Wheel Spacers No No No!!
Something I struggled with since day 1 with my used Excursion was wheels that always had a bit of a vibration to them especially around 70mph. I had them balanced and rotated multiple times with minimal results. Let me tell you, driving 12 hours each way to San Diego and back with even minor vibration is really really annoying! For a while I thought it might be something I would just have to live with.
After a few months it was time for another tire rotation and I wanted to DIY so that I could inspect the brakes and rotors. When I pulled the first wheel off I was a bit shocked to find massive 2” spacers attached to the wheel. I immediately had flashes of what kind of disaster would happen if one of those spacers broke while towing my toy hauler and with the whole family...talk about a sick feeling. I already wanted to replace the 2015 factory take off wheels someone else installed with something aftermarket, now I had a really great excuse to move new wheels to the top of the priority list.
Why were there 2” spacers? Well, the Ford trucks prior to coil springs (2005) have axles that are about 3” narrower than the axles on the new trucks. Someone had installed factory take offs from a much newer F250/350 onto this Excursion which required massive spacers for clearance...yuck!
After waiting a few months for the new Moto Metal MO977 wheels to finally come out I chucked those spacers for wheels that fit properly! And guess what? The vibrations I was experiencing disappeared with the spacers. The spacers it turns out would never mount perfectly aligned and this is what was causing the vibration. WIN WIN WIN!
These wheels aren't for everybody...but the second I saw them I knew they were for me. Talk about the perfect wheel for my mountain biking and Motocross hobbies!
After a few months it was time for another tire rotation and I wanted to DIY so that I could inspect the brakes and rotors. When I pulled the first wheel off I was a bit shocked to find massive 2” spacers attached to the wheel. I immediately had flashes of what kind of disaster would happen if one of those spacers broke while towing my toy hauler and with the whole family...talk about a sick feeling. I already wanted to replace the 2015 factory take off wheels someone else installed with something aftermarket, now I had a really great excuse to move new wheels to the top of the priority list.
Why were there 2” spacers? Well, the Ford trucks prior to coil springs (2005) have axles that are about 3” narrower than the axles on the new trucks. Someone had installed factory take offs from a much newer F250/350 onto this Excursion which required massive spacers for clearance...yuck!
After waiting a few months for the new Moto Metal MO977 wheels to finally come out I chucked those spacers for wheels that fit properly! And guess what? The vibrations I was experiencing disappeared with the spacers. The spacers it turns out would never mount perfectly aligned and this is what was causing the vibration. WIN WIN WIN!
These wheels aren't for everybody...but the second I saw them I knew they were for me. Talk about the perfect wheel for my mountain biking and Motocross hobbies!
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