Are wheel spacers worth fitting to a Discovery 3?

[@453421abcdefg12345]

Not sure why people dislike wheel spacers, I think they have never used them but heard a bloke in the pub saying they cause problems? I have them fitted to my Defender and have had them on for over 60,000 miles without problems, it was said that my wheel bearing would fail very quickly, but on inspection they are perfect, and I can at least park in a car park and turn around in tight spaces without problems, they are one of the essential mods to a Defender! Chris B.

[@SiCrewe]

Ignore any talk about hubcentric spacers not putting strain on wheel bearings. Simple fact is, if the sectional centreline of the wheel isn't in line with the wheel-bearing (for whatever reason) there IS going to be extra stress on the bearings. The only question is how MUCH extra stress is on the bearing - and whether you're prepared to accept that in return for any benefits spacers (or offset wheels) provide. Personally, I fitted slightly larger tyres* on my D2 (265/60R18 vs 255/55R18) and that was enough to make the inside edges of the tyres rub on the radius arms at full lock. I fitted 30mm spacers and that gave me enough clearance that I could also adjust the lock-stops to allow for a better turning circle. I've been running the vehicle like this for 3 years (40k miles) and haven't needed to replace a wheel-bearing yet so it seems like the wheel-bearings are coping with the extra stress fairly well. Bear in mind that your driving style will be a factor here, too. If you're the sort of driver who cranks the wheel from lock to lock while the vehicle is stationary you're going to apply much more stress to the wheel-bearings than a driver (possibly an older driver, who grew up with cars that didn't have PAS) who does most of their steering while the vehicle is moving. *FWIW, I'm not really into the "ruffty tuffty" thing but the standard gearing of the D2 means the turbo kicks in at around 50mph in 5th gear, which is probably good for acceleration when overtaking but it also means the engine is constantly surging on and off boost when you're cruising at A-road speeds. I fitted the larger tyres to increase the gearing slightly, so I can sit at 55mph without the turbo kicking in, which makes for a more relaxing journey at disco-friendly speeds and, if I want to overtake, I can still drop down into 4th gear, where the tturbo comes on boost and the higher gearing means the vehicle has longer legs.

[@LRLiveUK]

Some sound advice there cheers

[@scaryfakevirus]

I have has spacers on my Defender for decades and the other week I took off the hubs to fot new rotors. The bearings were in perfect condition. Buy decent bearings and you'll be fine. Obviously much of the points you mention are valid.

[@geoffmatthews2353]

My understanding is that with wheel spacers (and certain offset wheels) you need to fit wider wheel arch trims so that the wheels do not protrude beyond the vehicle. This is certainly the case if you drive the vehicle in Germany and the UK (not sure about the rest of Europe) wider wheel arches should help mitigate the amount of mud thrown up the side of the vehicle too. Good practical video, thank you!

[@khalilrazak6486]

Did the mud guards help to stop the dirt from hitting the door's and side.

[@LRLiveUK]

The did indeed.

[@paulclarke8159]

Regarding mud flaps, 110 rears and Disco 1 fronts, expensive but worth it.

[@tonypacke6954]

A very controversial subject wheel spacers. Yes they could put more load on wheel bearings but what is not realised is the change in scrub radius, whether positive or negative. This can effect steering and load on the suspension. At the end of the day, certainly in the case of a Defender it's just a tractor with twin cup holders so no big deal.

[@Rickwardful]

If you are going Off-road, the Mud Flaps are far more important that the Wheel Spacers. - Trust me, I’m a farmer………with a 2005 D3 11:26 ! Really not sure about the Wheel Spacers. Surely they will put more stress on the Wheel Bearings due extra leverage? Plus you will need wider Mud Flaps than the ones you have fitted. Which are then more susceptible to damage in deep rutted tracks.

[@roberttruman8332]

Hi I’m looking into fitting bigger front discs and 6 pot callipers but that means you need 20 inch rims. Will the spacers give you enough room that I can keep the existing 19inch rims? Many thanks.

[@advantagemarine7305]

This video should of been called "how to install mudflaps without removing the wheels", it would of been nice to have some more opinions on how the car drove and felt after fitting the spacers.

[@robinhodgson7629]

Interesting comment about the turning circle of a D3 , mines better than a D1 or D2 I have both and the D3 is superior. Being a land-rover tragic I have all three engine types of D3 with the tdv6 at 568000kms with the same engine. I put spacers on my RRS and they were a disaster.

[@eddieMurphy11111]

a big fat no on any car they do ruin wheel bearings and yes I have tried them years ago and the filth is due to the wheels being slightly past the wheel arch

[@morrisyarnell6083]

Spacers are not part of the original design. Cannot but wonder why do this.

[@LRLiveUK]

It's to make the vehciel better in off road situations. They'll always be a compromise to make it suit road driving for the majority of owners.