Are Wheel Spacers Actually Safe?
Vložit
- čas přidán 2. 07. 2018
- ARE SPACERS SAFE? Will spacers help my fitment? What size spacers do I need? On this episode of Wheel School, we cover all of that! You guys have CONSTANTLY requested this video so, we are super excited to finally give you our opinion on whether or not you should run spacers.
Browse wheel spacers here:
bit.ly/2tctwan
Need help with fitment? Check out our online fitment gallery here:
bit.ly/2nvMdTF
Browse wheel and tire setups here:
bit.ly/2Imgo9B
Check out our car care products here:
bit.ly/2FikL7q - Auta a dopravní prostředky
What do you guys wanna see next?!
glad you talked about hub centric, when i tell other ppl about that they have a blank look on their face
How about Semi slicks and slicks? Tom's alloy wheels? Top 10 Classic JDM alloy wheels?
Video on fill and redrill for wheels.
Fitment Industries more info on air lift systems? How to go about it, pictures, videos on what it actually comes with, most importantly, pricing. A range on pricing. Make it very visual! Going to your guy's website is confusing. Searching for the correct wheel and tire was not the best experience for me. I couldn't even search by manufacturer from my phone on my 8th Gen Civic. I wanted to narrow it down to just some Volks but I can't seem to find it where I can filter it to that. Searching for wheels and lowering kits for my car on your guy's website is not user friendly. Do a video that talks more about airlift systems and a DIY video on how to install it professionally.
Lets see something on brakes. Fitment norms for AWD VS RWD VS FWD. Still wanna see something on Varrstoen. Tire compounds to choose.
Spacers are very safe. 3 Tips tho. 1. Dont buy trash. 2. Don't go over 50mm per spacer. 3. Don't buy trash.
I like these tips! 😂 Never over look quality ever!
How do you know if they’re trash spacers? What are good brands?
@@tylerkimdura6690 you will never know
@@xKingzenity yep by the looks of it I won’t.
@@tylerkimdura6690 Eibach
I have 32 foot spacers. My Jeep takes up 4 lanes
LMAO
If it's on properly it will be safe lol
You dont fit thru the trails!
🤣💪🏻
I’m running the same setup bro. Very clean stance.
“Torqued to spec” how many ugga duggas is that
Will short 300 and 18/16 of an inch
Usually between 85-90 lbs of torque. Depending on the spacer. Just make sure you get Hub-centric and Bolt-ons.
About 2
Typically around 3
I use the tool that comes with the car and step on it to tighten it up😂😂😂
I know you are looking for this comment. The dude in 4:52 IS OK. I did my research basically because i wanted to laugh but I didnt know if he was dead. It happen in Brazil, Minas Gerais Avenue, he had some fractures in the skull and chest, but local news says he is okay.
Thanks for the update!!
Good man. Thank you Mirio.
idk if a multi-fractured skull and chest counts as okay but at least he's alive lol
I can only imagine the questions that dude had we he woke up. That's the mother of all smack downs.
knowing this, now i can laugh comfortably
Running a 10mm hub-centric spacer (not adapter w/studs). Just used some longer ARP lug studs to make up the difference. No vibration and things worked out great.
I run 25mm spacers on my 2007 BMW 328i, they're hub centric and I've had then for almost a year. I drive 90 miles out of town every other weekend and daily drive in town and have has absolutely no problems what so ever
Need this one, good looks 🅿️
Needed this thank you
@@Akac3sh thats only 1inch 💀
I'm already spacer
What about window maker
@@frankyalvarez7160 I'm already window maker
I’ll be Bastion Nerf Bastion
This is ded meemay now
piggie mcwankfist no u
I have 1.5inch eBay spacers for off-roading, and I have to say I am very impressed. A couple thousand miles and maybe off-roading trips later and they are holding very well. Of course they are hub centric, therefor, I have basically no vibrations. They feel extremely well, especially for the price point.
Totally safe....get name brand ones......and ones that are hub centric....here in Germany we drive generally faster than you can in the States.....and never had a problem
Steve Vento they have highways with no speed limits...
