Hub centric is complete bull****. If you use tapered lug nuts which all have been for like the last 25 years on American vehicles they are 100% centered by the lugs. That little 1/8th inch lip on the wheel hub does eff all to support the wheel. The torque of lug nuts supports the wheels.

 

The burning bush has spoken...

If it were me, and I was given a choice between hub-centric (with or without the lip) and universal hub spacers, I'd like hub-centric spacers for $200 Alex...

 

They all arm made of aluminum. Biggest thing is proper torque and loctite on the spacer nuts. Plenty of people run em off road with no problems. If you install properly they will be fine.

 

Generally speaking, it's usually not a good idea to use wheel spacers. Best to mount wheels with the correct width and offset. Having said that, if you're going to use spacers, definitely get ones that are hub-centric and bolt-pattern specific.

https://www.amazon.com/GDSMOTU-Hub-...12_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1544580839&sr=8-12-spons&keywords=6x135+wheel+spacers&psc=1

 

I’d also stay away from them if possible. Yes they can be used fine. Physics has me thinking they cause added stress to the hub which I’d prefer to avoid and the reason why I didn’t consider them for the Raptor wheels I had


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They put no more stress on the hub than an offset wheel would.

 

Seems to me like the mass being further away from the hub would have to put more stress on it. Starting an inch or more further out versus an offset which will still start dispersing wait at the hub versus the additional inch or so if leverage the spacer provides.


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Personally I would go with new rims with the new backspacing requirement but I would have no issues running high quality spacers from Bora or Fred Goeske.

 

Just don't try for this look....PLEASE!!!

 

What about this look?



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I can relate to the OP's dilemma about keeping the wheels but getting a wider stance. I have a 2018 Fiat Spider Abarth, and the stock wheels are 17x7 +44 offset, got a set of 17x7.5 +40 offset, thought they'd work just fine. What I didn't take into account was the design of the wheel itself, and the backside of the spokes ended up rubbing against the brake caliper. So if I wanted to keep the wheels, I had to use 10mm spacers, which were hub-centric and bolt-pattern specific. And 10mm looks to be right at the edge of having enough threads left on the original studs to secure the lug nuts.

So for certain applications, spacers are useful. But I think anything wider than 1/4" - 10mm should just use wheels with more backspacing / lower offset.

 

While I’m not really a hub spacer guy, I believe the biggest downside in running them is added stress on the hub bearings and as has been mentioned no different than wider tires or different offset wheels. Unless you were to run a set side by side vs. one that didn’t use spacers there’s no way of knowing how this would affect the bearing’s life. There are several other things that can be taken into consideration as negatives like increased scrub radius and potentially a little more required steering effort, I sincerely doubt most people would ever notice an issue.

@winchested, I mean no offense with this comment as I respect and typically agree with posts you make. This may be a simple matter of semantics. That said, the “OE” wheels on these trucks are indeed technically a hub-centric wheel. Aftermarket wheels may well be lug centric. Lug centric wheels make sense from an aftermarket sales perspective simply because the center hole can be larger allowing the wheel to fit more vehicles. The term hub centric has as much to do with where the load resides as it does with how the wheel is actually centered. If you were to extend the lug studs length and put a lock washer and flat nut on the wheel to hold it tight the wheel would still be centered. Conversely and largely due to exacting modern machining tolerances you could likely remove the actual hub and the wheel would probably still be centered but as designed the OE’s are referred to as hub centric wheels.

I believe that @socal1200r’s advice to get a hub centric spacer is also great advice. That means the spacer is hub centric to the truck’s actual hub and in turn is hub centric to the “OE” wheel. I believe that most of the better spacers are hub centric with the exception of those that are literally just a wheel spacer, assuming the wheel spacer isn’t too thick it would still allow the trucks hub to support the weight of the vehicle but I’d be hard pressed to give up in hub support or threads on the lug stud. Anyway...

 

Funny tons of old 4x4s running spacers that have no hub ring to speak of and you don't see mega failures if installed correctly.

 

Nothing wrong with spacers if used correctly. They add no extra strain compared to offset rims (in my opinion) but definitely do over stock. Definitely torque the spacer nuts well and use loctite. Check them for torque once in a while (every tire rotate). I prefer lug centric, but they both work. Not sure why the pissing match in here...

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Not sure why the pissing match in here...

This is how spacer posts always turn out. Just like oil, tires and D cell batteries.

 

The whole thing of the spacer vs higher backspace wheel is probably dependent on the wheel design.

 

The whole thing of the spacer vs higher backspace wheel is probably dependent on the wheel design.

View attachment 154232

Back spacing and offset are completely different things.

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Yep and this tiny little non interference fit pilots on what y'all call hub centric are only there to line the wheel up before the lug nuts are torqued to spec.

For that tiny little 1/4 pilot to tank any physical load it would have to be an interference fit... But you'd never get the wheel off.

The lugs hold the wheel to the hub and take all the force 100%.

 

I’m not out to start a fight or change anyone’s mind. I’m honestly trying to post accurate information and not simply what my gut might tell me. That said, believe as you will. There are dozens of articles out there to school one on hub-centric vs. lug centric, after all it’s the web. They’ll describe what a hub-centric fit is, why it was designed and what it does. This is what I was taught as a Certified Tech all those years ago and it’s still true. I can’t really say it any better than this article’s description, I’ll just leave at this.

“Hub-Centric
Hub-centric wheels are normally found on all factory-made vehicles. Automakers will design their OEM wheels to fit a specific vehicle or range of vehicles using a specific wheel bore size. This wheel bore is engineered to fit exactly onto the axle of a given vehicle, creating a hub-centric connection. A hub-centric connection is where the center of the wheel is connected directly to the axle hub. Lug nuts are used here to connect and secure the wheel to the mounting plate. In a hub-centric design, the wheel-to-axle connection actually bears the weight of the car as well as forces acting on the wheel upwards and downwards. Lug nuts are used to withstand the lateral forces while the car is in motion that push and pull the wheel to and away from the mounting plate.
Lug-Centric
A great deal of aftermarket wheel companies make wheels that have a center bore with a larger hub diameter in order to fit a wide range of vehicles. If the hub diameter is too small for a larger axle, it will not fit the given vehicle. So, aftermarket companies will often create large hub diameters to ensure that their wheels can be used for a larger variety of applications. Due to the larger size of the wheel’s hub diameter, there is empty space between the axle and the hub. This means that the wheel is centered by the lugs instead of the hub, making the fitment lug-centric.”

https://www.wheelhero.com/blog/hub-centric-vs-lug-centric-wheels/

 

Damn... people are over the place on tr his one... did a ton if reading on this since it started. I'm no engineer just a guy doing research and trying to figure the right stuff out. That said, really doesn't seem to be huge negatives with a mild, high quality, CORRECTLY installed wheel spacer. If I had an F250 I'd be using Fref Goeske made out of steel but even his are aluminum for the F150. So I'm goong with BORA.
Now the question 1.5" or 2" to put a set of 33s just at the edge of the body...

 

Depending on width of tire. But if you're staying with factory wheels and 275 width tires the 1.5 will get you where you want.