The question about having wheel spacers can be a very wide topic of discussion. The end result of having them on your ATV is what makes it so. This article provides answers to the question “why use ATV wheel spacers? Pros and cons.
Well, wheel spacers can be excellent modifications for the ATVs while at the same time they can be real trouble. It is also important to know how and where they are used since it is an important part of deciding to have or not to have them on the ATV. So, why use ATV wheel spacers? Pros and cons; let’s find out.
About ATV Wheel Spacers
Basically, ATV wheel spacers come in as mechanisms that widen the general width of the ATV wheel area to give it more stability and a wider stance. This is made possible by giving enough clearance in between the wheels.
Depending on the type of your ATV, you can always opt for the most suitable wheel spacers. However, there is a whole lot of information concerning them which can be so confusing at times.
One thing that we should understand however is that the ATV wheel spacers can have their good and bad sides. Being informed about both is important to really gauge whether you should have them or not.
Wheel spacers vary in size, ranging from 1/2 an inch to 3 inches. You can either have them on one set of wheels or on all for wheels. Averagely, having wheel spacers on the rear and front of the ATV can increase the width by up to six inches.
ATV Wheel Spacers; Pros
As we have already mentioned, having ATV wheel spacers on your ATV can be an advantage or a disadvantage. But what are these advantages? The pros are probably more than the cons. There is a good reason to have ATV wheel spacers on your ATV. Now here are some of the advantages of including wheel spacers on your ATV;
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Stands a better chance of stability on rough terrain
One of the highest levels of fun when using ATV is managing to stably climb on rough terrain and maintain that steep climb at sustainable speed. Now, having wheel spacers on the ATV gives you quite a good chance of remaining stable even when you hit a rough bump or maybe a huge root.
In most cases, when it happens to an ordinary ATV without wheel spacers, there can be a high chance of rolling over it flipping to the side. You can imagine what it looks like to roll over from halfway a steep hill climb.
Wheel spacers end up being the saviors of the day when such happens. Having them on all four wheels is what makes it even more possible to have greater chances of remaining stable.
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A smooth ride on the paved roads
Stability is the most important factor in making sure that we have a smooth ride when it comes to just ridding or racing down a paved road. Now when the wheel area is wide enough, you stand higher chances of having a very smooth ride due to the stability that comes with it.
In other situations where you have to race downhill, though the road might be paved, you might lack the proper stability to deal with the deceleration down the slope. Now, when you have wheel spacers it becomes more stable and could help in having a smooth ride down the road.
There are obviously many other things that can be done to widen the ATV wheel area to make it stable. One of the most common ways is changing the reams and including bigger ones. This option when compared to wheel spacer installation can be so expensive.
So installing wheel spacers becomes the very cheap option here that you can opt for. So instead of going for ream changing or the other expensive ways, you can simply go for the cheap wheel spacer installation.
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It’s safer to have them on
In riding ATVs, it’s very agreeable that a stable ATV gives a very stable ride. Whenever an ATV has wheel spacers, it is bound to be super stable, which makes it a very good consideration of having to install them. It’s possible to make the rides safer, just by installing wheel spacers on your ATV.
The only small thing that tends to minus a small portion of this is that it is quite harder to turn the ATV with the wheel spacers on.
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Very useful when installing bigger tires
When you ever think of installing a bigger size tire either in the front or rear of the bike, there are always factors that make it a setback. The huge wheels usually run against various components of the bike and might cause some minor damages when they are too close.
However, when it happens that you already had your wheel spacers on, the problem is not experienced. There is usually enough clearance between the wheels when we have the wheel spacers on. If you are not installing bigger tires on an ATV that has been running on smaller wheels it is important to consider having wheel spacers on.
ATV Wheel Spacers Cons
Apart from the good things that we have when we install the wheel spacers, there have always been downsides that come with it. So, going for wheel spacers would mean you accept to deal with some of these very few hitches.
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The ATV becomes a little harder to turn
With the wheel spacers, the turning of the ATV becomes a little difficult compared to when they are not there. This becomes a real problem when there is a need to steer the ATV at high speed to navigate critical turns. This might be dangerous for new riders when they have to cope up with high speeds. It is easier though when you have enough experience riding.
When moving on a bumpy area the impact becomes bigger on the handlebars. When the bump has no wheel spacers, it’s smoother even when navigating a bumpy area. The steering geometry is usually changed when you include wheel spacers.
With quite some technicality when navigating, it means that when you hit a bump or toot or some rock, the impact felt is greater than when it is easier to steer. It s generally a twitch that emanates from hitting a rough object. It’s usually referred to as the bump steer and that is what happens in this case but it’s a bit amplified when you have wheel spacers on.
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Can make it difficult to pass through narrow space
We already know that when we add wheel spacers to ordinary wheels, we make them wider. So there are spaces where the ATV used to pass without the wheel spacers. It might become a little more difficult to ride between the woods and passing through narrow gates and other spaces. This might limit the places your ATV can go.
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Some trailers might no longer fit your ATV
Adding wheel spacers to your ATV basically makes it wider. So some trailers which would fit it when it was narrower now get too small to fit it. The convenience can no longer be granted. The truck beds which serve the same purpose might end up not fitting too.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Using Nitrous Oxide in ATV, and Can Wheel Spacers Help Improve Performance?
Employing nitrous oxide in your ATV significantly boosts horsepower, which improves acceleration and allows for greater top speeds. However, the drawback is that it may put extra strain on the engine, potentially leading to costly repairs. Incorporating wheel spacers is beneficial for enhancing stability and agility, leading to better handling across challenging terrains.
Why ATV wheel spacers?
ATV wheel spacers are very important when you need to make adjustments to the ATV. This might include when you want to increase the wheel size of the ATV. It might also be necessary when you want to make the ATV wider to gain more stability when riding.
However, ATV wheel spacers can be quite a setback especially in maintaining maximum control. It can also be difficult to ride on bumps. If your ATV is just okay without the wheel spacers, you might not need to add them.
However, in situations where you need to make more space maybe for fitting the larger tires or some other components, they might be as necessary to consider.
Why Use ATV Wheel Spacers? Pros and Cons – A Final Word
Wheel spacers can be necessary to some extent while they can also be just put in place to make the ATV look better and maybe increase its stability. Apart from making it stable, it’s also very important in saving the cost when you have to change the tire rims entirely.
They can be a very good alternative. However, we have seen some of its disadvantages. You can choose to give them a blind eye. In some instances, one or two might make it difficult for you to go with the option.
The article above helps you decide whether ATV wheel spacers are really worth it. How important are they and why use ATV wheel spacers? Pros and cons. All those quite well answered, we can now go ahead and find a pair or two for our ATVs.