Steve Vento you’re mad
Steve Vento Nope definitely drive faster in Germany. please tell me where you are driving 180+ mph(sustained) in the US. Also, they know how to use the fast lane correctly bitch 🙃
Louis Williams yeah I’m in America but I’m not even gonna argue against you lol people are stupid ass drivers here Lmao they can’t drive past 50
🙄 Can you stop embarrassing the rest of Americans who aren't uninformed assholes? Please?
So basically, in a nutshell, you get what you pay for.
exactly!
That goes for pretty much everything in the automotive world.
gonzotopia1 - It's a rule for most things in life.
Yes I agree
Rule for everything in life... besides iPhones
Wooden spacers are the easiest and best looking 👍
@Business AsUsual pine is the way to go
🤣
Using spacers on your front wheels can pose a problem with the steering geometry so it's best to go for as little as possible you need to check what kind of offsets are acceptable on your car. It's in your specifications somewhere. The centers of the patch your tire puts on the ground needs to be a certain distance within tolerances from the hub assembly.
I currently run 50mm spacers on a ford capri and have done for 3 years with no issues but like said I researched them, made from billet steel with hubcentric rings, there was no major change to the wheel location
This is exactly why ' do it right , or do it twice, ' is my number 1 rule. I only use quality products on my car. I dont have much money for quality parts so it's taking me a lot longer to get where I want it, but I will not cheap out. Was looking into spacers so I can run 5x120 and the FK Type R wheels on my FB6.
Great video and all questions answered!
I think you hit all the safety points as well as pro/con....
This video is very helpful and I'm thankful for it. I also keep coming back to refresh my knowledge on what is needed and what to avoid because I will soon be buying spacers one day.
6+ months on my E90 running 25mm spacers. Still no issues..
After a year of spacers , no issues.
Note ;After 1,5 years or so the only problem that I had was that the spacers got stuck on the hub so removing them was a bit hard but nothing to worry about on the safety aspect.
I had 30mm on my e36 for 2 years. only had a problem when i forgot to tighten them
Been running 20mm in the front & 25mm in the rear for 3+ years now. No issues driving on these shitty Hawaii roads. 🤙🤙
space shuttle ..103 missions on o'rings for fuel then o rings fail because the temperature was to low. One variable and KAPOWWWWWW... no thankyou, I drive like a madman and dying because of a $200.00 non compliant part is not in my game plan.we arnt talking about carpet or a phone charger...you are talking about your connection to the earth and the only stability you have...go buy some tires with no name on them, some scooby doo brake pads....don't die cause you want to fill up your wheel well.
Too each their own. I drive pretty recklessly too with the pot hole ridden & unleveled, steel plate covered roads here when traffic is bad & they’ve held up just fine over the 3 years I’ve owned them. Ran them on 2 different cars, a ‘06 Mazda6 & my current ‘13 Mazda3 hatch. Usually inspect them twice a month when I have the wheels off the car for warping, cracks, bent studs or just anything unusual.
sN UCExhAVOk u sound like ur describing pearl city lmfao
We debated this back in the 60s/70s. A concern you didn't address is that when extending wheels further out, they can cause more stress and wear to the wheel bearings. Imagine extending them out 12 inches, and the stress it would cause on the bearings and the axle. Although I doubt if a few mms would have much effect, it's still something to consider.
Just replace all 4 wheel bearings then install spacers.
The look is worth it.
If the wheels had the correct offset than it would have resulted in the same stress
Exactly. There are even specific calculations that show the life of said, bearing and how it incrementally decreases due to the angle overage from stock.
Optimally if you stay within 80% of bearing life the spacers are worth it. Sometimes there are abnormalities and some wheelbearings just don’t go out in their specified lifespan.
Little extra two cents on spacers from someone who has been running them for a long while now. First off there are generally two kinds, slip on and bolt on. Slip on spacers are basically just a big washer that just sits between the wheel and the hub. The other is bolt on, which has the second set of studs and bolts onto the hub before the wheel is installed. I personally would never run a slip on spacer that exceeds 5mm, but that is just personal preference. I've currently got a set of ISC 25mm bolt on adapters and love them. Before those, I did have Ebay adapters that I got from a buddy, I have no idea what they were made of, but they were hubcentric and worked for the ~$100 that he payed for the whole set, and I was at 402whp and never snapped them off like many said I would. Like the video states, if you install them properly, and use hubcentric, you shouldn't ever run into issues.
