Wheel Spacers ... pros and cons

[D.J.]

Who really cares though, do people run around worrying about their struts after they install springs? Or sway bar endlinks when they upgrade their sway bars? Typically mods aren't extending the lifs of your OEM parts, it's not why people typically modify their cars.

We should do a poll, on the number of people who have replaced their wheel bearings.

Also, the number of people who have replaced their wheel bearings, and have spacers installed.

Also also...
Spacers are effectively no different than simply using aftermarket rims with an offset that gives a more flush fitment, and nobody seems to be concerned about wheel bearing life when they are selecting their aftermarket rims.

 

[Thomby]

I’m surprised that noone has mentioned the impact spacers have on wheel bearings. By moving the wheel outwards some of the load is transferred from the inner racec to the outer race of the bearing. A load it is not really designed to carry. This can lead to shorter bearing life.

From the car's perspective, a (properly torqued etc) wheel spacer is no different than a wheel with a lower offset. And the only way that upgrading wheels and tires (wider or stickier) helps is by generating higher forces at the wheel hub & bearing, which I would argue are the best-equipped parts of the car to handle it. Otherwise you'd have a bunch of stories of guys who upgrade to 305s on 10.5" wheels destroying theirs.

Confirmed - this is with 20mm spacers.

So that's 10.83mm of stock stud extension past a 20mm spacer? And 12.42mm of space in the voids on a stock wheel?

That implies that with a 10mm slip-on spacer you'd have almost 21mm minus the thickness of material on the wheel where the lug nuts mount. I don't suppose you have that measure handy?

 

[D.J.]

So that's 10.83mm of stock stud extension past a 20mm spacer? And 12.42mm of space in the voids on a stock wheel?

Correct.

That implies that with a 10mm slip-on spacer you'd have almost 21mm minus the thickness of material on the wheel where the lug nuts mount. I don't suppose you have that measure handy?

I do not....I did not measure that...

But I would guess that with a 10mm slip on spacer, you would not have a "comfortable" amount of stud to thread onto.

 

[Volfy]

We should do a poll, on the number of people who have replaced their wheel bearings.

Also, the number of people who have replaced their wheel bearings, and have spacers installed.

It isn't just wheel bearing specifically, but any part of the suspension & wheel hub that additional moment arm acts upon. Handling traits altered by large wheel spacer should also be considered. That means said study should also include those who spun out in a rain storm or hitting a large bump in the middle of a fast corner, because excessive positive scrub radius (particularly the front axle) caused braking/steering instability. Or any of the other issues related to that mod.

Question is though... would those folks actually know their spacer mod might've contributed to their ill fate? Not unusual to see post on FB groups or forums about Stinger/G70 drivers ending up in the weeds. Invariably, the blame is placed on weather, hydroplane, and other drivers. I highly doubt they have the presence of mind - or the technical insight - to dissect/diagnose whether any of the mods played a part. If the owner is so convinced that their mods are worthy and improve their car's performance, human nature would conspire to bar them from a fair and impartial judgment. Confirmation bias.

Spacers are effectively no different than simply using aftermarket rims with an offset that gives a more flush fitment, and nobody seems to be concerned about wheel bearing life when they are selecting their aftermarket rims.

You are absolutely correct. Aftermarket wheels that result in offset too far off what is proper for the car's setup can be just as bad and should be avoided.

 

[Volfy]

Spacers are an effective tool for suspension tuning. I have a stack of them - 0, 3, 5, 8, 10 and 12mm. Which I use depends on the suspension setup (ride height, wheel offset, camber, etc.) as well the usage case (everyday driving, track/AutoX). Not unusual for me to use different spacers for my track wheel/tires for AutoX Sunday, and then switch back to a different wheel/tire/spacer set for everyday road riding.

What I don't give two shits about is how far the wheel face sit from the fender lip. What works right looks right - not the other way around.

 

[Volfy]

I can tell you with utmost certainty that with 20mm spacers the car feels significantly more planted in corners, especially when I had them front and back.

The benefit of the slightly wider track is actually not significant. Jason explains this quite succinctly in his videos related to wheel spacers. "1 to 2% in extreme cases".

If you can feel the difference, you are a way more talented driver than I am.

This is the video where he did the math to give actual numbers:

 

[blnewt]

bolt on spacers on the rear no biggie, but a big no for me on any significant spacing out in the front, that +34 front offset is engineered for a reason.