Contents
1/2-inch (12mm)Moving wheels 1/2-inch outwards eliminates rubbing and clearance issues when installing aftermarket wheels. |
1-inch (25mm)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) |
The Ford F-250 is a heavy-duty champ of a vehicle, thanks to the strong construction, great towing and hauling abilities and powerful engines under the hood. It’s no coincidence then it’s the most popular heavy-duty pickup truck on the market today.
With all that strength and capability, some may think that there are no ways you can improve the F-250 and in most cases that’s true. This is a very big vehicle and installing an off-road package will not do very much, but installing bigger wheels and better tires for a specific purpose, like snow-driving, might.
The F-250 is already equipped with very big wheels and tires, but if you want to go bigger than that, you’ll need wheel spacers. The bigger rims and wider tires may touch the inside of your car and a wheel spacer can help push them outward.
What are the benefits of wheel spacers on my Ford F-250?
There are numerous benefits, with the biggest one being what we already mentioned – making a better fit for bigger tires and wheels. There are wheel spacers that can even change the bolt pattern, which is great news if some aftermarket wheels don’t fit the pattern of the F-250. However, when doing all of that, always be sure that the thickness of the spacer is the right size for the new wheels.
This can be a trial and error thing, so it’s always best to measure the width of your new tires vs. the older tires and add a wheel spacer with the same thickness. You can also do this by using washers to mitigate wheel spacers, but do that only for measuring. After finding the right thickness, remove the washers and install the wheel spacers. Washers are a quick, easy and cheap way to find the best dimensions of wheel spacers for your Ford F-250.
Other than giving you the option of installing bigger wheels and tires, wheel spacers will improve the looks of your F-250 even with the stock wheels. After some wheel offset, they will look more flush with the rest of the vehicle and the F-250 will appear more elegant and robust. Wheel spacers can help you install bigger brakes as well, which is something to think about if you tow big trailers.
In the end, wheel spacers will improve the stability of your vehicle, especially at higher speeds. That said, we recommend using hub-centric wheel spacers because they carry the vehicle’s weight by themselves. Lug-centric wheel spacers put the whole weight of the vehicle on the lug nuts, which can be dangerous in the long run – you certainly don’t want your wheel falling off. Remember, the F-250 is a very heavy truck, especially when loaded to the max.
Are there any downsides of installing wheel spacers?
Wheel spacers bring a lot of improvements with them, but they have some downsides, especially if you go overboard with the thickness. In that case, the suspension geometry of the F-250 will be changed, which can induce strain on the components and make them more vulnerable. You might experience less stability under braking and more tire wear as well.
How to install wheel spacers on the Ford F-250?
Changing the wheel spacers is as easy as changing a tire on the F-250, but this is a very heavy car and you should have the right equipment for that, including beefier jack and jack stands, as well as the proper tools for removing the wheels.
- Jack up the Ford F-250. Only put the jack under the designated jack points
- Put jack stands under the jack points of the vehicle – never use a jack for holding the F-250
- Remove the wheel by unscrewing the lug nuts
- Install the wheel spacer on the hub
- Put the wheel back on. Always tighten the lug nuts with torque wrench according to factory specification
F-250 Bolt Pattern
PCD 8×170
Stock wheel offset
34 mm
Center bore (hub bore)
124.9
Thread size
M14 x 1.5
Stock Rim Sizes Range
17×7.0 – 26×11.0
Tire sizes
245/75 R17 – 325/45 R24
What do wheel spacers do?
Appearance: Moving the Ford F-250 wheels out to expand the stand and more striking design.
Clearance: Numerous factory Ford F-250 wheels do not have enough of spacing to line up with big brake kits.
Correction: The offset of the Ford F-250 wheel setup may be too high, resulting in the wheels sitting too far inside. This might cause the tire to scrub on the inside Ford F-250 brakes, or other components. Wheel spacers change the offset problem.
Handling: by spacing your Ford F-250 wheels farther apart, this simple alteration can elaborate the Ford F-250 vehicle with more flanking balance and corner better.
