Lifted my cart - now asking for spacer advice - 3" diff in front and back

[Capt. Ron]

Hello all-

I just put a 6" Jakes LT lift kit on my cart. I spent a lot of time on alignment and toe/camber adjustments. I think everything has been dialed in.

From outside sidewall to outside sidewall the the front wheels are 51" wide and the back wheels are 48.5" wide. (So 2.5" of width difference)

Do I need to add spacers? Rear-only?

If I add spacers to the rear of the cart, I'll need to decide between 1" or 2" - the 2" will the make rear wider than front, but that seems like the smarter play?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can share the knowledge I need...spent some time looking around but didn't find my answer. Any favorite spacer manufacturer tips appreciated too.

Thanks again.

[slonomo]

You can get spacers in 3/4, 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2, and even bigger.

Here's where I got mine

https://www.uswheeladapters.com/

They are custom order, you have to know your bolt spacing, bolt thread size, and how thick of a spacer you want.

If you can't wait for those, just buy some 1.5" spacers from a sponsor here. 1.5" is a very common size and are readily available. You can find them on ebay and amazon as well.

[Dave in VA]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SR-2pc-2-0-...sAAOSwFe5X14pO

[slonomo]

He ghosted us

[Capt. Ron]

I really appreciate the tips!

I had seen the StreetRays ones on ebay already, so I called them a few times and no answer, then emailed with no response.

I had been looking at another brand on ebay too.

I think I will just go with the 2" for $50 bucks.

Of course I have a follow up or 2.....

Would it be fair to say that extending the rear tire width by 4" total really does not do too much for cart stability, or does it offer some? Just curious...

When I had four in the cart (2 fullsized in rear, I noticed the steering was getting a little squirly (sp) - compared to non-lifted cart - I assume that upgrading to HD springs would counteract some of that better than wider rear tire width?

Again, thanks for the above replies.

[slonomo]

I wouldn't think adding 4" to the rear would have any negative effects on the handling at all. Adding width to the cart can make a bad alignment job even worse, but that's in the front. Squirrelly handling can come from improper alignment, worn suspension or steering components. If the front and rear width do not match, then the vehicle can handle a little strange if something isn't aligned. In other words, wider track can exaggerate poorly aligned wheels.

[Modrodr]

I had a similar issue. I added 1" spacers to the rear only. I would recommend retorquing after a while to be safe. Typically these carts come with a wider rear track width than the front if you look up stock specs. Good luck!

[scottyb]

Also note that spacers do increase the bending load on the axles. In some cases we have seen axle breakage here attributed to big tires and spacers used over a period of time

[Capt. Ron]

Thanks for the info.!

[ProjectClubCar]

I have a Jake's long travel as well, the offset between the front and rear bothered me as well, I tried 3in offset, it was the look I was looking for with the rear end a little bit wider than the front end, as Scotty b mentioned it does put stress on the axle and lug bolts, I had to drop back down to the 2in offset, because I use my cart for off-road use. the 3in offset that I had left me stranded, the 3-inch spacer sheared the lug bolts off!!
I now run the 2in spacers, so far I haven't had any problems, I'm sure the 3in offset spacers would be fine going up and down the neighborhood roads or maybe some light gravel, but if you do any kind trail riding I recommend that you only get the 2in as your widest spacer

Pics of my cart, with sheared off lug bolts left me stranded for sure!!