Pros and cons of wheel spacers?

[apickering975]

I am considering putting wheel spacers on my 85 200X. I like the look of spaced out wheels but I want to make sure they are worth getting. I mainly use my trike for riding in the woods and tearing around in the fields. What are some pros and cons of wheel spacers and are they worth the money?

[dougspcs]

They would be of benefit on a dirt track to give you stability in the corners.

However for day to day riding they do take something away.

Your low speed cornering is more difficult since the fixed axle causes wheel drag when turning. The wider the spacing, the worse your turning will be.

Also the extra width caught me up in the tight spots a few times since they added about 5-6" of width to my wheel stance.

I put them on my SX once then removed them for these reasons.

An experienced rider can body shift to keep off-camber stability on most terrain. The spacers were more of a handicap than a help!

If you are trying to tighten up the handling, consider changing tires from the OEM style balloons to something else. I fit my 200x and 350x both up with Mud Lites..a great general purpose tire for the sport trikes!

[RUNMEDOWN]

I am considering putting wheel spacers on my 85 200X. I like the look of spaced out wheels but I want to make sure they are worth getting. I mainly use my trike for riding in the woods and tearing around in the fields. What are some pros and cons of wheel spacers and are they worth the money?

I am in the same boat; I like the look but don't ride on tracks. I have read in multiple places that the first gen 200x axle is not real strong and if you are aggressive could bend it with the added leverage moving the wheels out can cause. Plus I am a heavy guy (Not fat, gravity just pulls down on me harder for some reason) so that would only exacerbate the situation.

[YamaBoss]

I had some on my 225DR that I use for woods riding and I just took them off. Trails were to tight and it wasn't even much fun to ride, as Doug said I also had tires that are far from balloon and those work great to increase the handling. Those tires plus spacers for woods riding is overkill in my opinion

[dougspcs]

I am in the same boat; I like the look but don't ride on tracks. I have read in multiple places that the first gen 200x axle is not real strong and if you are aggressive could bend it with the added leverage moving the wheels out can cause. Plus I am a heavy guy (Not fat, gravity just pulls down on me harder for some reason) so that would only exacerbate the situation.

Yeah, then there's that too..bent axles suck!!

[apickering975]

Thanks for the info. Right now I have the stock 22x11-8 tires on it but its almost time for some new ones. Are 20 inch tires going to be a better option for the kind of riding I do?

[apickering975]

Also forgot to ask if I got the 20 inch rear tires, would a stock size front tire be the way to go?

[DohcBikes]

Not really. Trail riding and lolly gagging around I'd rather have 22's as they give a nicer ride. 20S are more of a race tire. Front tire sizes are limited, but shouldn't require a change to go with 20s in the rear. 23-8-11

[oscarmayer]

Stock axle it will guaranty you will bend it. I never recommend using spacers on stock axles because they are only mild steel.


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[DohcBikes]

Stock axles are heat treated. While the 200x axles are not the strongest, I've owned 7 that weren't bent. I use a dial gauge to check my axles. That's pretty good for 30+ years of use.

[apickering975]

After reading what you all had to say I'm not going to get spacers. They seem impractical for the type of riding I do and I don't want to have to deal with a bent axle. What kind of 22 inch tires do you guys recommend for off road riding that are not too expensive?

[YamaBoss]

I'm going to assume you don't need a mud tire right?

I like the Kenda Pathfinder's. I ride mainly trails with occasional mud and these do great. They are basically a more aggressive knobby tire.

[apickering975]

I'm going to assume you don't need a mud tire right?

I like the Kenda Pathfinder's. I ride mainly trails with occasional mud and these do great. They are basically a more aggressive knobby tire.

I want a tire that does good in mud but also riding on normal terrain, so not as thick of tread as a big mud tire.

[christph]

Getting back to spacers, Rocky Mountain makes a real nice extended billet hub. It's their Tusk brand and you can get them for 100 bucks. I set up my 200X with extended hubs and 18" Turf Tamers. I wouldn't recommend it for tight trails but it is great for fire roads and motocross. Here are a couple of pictures.

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[SamT]

I love them on my big red. But it's mostly slow riding on rough terrain.
I just have 1.5" each side. Stability is a lot better, and now it fits the track of new bigger atvs so it's in the groove.
It definitely doesn't turn as good, that's my only complaint.
I never though I needed them when I had a 200x though.

[JesseA420]

if this were one of the old rigid trikes, i would say stick with 22's for the benefit of the big tires as part of the suspension, but since it isnt i would go to a standard sport profile atv 20" tire. this will dramatically increase your stability without having to go with wheel spacers. which tire? there is about 300 different styles just take a pick based on a tread pattern you fancy since you are just play riding.
ps keep in mind going to smaller tire will affect your final gear ratio also.

here is a pick of mine with 18" kenda klaws

http://i1251.photobucket.com/albums/hh548/JesseA421/20150708_184755.jpg

[RIDE-RED 250r]

My 350r has a Durablue +4 with 9x9 6/3 offset rims making it 6" wider than stock, the other R has an RPM +4 with OEM 350x rims and the wife's 350x is running a nice set of spacers I found on ebay. They don't use through-bolts. Bolt them to the hub and then they have 4 separate studs for the rim. These right here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/HONDA-SUZUKI-ATV-ATC-REAR-BILLET-WHEEL-SPACERS-400EX-450R-300EX-250EX-FOREMAN-/360680847587?hash=item53fa40f8e3:m:miWPaLQb73Aj0Oy YA7hYr0Q&vxp=mtr

I will say, we don't do a ton of tight woods riding, maybe 20%. The rest is seasonal dirt roads on these trikes. The wife does not MX with her 350x, so I don't have any concern about her axle holding up with the spacers..

I like...no wait, I LOVE my trikes wide, at least for the kind of riding we do. I'm not discounting what others have said about low speed cornering suffering, but I myself have not noticed any issue with my cornering at low speed. As I said, I don't do a ton of woods riding on these particular machines.

The nice thing about spacers like the ones I got is you can run them when you want, and you can pull them off when you don't. Simply pull your wheel, unbolt the spacer from the factory lug studs in your hub, then re-install the wheel as factory. One thing I do not like about other types of spacers is that they require the removal of the lug studs from your hub and then use through bolts to mount the spacer and wheel together.

If you want spacers, I highly recommend the ones I posted in the above link. They have held up dandy on the 350x for me.

[oscarmayer]

you need to decide if your going to ride performance style, or put around with a few blips every so often. that will determine the tire size and type.
I myself like to play on the trails and slide corners, so I tend to run a 18" tire and yea turf tamers are fun, but there are some others that are good too. Cheetah tires seem to be a great compromise as well.

[Dirtcrasher]

Of course stock axles are NEVER MILD STEEL; I have no idea who dreamed that one up, they're hard as a damn rock!!

But, if your a jumper or heavy, don't run those spacers. Get a longer axle.

If I found 20, few years back, you can find one......

[cr480r]

With the addition of wheel spacers or ex.axle you will initially be blown away by the new found stabity... But in time the drawbacks will reveal themselves one by one. IMO If you have skills and ride trails it won't take long to realize why most atv's are around 46"... It's no accident