Thanks for the input homie!
Yea, the "washer" kind only relies on being hard enaugh, you don't have to worry if its aluminium or chinesium. while the bolt on kind actually take alot of both compression and tension forces...
Slip on washer type is better if you have long enaugh studs/bolts.
I ran 25mm washer style on my old VW bus, had 65mm studs and torqued to spec, no problems on road or offroad for years... have a new bus now and want to do the same, but have to measure a bit to find out if 15, 20 or 25mm will be best with the wheels I got..
What about for cars that use bolts from outside the wheel, not studs in the hub?
darjanator then you need longer bolts...
Bolt on washers still have the same problem...
@@RenaxTM91 you and milos arent thinking it through the shorter lug bolts on the bolt on spacers physicly cannot flex. a first year engineering student cant explain to you why you are wrong and back it up with math.
but ask yourself, why would a lug stud threaded into a spacer block be any differant than the lugs threaded into the brake disc? how could it? they should be the correct length for the wheel, so would react to load exactly as the stock no spacer set up. as for the mounting studs, same thing. they are made exactly as though you were bolting on a wheel, then you bolt the wheel to that.
also the cars you are using as comparrison are weak and light, so the problems you are talking about wont ever happen to you in either configuration.
I just love how you guys go into details about anything you talk about. Greag video 😉
Thank you for being one of the very few channels to stay on topic and being informative and not rambling about other random shxt
hahah for sure homie!
On a truck I can say I have seen them tear apart on HD trucks. They can get a lot of stress and no matter how properly they are attached. In my opinion they are not designed for high load bearing applications. On a car or light load bearing application I have never seen an issue. For trucks I recommend slip-on style spacers and longer studs to accommodate the extra spacing.
Good video and spot on. I’ve been using spacers on a variety of vehicles for over 20lbs to get that perfect look. Another tip, I always use thread lock on nut that secure the spacer to the vehicle’s hub and use a torque wrench. Buy quality and hub centric gents.
I love the constant uploads keep up the good work 👍👍
What great aim. From across the hwy, down the median, and a perfect head shot. Let's not forget that the target and shooter both was i motion . Talk about a difficult shot and if he lived the sharpshooter needs better tires.
Fitment Industries with the knowledge bombs
Thanks for the support homie!🖤🖤
Lol "word of thumb." It's ok man. It happens. Seriously though Alex, you're doing awsome man. I learn so much from you. Thank you dude.
Congrats on hitting that 100k goal!
do a video on how the car scene has evolved throughout the years. i was looking through some old tuner magazines dating back from the mid 90s to today, and its really cool because its like a time machine in where you can see year by year how it changed and how a lot of the things people give shit to are some of the very things that we are starting to see come back in style.
Hub centric spacers are safe. I think you should only go at least 25mm+ for the spacers that come with their own lug nuts. As for slip ons, I wouldn't go over ~7mm or so without extended studs installed. That's just my take on it though.
Excellent, informative and well presented!
I ran 20mm spacers on my G in the rear with extended studs and made sure to get them from a reputable company. The overall concept of using spacers is safe, you just have to make sure it's done right. If you do it right, there shouldn't be any issues with running spacers (within reason).
Imho, i just buy wheels and make the body fit them. BUT!, as long as you don't cheap out on spacers, and buy bolt on, hub centric, etc, i think it will be fine.
Pro race teams use spacers. /End.
EXACTLY
I use spacers on a drag racing car and they safe
Pro race teams usually rebuild many parts of the car every race or two.
Fark i run spacers on spacers
Race teams change parts all the time. Try running slicks with 2in spacers. Control arms, bushing and bearings are screaming of pain
Your content quality is amazing keep it up guys
Thanks for the support!
I've been rocking Garagelines Spacers for the past year and they are great
I've been driving with 10mm hubcentric spacers from ecs for 2 months and so far it rolls good and smooth. The only thing I'm worried about is if I should've sprayed anti seize on it. Last thing I want to have trouble with is prying it off when it's time to change tires. Well it's a reputable brand. I've read that reputable brands won't seize unlike cheap ones from Ebay. Here is to hoping lol
How are they now?
