Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

Hi,

Anyone care to offer an opinion on wheel spacers? I've kept my 89 L300 completely stock (no lifts, same tire size, etc) but I wonder if putting 1 1/2" spacers would give the van a more solid feeling 'stance', as in less tippy both on road and off. Thoughts?

This could be a pretty controversial topic. I would start off saying that the l300 has a very low center of gravity, and is not very tippy, however the short wheelbase and body height cause many to perceive it as being tippy. If it is indeed feeling unstable, before adding width to it I would recommend making sure that your suspension and steering is in good shape. Replace old soft rubber bushings, tired shocks, adjust torsion bars for proper ride height/stiffness, replace worn ball joints and tie rods, replace any broken/sagged leaf springs etc... And check tire pressure and ply rating (a light truck tire will give you a way firmer ride than a passenger car tire) While this can all be much more costly than a couple hundred bucks for spacers, if any of this is bad, it will definitely show up with the addition of spacers. Now back to the original question. In my opinion, Yes, spacers can be used IF they are installed correctly. Make sure the mating surfaces are clean, tighten the spacers in a graduated sequence (in the correct pattern also) to ensure they are centered, and torque to the proper setting. Do the same with the wheels, and drive a couple hundred km. Remove the wheels and recheck the torque on the spacers. Reinstall the wheels properly, drive a couple hundred km and recheck wheel torque. Of course with wheel spacers you will have to check clearance especially on the front wheels for full lock turns. With stock tire size, chances are you are ok. Also keep in mind that spacers will put additional stress/accelerated wear on all the above mentioned parts, however, no more than wider offset wheels, which is another option. I prefer this option, as it eliminates the extra step of retorquing the spacers when they are removed for servicing the brakes and such. (And I really really like the old school deep dish look on wheels!) Again, just my opinion based on my experience.
Jason

Thanks for the detailed answer. I'll have a look at the points you mentioned. Cheers