To space or not

I know just about everyone has taken their sway bar off (me to 09 700 rhino),but my question is did you put wheel spacers on the back and front or just the back and what size spacers? Also any down side to spacers?
Pictures if you have them

i have the offset rims with 12 inch wide tires and already at 60 inches wide did not put the spacers on and handles great

The biggest downside to the spacers is permature wear of suspension parts.

I would recommend pricing wheels with the offset you are looking as apposed to the spacers.... The spacers will set you back up to 200$ when you can get wheels that will change the looks of your bike for about 250$...

As for offset I am with coot at 60 inches wide(+5 offset). The wide offset as well as spacers have pros and cons you just have to weigh them to see which is best for you....

I feel the wide offset handles much better when cruising around the trails, gives more articulation for a better ride on rough terrain, feels a lot better in off camber situations, plus helps in mud holes that stock machines have rutted by reaching across the ruts..

But on the downside they make it harder to navigate a tight trail, throws more mud outside the fenders, and puts more pressure on bearing, ball joints, spindles, and etc.

mud-and-guts wrote:

I would recommend pricing wheels with the offset you are looking as apposed to the spacers.... The spacers will set you back up to 200$ when you can get wheels that will change the looks of your bike for about 250$...

Uh, 2" spacers for the rear are free, installed, at your local Yamaha dealer when they remove the swaybar, while they also give you a $100 coupon for a helmet if you'll watch the same "safety video" CD that came with my Rhino when I bought it... I can watch a 30 minute re-run for $100...

I paid about $50 (as I recall) for the set of 1" billet aluminum spacers I put on the front to make it match the rear track, since I'm running 5+2 offset ITP wheels.

If using stock wheels (which have different offsets on the front vs the rear), I wouldn't recommend anything more than 1.5" spacers on the front, certainly not 2"...

I like the way it handles, both with this wider track, and with the swaybar removed. Note that it will feel like the front end plows a little bit at high speeds in 2WD.

But, I keep mine in 4WD most of the time when I'm trail riding -- then I don't have to stop to switch back and forth when needed, and it handles better as the front wheels tend to help pull it through curves... about the only time I switch out of 4WD is when I come out of a trailhead, or I get on a long stretch of smooth logging/jeep roads. On "true trails" it stays in 4WD. Consequently, I almost never need to go to Low Range or Difflock. In most cases, the momentum and 4WD will keep me going up and over whatever obstacle I encounter. I use Low Range for rock-crawling and difflock mostly when needed to get me out of a predicament...

I have the sway bar off, with aftermarket wheels. Plus one inch rear spacers. Very stable. Ran the same setup on my last Rhino.

KentT wrote:

mud-and-guts wrote:

I would recommend pricing wheels with the offset you are looking as apposed to the spacers.... The spacers will set you back up to 200$ when you can get wheels that will change the looks of your bike for about 250$...

Uh, 2" spacers for the rear are free, installed, at your local Yamaha dealer when they remove the swaybar, while they also give you a $100 coupon for a helmet if you'll watch the same "safety video" CD that came with my Rhino when I bought it... I can watch a 30 minute re-run for $100...

I went and got my spacers from the dealer and put them on ebay with a 1$ starting bid and got like 60-70 bucks out of them.... Plus I got my free helmet while I was there.... Well worth the trip....

just get you some offset wheels.........i am gonna get them next tire/wheel change.....26" XTR'S on ITP c-series wheels with some offset... but not sure how much yet

smith700 wrote:

just get you some offset wheels.........i am gonna get them next tire/wheel change.....26" XTR'S on ITP c-series wheels with some offset... but not sure how much yet

ITPs come in 5+2 (closest to stock) or 2+5 which makes the track MUCH wider. I wouldn't recommend that for trail riding at all because of the stress it puts on the front spindles, bearings, steering rack, etc. Besides, the kickback on the steering would be brutal. Some guys get by with it on sand, but not very well in the rocks and mud. Other brands than ITP, such as Douglas or Moto offer different offsets, such as 4+3 or 3+4 offsets -- but not ITP...

Also, if you put the same wheels on both the front and rear, your front track will be 2" wider than your rear -- that is simply the way the Rhino is made -- the front axles are longer. Yamaha dealt with this difference by using different (i.e. deeper) offsets on the rear. The original wheels/tires are NOT interchangeable.

ok.... so if i put 5+2 on the front and rear with bighorns.... how wide would it be?

smith700 wrote:

ok.... so if i put 5+2 on the front and rear with bighorns.... how wide would it be?

Let me "steal" some diagrams from RF.NET that illustrate this... compare the different widths and offsets to your stock wheels. Without spacers, your rears will be "stock" at 49.75, while the front with be 51.75 -- note that this is to the outside edge of the wheel, not the tire, nor the fenders, etc.

EDIT: RF.NET doesn't like anyone using their pictures it seems... here's the topic that contains the diagrams. You can see all kinds of combinations of offsets and wheel spacers.

http://www.rhinoforums.net/wheels-tires/25537-offsets-diagram.html

2+5's on the rear and 5+2's with a 1-inch spacer on the front worked perfectly for me on my Rhino. That was ITP SS-112's. It kept the track even. You get less push with the front even, or a little wider than the rear. It put it right about 59-3/4 on the rear.