I like hub-centric spacers they are no different than the hub itself. You need to buy the ones rated for your application IE weight and tensile strength. If it bolts directly to the stock hub and can sit flush, you should have no issue.
Just installed a BBK and my Work Equip 05's now hit the calipers. Need a 10-15mm spacer. This video helped out a ton.
Glad to hear that your find our videos helpful! 👍
great video man...very professional !!!
I always questioned spacers until i've seen Daigo saito drift his 1000 hp SC430 with double 2" spacers on each wheel
Well thats daigo..
He had to bc his wheel sponsor doesn't make wheels wide enough lol widebody problems
It’s a matter of durability over time, yeah it’ll work short term but what’s the long term effect.
osborney1951 nothing don’t be a pussy
@@osborney1951 I have spacer on my RX7 for 6 years now. No wheel or bearing problem. Is that long enough? get quality spacer and check it periodically. You won't have problem.
I ran spacers for years on my slammed Ranger without any issues...I ran fwd wheels on a rwd truck even drove out of town a few times and I drove it hard daily
So much stuff I didn’t know about cars and how to go about modifications. You guys are literally saving millions of dollars, lives, and teaching uneducated people things they need to know about their cars.
Thank you for this video. I have two inch spacers on my WJ Jeep. They've worked for 10,000 miles but I would feel better if I swapped them for hubcentric.
You make me not ride my car anymore :))
After I'm done watching your videos I'm like... dude, wtf have I done? But still appreciate a lot what you're doing. Keep it up!
I got mine from ecs tuning on my mk7 gti.
and they've been working great and I haven't found a problem with them yet.
What are they made of thought about getting a set for mine
Great info (as always) thanks for putting out this great content.
Thanks for the support homie!
I ran quality 2.5" billet spacers on my truck for 3 years. No issues..... besides slowly ruining all of my bushings and having to replace my hub/bearing assemblies. The change is geometry really does accelerate wear. But if installed correctly, nothing happens over-night.
I knew one dude that had like 3 spacers in the back for his "wide body" 350z. Nothing ever happened to him... I think. He still has the same car but 3 piece wheels nowadays.
Im running 30mm spacers in the back of my RX8 and it doesnt vibrate or anything, even at highway speeds or above! So i think its pretty safe for my part!
4:30 reminds me of working at NTB.
It's much more fun when the car is on the lift because you can hold yourself up on the lift and use both feet at once to kick the wheel straight off.
Has spacers on my old sports car and me daily Subaru beater. Just got some 2” spacer for my brand new ATV and 10 yeas of having spacers I had no issues. When I do tire rotation or anytime I work on the vehicle taking off the wheels I always inspect and check the toque on them.
I just like how it makes the car look
I've had 15mm spacers with stock wheels on my c63 for 4 years. H&R hubcentric spacer+longer lug bolts=zero problems
I have the same car and I order H&R spacers…how are yours holding up?
I have 20mm hub centric spacers on the back of my leon cupra and 15mm on the front from precision, had them on almost a year never had any issue with them, they came with longer wheel bolts to compensate, never had any irratic vibrations or noises from them, so I would have a look at precision, the whole kit was just over £100
Had ones on my rear tires on my ford van to even out the track for 26 years……good looking, they work and no problems.
I don't even own a car 😂
Kristoffer Santucci no u
@@TreasuryTrader no u
Go buy a car
@@luditalingdan8656 no u
OnyxFox09 same but I’m learning for when I do 😂
The bearings of most cars should easily take the abuse without a problem.
The bigger problem in my opinion are the effects on the cars handling.
I had 15mm spacers installed in my car (from the previous owner) and after I remove them, the car felt ALOT better on the road. The steering wasn't as hard and it also returned to the center position properly, as well as the suspension behaving more smoothly and not rock hard.
huh? --spacers give your wheels a longer "moment arm" from the car, thereby giving the effect of *softer* suspension, not harder. They also shouldn't affect the steering much, as the wheels themselves still turn the same amount. I think you have placebo effect.
