wise words right here.


@SeaHound1 if you want to set it up for rock and dirt, tires and maybe armor are really all you need. Spacers or negative offset wheels just make it more difficult to fit tires.

Eventually, you might want to lift and get bigger tires, but that opens an expensive can of worms. They'll get pretty far with just a tire upgrade.

Also, some basic recovery gear is a good thing to have.

 

Going wider increases suspension travel but only in the front

 

Say what?

 

Haha, its just how geometry with the front independent suspension works. Simply Going farther from the pivot point.

 

You can add travel by using extended travel coilovers, or a long travel setup.

Putting negative offset wheels, or wheel spacers on does not affect the travel at all.

 

If you have a fixed pivot point, the farther away you get from that pivot point the more "travel" there will be. Long travel kits all have longer control arms.

I'm not saying I would recommend running 2" spacers with -38 offset wheels. And yes you can add travel with extended travel coilovers/struts and upper control arms.

 

You are correct when you say that long travel kits have longer control arms. That is why they have more travel.

But, adding wheel spacers or negative offset does not increase travel. It does not affect travel at all.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAYGdcKSA3o

 

Increasing your track width adds stability.

To the OP, there will be a lot of opinions on this but I think the best option with a 285 is something along the lines of a 8" wide wheel with a -10 offset. This gives you max track width without extending past the fender flares. You will definitely have to trim some fender plastics and dial in your caster setting so you're not rubbing on the mudflap.

You can also achieve something close to this with an Offroad wheel (+15 offset) and a 1.25" wheel spacer.

 

So that will widen the track ≈ 2½ inches? Is that significant?

 

That would be 2.5” each side so 5”. Increasing the track from about 62” to 67. Almost 10% increase is significant and will help with the CG. Of course it isn’t a free lunch, it’s going to require some trimming here and there.

 

added track width isn’t a bad thing. esp if we’re recovering track width from a lift.

everyone’s worked up about scrub radius and the offsets and the casters so much that rubbing is some sort of taboo.

nova said it right with no free lunch. though a lot of the times the lunch isn’t that costly.

 

Wow, a lot of good information for me to chew on here. Looks like, spacers, tire offset, lift kits kits cause all sorts of issues I was not expecting. Thank you all for your input and suggestions. Might just go with a goo set of AT 275/70/17s for now, until I have a little more experience. Thanks for the charts and video links. I found a new rabbit hole. I raced motorcycles in my youth, then did advance deco diving in my mid life. Offloading has piqued my interest of late. Looks like I'll be spending similarly to my past hobbies.
SeaHound1

 

-10mm offset adds about an inch of poke per side compared to the off-road wheels. 285's add 20mm overall width, so 10mm (<1/2") track width. So, the overall track width gain is less than 2.5".

 

Ultimately, I’m not sure using wheel offset and spacers is the best way to equip your truck for “off road(dirt &rock)”

SeaHound mentioned the rabbit hole, there’s the “rub” so to speak.

There are solutions for increasing the track, it’s call Long Travel. Total Chaos makes a +2 and +3.5 inch kits. There are others as well but my point is that these kits are not the cheapest way to do it, but are well engineered to withstand honest off road punishment.

So if the goal is wider track, like 2 or more inches, I’d save up to do it with kit designed for the purpose. And while you’re chasing the rabbit, when you see the Mad Hatter, tell him Mike says hi!

Enjoy the ride.

 

There's definitely some things to consider before modifying. But, there's a solution for every issue. Hang around and read about some of the builds here, and you'll figure out what you want to do. This place will definitely help you get rid of some money, as well!

 

OP, just keep in mind what type of off-roading you want to do will also have some influence on how wide you want to go. I spend most of my off-road time in Colorado (Alpine Loop) and on many of those passes, it’s posted that narrow track is “required”. But those are nigh elevation, rocky mountain trails/passes where the typical rig is a Jeep, 4Runner or FJ with pretty standard set-ups (maybe slight lifts and a size or two larger tire, but very few with offsets outside the wheel well). I’ve typically run a stock Jeep Rubicon Hard Rock and now a stick TRD ORP with the off-road upgrade package (the slightly larger tire size from factory/port) and that’s perfect for me. I don’t even have a lift/level and the thing performs so well just how I bought it there really nothing I “need” to do to it.

Then there’s what a good friend of mine in Missouri does that’s lots of mud and/or sand dunes where the wider, larger tires, aired down, taller lifts make a huge positive difference. Just figure out where you’re most likely to go and that should help decide how far down the rabbit hole to go.

 

So, to play the devil’s advocate, I was super excited about seeing this thread posted and reading all of the different opinions of wheel spacers vs offset. Instead, we got the typical “OP, you probably shouldn’t do this” (which is probably best for them). But now I can’t start a thread about wheel spacers vs wheel offset, so maybe we can bring this thread back around again?

Given the requirement, “you need more backspacing” (to clear UCAs and 2.5” Fox shocks), which would the forum lean towards?

I’d love to keep my factory ORP wheels and save money there, but I’m concerned with the added leverage of the additional spacer width causing trouble (I feel it’s different to bolt a wheel directly to the hub than to have the hub extended with a 1.5”spacer and kinda having to “reach its arms further”).

Is there actual concern with spacers, or if everything is done/torqued properly, is there no risk?

 

From what I've read, quality spacers are just fine as long as they're installed properly, as you mentioned. I also seem to recall reading that they should be removed and re-torqued periodically.

I think at least a few members here, and on Tacomaworld are using them without any trouble.

 

Depends on the situation.

I'd definitely rather have a lower wider stance than a taller narrower stance for the type of offroading I like.

 

Also, you don't NEED spacers in order to clear UCA's unless the aftermarket UCA specifically requires them. Most don't.

 

There's no concerns with wheel spacers when installed correctly. But id rather have wheels with the correct offset, then wheel spacers. Just one less thing to worry about.

I've been running 17x8.5-12 offset wheels since I got my 4runner. They did require me to chop the body mount(even with a good alignment and slight lift). I have plenty of clearance from my jba arms(which have offset requirements)

When I did run wheel spacers I only had them on the front. Since lifting a ifs narrows the track

 

That's useful information. The Alpine Loop is typical of the places I plan to go, along with all the other high pass roads in CO. I recall Engineer Pass as being especially narrow, with deep holes coming in and out of the hairpins. I'm not in a hurry to change anything until I see how my 4R handles a place like that with (better) stock-sized tires.

 

Bad idea:

 

Wow.

the wheel hitting at the end is the real kick in the ass.