Spacers

[yx230]

Hey, I'm looking to get a new raptor 350 soon and was thinking about getting some spacers as the first mod..since they are pretty narrow..i was thinking some +2.5" on each side..or a popular brand with 1.25" one each side..any advice?

 

[klutchbuster350]

nope, dont get them, they crack and you get hurt. I'd rather put a bit more stress on the ball joints by flipping the rims.

 

[yamarider]

Here's a better better way to go. Take the front wheels and tires to a tire shop or powersports shop, and get them to relocate the valve stem to the other side of the wheel (in the deep dish side instead of the shallow side). They can put a valve stem in backwards in the original hole to seal it up, without the stem protruding. The reason i'm telling you this is because you can skip the whole wheel spacers thing on the front, and just mount your wheels opposite of how they normally would be. It'll make the front end about 4 inches wider than stock, and you won't have the weakness, cost, and added weight spacers stick you with. You will have to get spacers (or better yet, extended hubs) to make your back end wider on the raptor though, because the rear wheels are already at a wider offset than if you would flip them.

 

[yx230]

Hm..it's that complicated? It isnt just as simple as turning around the wheels and bolting them back on? Heh..darn

 

[yx230]

It makes more sense..but I didnt know it would add that much width..The dealer would probably charge about the cost of spacers tho..But I'd rather do that..

 

[yakuza]

Flipped front wheels add more than 2" per side. When I had mine flipped it was wider than it is now with +2 A-arms. But I'd advise against flipping them. Actually, if I had the choice I'd get the spacers. With the wheels flipped they'll get caught in ruts and turned sideways way more than they would before. I mean to the point it can rip the bars out of your hands. I've snapped a couple tie rod ends when my wheels were flipped because of all the stress on them getting crossed up in ruts. Anybody on here with flipped wheels that rides in the trails knows what I'm talking about. Just because some of them haven't broken anything yet doesn't mean it's not gonna happen. Try getting out of the woods with two snapped tie rod ends, it's no picnic.....

 

[yamarider]

Spacers and flipped wheels will both respond the same. Wheel spacers aren't going to give you any less bump steer, leverage on the tie rods, or stress on the ball joints and bearings. It's all the same geometry in the end, they just get it done a little different.

If your dealer charges you more to simply relocate the valve stems than they sell wheel spacers for, you should start looking for another dealer. I can take a set of wheels and tires to my local powersports shop, hand them 20 bucks, and 15 minutes later i'm on my way home.

 

[warrior350x]

i took my chances with the spacers, i like them especaly with the tiers im running, i just dont land on the front (try not to), and if i can i avoid ruts and soild stuff o the trail that i feel will kill my spacers. i like the way it handles the trails personaly. im just worried about the spacers oming off the hub itself.
im going to order new hardened studs and drill the spacer to fit next week so cn put ore on the front

 

[yakuza]

Enlighten me here. Flipped wheels puts the majority of the rim/tire out past the mounting/pivot point. Spacers keeps it the same, just moves the mounting location out further. Same idea as extended arms, which don't give the nasty bump steer. Is there something I'm missing here because I wouldn't think (although I've never used them) the spacers would give the nasty rut-grabbing bump steer????

 

[yamarider]

You're not looking at this straight. Wheel spacers, offset wheels, and flipping the wheels all have the same basic effect. Don't look at wheel spacers as moving the mounting point out, because that's not what they do. A-arms are the only way to move your mounting points out. Spacers basically turn regular wheels into offset wheels. With spacers your wheel/tire will still be sticking out past the hub than it normally would, right? Just not as much as with flipping the wheels, simply because flipping the wheels adds more offset than wheel spacers do (I think they only go up to like 1.5" in the front, flipping the wheels adds about 2.5"

 

[warrior350x]

ya but thats normal crap, that comes with the sport so i over look that

 

[yakuza]

Like I said I never used spacers, so I'll take your word for it...lol. I guess it does make sense tho....