@@user-ms2mr2mc3g ""moment arm" from the car, thereby giving the effect of softer suspension, not harder. " - That would likely be the case on double wishbone suspensions, where the shocks are mounted to the wishbone. My car had macpherson struts at the front, where the shocks are direct connected to the steering knuckle. The problem here is: with a wheel spacer, the impulses from the wheel arent alined with the shocks travel direction, which hinders smoothing them out.
"They also shouldn't affect the steering much, as the wheels themselves still turn the same amount. " - Because the wheels are further out, the steering point will travel more to the inward side of the wheel. Depending on how the car is setup, this can cause issues, because the forces from accelerating and braking have a bigger leverage.
Under throttle, the steering wheel would turn inward and not straighten out on its own.
" I think you have placebo effect." - Had 2 different people drive with me afterwards and both asked if I had done something to the suspension, because the car felt better.
I thank you so much for your words of wisdom I was a little bit nervous because I just purchased a jeep wrangler and I got one and a half and spaces
I’m still waiting for my spacers to come in from y’all😭 too excited
LETS GO! 🤞🏼😂
Fitment Industries depending on what car you have, how long do they take to be shipped??
"Entire car will implode."
I think I'm one of those guys.
Thanks for the great video it was a help which working on my 04 mustang gt
In addition to all this great info Lowering your car and by how much and going with a wider tire like from 305 mm to 315 mm can also help bring a fraction of the tire out more to meet or just exceed the fender
I love how subtle these sales pitches are
Same 😂
My rear wheels with iron steel spacers have been run for 8 years without any problems.
ปนิษฐ์ ภักษา Heavy...
Make up your mind, iron or steel ?
Aleron Adams steel is made from iron stupid
Tide Pod yeah no shit dipshit, but what fucking benefit is there to have a soft and hard metal together used as spacers. Use your brain a little
Steel is made from iron however they are very different things. It’s like comparing wet mortar to hardened concrete
Good video as always 🙏🙏
I’ve run 10mm spacers on the rear of my Scion xB for over 12years. No issues other than needing new tires every other year lol. I have 15x7.5” konig wheels. Spacers add too premature tire wear for sure. Got too look cool tho!
It doesn't matter if you're running a spacer or a correct wheel offset, if the wheel is flush with the fender either method will have the same exact effect on your wheel bearings. Any spacer that would cause wheel bearing issues, a wheel with the "correct" offset for the same effect, would also cause same wheel bearing issues.
SuperPenishole this is not true
Ikr. Has to have some engineering effect, even if only minimal on axle, bearings & struts.
That is correct - although running a "correct" offset wheel to achieve the flush look is generally considered a safer alternative over installing wheel spacers
@@chrish9502 please explain how it is not true?
This guy sounds like Linus tech tips
Twitt yeah he does.
Linustech of cars
yes hahaha
Lol
And looks like idubbz brother
I drove daily with 25mm front and rear. No issues as long as you tighten everything . Good for regular driving but bad for drifting .
284K views and 131k subs? Where are the car dudes??? this channel rockkss!!
We on the way up baby!!!!!
I've run a 50mm eBay spacer on the rear of my S13 drift car (stock motor) and knock on wood it's given me no trouble at all
Just measure two or three times and then triple check to make sure if you are buying a big brake kit, make sure the offset has clearance, then triple check the rims you are buying has the right offset to fit everything. If the rims you want don't have the right offset, just find another set.
All that checking should eliminate spacers all together.
Always double check your measurements guys!
Thanks ! Great video
Great Video! The whole spacer thing still carries the old spacer bad taste.. They make them very safe these days! It's a personal choice if you want to run them, with anything you "modify" on your vehicle you run the risk of non OEM type issues, if the new style spacers are placed on properly then run them if you choose. I used to be dead set against these things, (meaning the old style) the new style "Bolt-on" spacers well. again personal preference. GREAT VIDEO!! (not for or against, just for Proper install and use)
My brother is one of those people that hates spacers and thinks the moment you put on like a 5 mm slip on spacer to clear the brakes, your motor will explode somehow. Here’s what I think; I always see these track/time attack cars running bolt on spacers and also slip on spacers. As well as almost all of the FD cars, they usually run bolt on spacers. Daigo Saito, he’s been running a 100 mm spacer on his BWM E30 drift car. He’s fine. His turbo LS GTR, dual spacers on the rear and a big spacer on the front. He’s fine. If so many cars that are being abused on the track are doing fantastic with spacers and setting lap record and holding long drifts with their supposedly messed up suspension geometries, I don’t see how spacers can be bad. If you install them correctly and know what you’re doing, you’ll be fine. If you just bolt them on and hope for the best, expect the worst because that’s not all you do when installing them.
