How to choose the best wheel spacers for Dodge Ram 1500

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Contents

5x5.5 (5x139.7mm) Bolt Pattern with 14x1.5 lug nuts.

1/4-inch (6mm)

Moving wheels 1/4-inch outwards eliminates rubbing and clearance issues when installing aftermarket wheels.

1/2-inch (12mm)

A super-effective accessory to increase stability and give a noticeably aggressive stance.

1.5-inch (40mm)

By pushing out the wheels further out from the hub with 1.5-inch wheel spacers you gain in handling characteristics and get a catchy look.

2-inch (50mm)

Allow for significantly wider tires to improve road grip and traction when off-roading.

2.5-inch (63mm)

3-inch (75mm)

So, you’ve bought new wheels for your Dodge Ram 1500, but they don’t fit exactly the way you like them to? It’s no coincidence – a lot of rims on the market today come in a variety of sizes and shapes and after installation, a lot of them can shorten the track of your Ram 1500. In these situations, you need wheel spacers.

Why do I need wheel spacers for my Dodge Ram 1500?

But wheel spacers are not only used to offset the wheels and tires to the correct position. As a matter of fact, most people use them to make their Rams appear sportier, with a wider stance and improve the cornering performance as well. All of this sounds good, but there are a lot of things to consider when installing wheel spacers.

Generally, wheel spacers can improve on the handling of your Dodge Ram 1500 in the corners. They’ll also contribute to more uniform tire loading and more grip for better stability. Wheel spacers can help you to install bigger brakes on the Ram 1500 as well, which is something to think of when tuning your vehicle. In the end, some rims come with different bolt pattern from the one on the Ram 1500 hubs (like most of the off-road rims) and then a wheel spacer is required to change it.

On the other hand, a lot of Dodge Ram 1500 owners opt for very big wheel spacers, which tend to hamper vehicle performance and change the geometry of the vehicle, which can result in a lot of strain on the suspension components.

What everybody agrees on in the Ram community is that wheel spacers give the vehicle a more aesthetically pleasing look with an emphasis on sportiness and muscularity. That is with the right wheels of course, even though the looks can be enhanced even with the factory wheels.

What size of wheel spacer do I need?

It all depends on what you want to achieve. Some people want to exaggerate with widening the track – there are 1” wheel spacers available if you want to do that. However, we recommend sticking close to the factory specification so you don’t damage some of your suspension components. The best thing to do when buying a wheel spacer is to measure the thickness yourself, especially after installing a new set of wheels.

Ram 1500 Bolt Pattern
PCD 5×139.7
Stock wheel offset
10 to 20 mm
Center bore (hub bore)
77.8
Thread size
M14 x 2.00
Stock Rim Sizes Range
16×7.0 – 26×10.5
Tire sizes
245/70 R17 – 295/35 R24

What to look out for when installing wheel spacers?

The most important thing is not to go overboard with the wheel offset, as it may damage components of the suspension and even worsen the performance. For proper fit and refined ride, we recommend going for hub centric wheel spacers as they produce less vibration, put less strain on the suspension and are much safer. Hubcentric rings are also required when installing aftermarket rims to perfectly center the wheel.

A very important thing is to change the bolts when installing wheel spacers. You’ll always need longer bolts for proper wheel fitment. And it’s easy to calculate how long – just add the thickness of the wheel spacers to the length of the factory bolts and there you go. Of course, if the wheel spacers change the thread pattern, use the bolts that come with them.

Sometimes a leveling kit may be required after installing wheel spacers so your tires are not rubbing the fenders.

How to install wheel spacers?

To install wheel spacers on the Dodge Ram you’ll need a jack and jack stands, and the proper equipment and tools for removing the wheels.

Just follow these instructions and you should be good to go:

  • Jack up the Ram 1500 to a height that will be easy to work with
  • Remove the wheels by unscrewing the lug nuts. If retaining clips are present on your vehicle, remove them as well
  • Install the wheel spacers
  • Put the wheels back on and tighten the lug nuts. We advise tightening the lug nuts with torque wrench according to factory specification for best safety

 

Appearance: Thrusting the Dodge Ram 1500 wheels out to enhance the stance and more aggressive design.
Clearance: Plenty aftermarket Dodge Ram 1500 wheels do without decent amount of of spacing to clear with big brake kits.
Correction: The offset of the Dodge Ram 1500 wheel assembly may be too high, resulting in the wheels positioned too far inside. This can prompt the tire to scratch the inside Dodge Ram 1500 brakes, or other components. Wheel spacers adjust the offset challenge.
Handling: by distancing your Dodge Ram 1500 wheels farther away from each other, this straight-forward reshaping can improve the Dodge Ram 1500 vehicle with more horizontal stamina and improved cornering.