The Wheel Spacers Thread

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BrutalB83

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So I searched on this topic and came up with a bunch of threads with brief mentions, but nothing really solely devoted to the subject (nothing recent anyway), so I figured I'd start a thread.

I'd love to hear some opinions from some of the more knowledgeable guys here (Calesta? Wil?). Obviously wider wheels would be the ideal solution, but say that I'd like to keep my stock Type-S wheels (which look pretty decent for factory rims), but just space them out a bit in addition to mild lowering for a SLIGHTLY more aggressive, (but still easily DDable and not bank-breaking) stance. I was thinking of going all Eibach (probably the Pro-Kit springs and maybe 20 or 25 mm spacers).

So, any thoughts? Proper alignment is a given (as with any suspension changes), but are spacers terrible for your wheel bearings? Any other issues to consider?
 
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lots of genesis guys use them. just make sure you get the ones that bolt to your hubs and become the new hub... not just a thick washer.
 
20-25mm will be bolt on spacers. Be sure to get good quality ones, I used 25mm h&r spacers on my corolla with no problems.

Some require cutting a little big off your OEM studs so be sure to watch for that.
 
Yeah, I'm talking about the type that bolt on to the existing lugs and that have their own studs to bolt the wheels on to. I would assume that the other type would be used in situations where you just need a few additional millimeters of clearance for a non-factory wheel that might rub on the brakes otherwise?
 
Funny, because I was just ordering spacers for the race car.



These guys are where it's at.

Wheel Adapters, Wheel Spacers, Hub Rings, and much more! | Motorsport Tech


I'm running 51mm spacers on the race car. I've done tons and tons and tons of research, and that combined with what I know firsthand, I do not think that wheel spacers - within reason - will cause any wheel bearing issues. On Euro cars, it's VERY normal to run anywhere between a 5 and 25mm spacer, especially on customer's weekend hotrods that have 'race' and 'street' tires, and need to space different wheels differently over brakes. 51mm spacers like I'll be running on the race car are out towards what I would think is right on the edge of 'too much', BUT I know of several racers running up to 60mm out with no issues...I'd get into the technical aspects of why they're fine, but it's after 9, and I'm a bit...er, fuzzy at the moment.


Get the car lowered to where you like it, measure how far you can go out, and order spacers that are that thick. Under 20mm you should be able to just get extended wheel studs, I'd think. As long as you get hub centric/wheel centric spacers you'll be fine.
 
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Yeah you'll be ok. If you're going to run spacers that don't have studs built in, make sure you have one and a half times the width of your fastener in length of thread engagement.
 
i had a guy from a shop call me once when i worked at the parts house.

says he needs spacers for his chevy truck.

i said ok, we have some.
he said he needs big one.
how big?
about 2.5 to 3 inches.

parts house only carries the non lug, washer style spacers. biggest being about 20mm or so.

he asked if i could send a couple packs of those, he'll just stack them.

i told him no.
said he bought wheels off cl, but they go in too far.

i had to explain to the mechanic and his friend why they were idiots, literally, told him this.

he didnt know what extended studs were.....
 
So on that...

What is "safer"? One set of long wheel studs, or the bolt on spacers?

All materials being equal, I'd say longer studs with spacers. The studs provide tension to clamp all the surfaces together- it's the contact between faces that provides the friction to keep your wheel from spinning against the hub. Without going back and digging through stress textbooks, my gut hunch is that a single set of rods in tension (long studs + spacers) would be better than a stack of two rods (bolt on spacers with their own studs) in tension.

That said, there are plenty of spacers with their own studs on them that are used in competition with no problems. I'll probably be buying a few for my CRX.
 
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