It's all about the quality. period.
I never understood spacers because I figured everyone would want to buy proper wheels that fit their car, but after this video I can understand why people use spacers. Personally, I want wheels that just fit because my motto is the more mods you have installed, the more room you have for error!
I got a staggered set of 22s for $200 I got a set of Rohana RC10 for $150 and a set of 2013 mustang wheels…….. none of them fit my car without spacers but they were all good deals I couldn’t beat
Very good video, thank you!
I never thought of them heat welding themselves onto my hubs. Thanks for the video.
It would be cool since you guys sell wheels. To have a video explaining what to look for when looking at rims. I don't mean offset, width, etc. But certificates, standards, materials, etc. To make sure that the wheels you're buying are actually safe regardless of them being low cost, replicas or coming from brands you never heard of.
Of course the wheels you sell are proven and from "known" brands. But not everyone is from the US.
Good idea man!, we'll look into it!
Haven't watched the video yet but already liked because know it's gonna be good
we love you! 🖤🖤
I run spacers because the wheels I bought are factory Nismo Nissan rims. Hubcentric spacers for about 6 years now. No issues.
I’m running 2 inch eBay Specials, They are hubcentric. I’ve been running them for like eight months I’ve torqued them down, recheck them every so often. Daily driver.
4:53 *BOOM HEADSHOT*
I've run 25 and 35mm hub centric Ebay wheel spacers on two different setups. Never had a problem.
Yet*
Thanks for this, super helpful!
🤝
Eibach spacers here. 25mm on a BRZ. no issues. Correct Torque is the key.
Everytime i hear "aircraft grade aluminium" i just cry. its just such a sales pitch. Like this is army building grade wall paint!
When I saw that guy get hit by that wheel I automatically subscribed... that was insane!!
This Channel has grown a lot in the last 2 years
I bought some wheel spacers way back in 8/2023, It was one of the last purchases I needed for the cosmetic portion of my car that I needed to buy. I have been weary of using them this whole time, contemplating if I should use them or just buy new wheels. I would like to keep the 5 spoke rims I have now and go bigger on tire size but I would have to buy new rims for that anyway. After some research I found that the spacers I bought should be good quality and they have good reviews ( which is probably why I bought them.)
I actually like my stock wheels but know they would look better if they stuck out about 10-15mm
T6061 is actually considered a medium strength alloy. 7000 series is considered aircraft aluminum strength I worked in the aluminum industry for 15 years and Know a little bit about metallurgy, I'm not saying t6061 isn't strong enough it's just not aircraft grade.
I run 2.5 in the rear and 1.5 for my rims to fit properly but no issues I knew my rims would needs spacers given they fit a bmw and I put them on a old corvette spacers were a must
Thanks this was helpful in going to go with 10mm spacers
At my local autocross there was a guy with a Miata running "lightweight" aluminum lugnuts and R-compound tires. On one of his runs a wheel got ripped off the car and went rolling down the track. Turns out the lateral force literally stripped the threads out of his lugnuts. Looking at the wheel studs you could see the aluminum threads still inside the wheel stud threads.
That is why you should always be careful when at the strip 😂😂
I got mine from H&R and never had any problems. And normally your car gains stability from spacers because your gauge gets wider.
The same things happen if you get wider wheels, what's you're point? Except at that point you have more rubber, which is much better than fitment.
which spacers did u get
I have spacers on my ATV and my truck, no issues at all. Spacers have been on the truck for about 5 years, ATV about a 2 years.
Should really give bigger emphasis on hub and wheel centric spacers. If they aren’t you can also buy hub rings to center them but either solution is vital.