1/4" spacer to mitigate tire rub

[4x4 Ranger Man]

a cheap thrill of big tires without doing the whole thing right,
A rim with an offset might be a better way to go or a taller Lift like a 3.5
I have 285/75/17 and mine does not rub and I still have my crash bars
there is a little bumper flap that is bent back for whatever reason, it rubs on sometimes when backing....
and damnit it is loud!
you get the ground clearance you want from your tires, because that brings the axles up too, then you lift the body just enough to clear the tires from rubbing on anything ....

The flap you are showing bent back I took a heat gun and bent the dam back out no more rub!

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[subquark]

To gain clarity and expertise, some say you could put on the 1/4" (6mm) spacer and keep using the stock studs.

I have steel rims, so probably thinner, but it sure seems that losing 1/4" of threading for the lug nuts would affect safety.

I'd like a tiny offset but do run stock tire size and will stay with steelies.

 

[got3fords]

To gain clarity and expertise, some say you could put on the 1/4" (6mm) spacer and keep using the stock studs.

I have steel rims, so probably thinner, but it sure seems that losing 1/4" of threading for the lug nuts would affect safety.

I'd like a tiny offset but do run stock tire size and will stay with steelies.

Industry rule of thumb, you should have at least two full threads protruding from the nut. This will ensure full engagement of the threads in contact.

 

[Grandaccess]

Industry rule of thumb, you should have at least two full threads protruding from the nut. This will ensure full engagement of the threads in contact.

for driving around walfart parking lot maybe, I would never trust 2 threads having been in the air and hauling...
Just Nope LOL

 

[subquark]

This sent me down a rabbit hole and I found this online (so you know it's true). =0

I found this adage in many places but don't know if it's just a mantra or the absolute truth:

A rule of thumb is that minimum thread engagement should be equal to the diameter of the stud. Therefore a 1/2" stud should have a minimum of 1/2" of thread engagement.​

​

And I found this too ...

Bolt/Stud Size	Number of Turns
M14x2.0	7
M14x1.5	9.5
M14x1.25	11
M12x1.75	7
M12x1.5 (Ranger)	8
M12x1.25	9.5
1/2"-20	10
5/16"-18	6
7/16"-20	8.5
9/16"-18	10

The only thing that I can guarantee to anyone is that this is absolutely true about me:

 

[PltFX4]

for driving around walfart parking lot maybe, I would never trust 2 threads having been in the air and hauling...
Just Nope LOL

Questions... (note: photos are for illustration, not actual part)

So this is us, Ford Ranger OEM lug nuts-ish

We don't actually know if ALL the nut threads are engaged... we just hope so.

Then there is "close but no cigar" case:

Too close for comfort.

Now the 2 thread rule:

And finally what I think @Grandaccess is saying he would require:

Can see the theoretical "safety" margin in @Grandaccess 's argument but I have not personally seen a lug nut "slide" off a stud... get stripped and other issues but slide off where the extra exposed threads would stop the slide... No.

Longer studs to help if a nut loosens and has a longer way to go before it falls off, yep good point. (as did happen on previous Ranger on the left rear! What a surprise that was.)

Folks, what's your thoughts?

 

[4x4 Ranger Man]

https://www.specialistsealingproducts.co.uk/how-to-tighten-your-bolts-perfectly/

https://www.portlandbolt.com/technical/faqs/recommendation-on-thread-engagement/

Here is a rabbit hole to go down, bolt were a topic at work a while back I don't care for SS bolts as the stretch a better bolt is a grade 8 teflon coated bolt. I work in the marine industry.

 

[got3fords]

Questions... (note: photos are for illustration, not actual part)

So this is us, Ford Ranger OEM lug nuts-ish

We don't actually know if ALL the nut threads are engaged... we just hope so.

Then there is "close but no cigar" case:

Too close for comfort.

Now the 2 thread rule:

And finally what I think @Grandaccess is saying he would require:

Can see the theoretical "safety" margin in @Grandaccess 's argument but I have not personally seen a lug nut "slide" off a stud... get stripped and other issues but slide off where the extra exposed threads would stop the slide... No.

Longer studs to help if a nut loosens and has a longer way to go before it falls off, yep good point. (as did happen on previous Ranger on the left rear! What a surprise that was.)

Folks, what's your thoughts?

Yeah I am not sure what Grandaccess is "no way"ing about. All I said is two threads protruding is an industry rule of thumb. And in my opinion, anything more than that is overkill. The thickness of the nut surely has to be taken into consideration as well.

 

[Awwphooey]

a cheap thrill of big tires without doing the whole thing right,
A rim with an offset might be a better way to go or a taller Lift like a 3.5
I have 285/75/17 and mine does not rub and I still have my crash bars
there is a little bumper flap that is bent back for whatever reason, it rubs on sometimes when backing....
and damnit it is loud!
you get the ground clearance you want from your tires, because that brings the axles up too, then you lift the body just enough to clear the tires from rubbing on anything ....

"a cheap thrill of big tires without doing the whole thing right" isn't quite my situation. I decided I wanted to go a bit bigger tire size from stock and researched options that would work with the Fox lifted I'd previously installed and no rub.

From everything I gathered, some folks experienced a rub at that size, and others did not, depending on the make/model of tire. Seemed rather hit and miss.

When I spoke with the Ford performance shop who installed the lift, they recommended the P285/70R-17 Yokohama Geolandar I referenced earlier as tires that would not rub.

I get my tires from Tire Rack, so reached out to them and asked if they had any data or advice on this model/size tire and they said it should be fine from their experience.

Tires were shipped to my local America's Tires for install and I asked them to let me know if there were any issues (I had to work out of town that day, my son dropped truck off for install)- they said after install everything cleared and there was no rub.

When I got home from travel, drove the truck to the store and pulling a hard right to get into a tight parking spot, felt the rub against the control arm right away. Chalk it up to my inexperience regarding load on suspension. Now I know better...

So now, I'm just trying to understand what my options are.

 

[Grandaccess]

I think if you loosen the bolts on the crash bars there might be enough play to move them forward a 1/4 inch? then tighten them back up ...

 

[Awwphooey]

I think if you loosen the bolts on the crash bars there might be enough play to move them forward a 1/4 inch? then tighten them back up ...

Thank you. Tires are clear of the crash bars though, appears they're hitting the control arm when there's load on the suspension.

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