Wheel Spacers/Wheel Adapters - The Truth?

HeadBanger

HeadBanger

MR staff member
I've been thinking of getting some wheel adapters, but there often seems to be a negative stigma with them.

"They cause extra stress on your lug nuts and bearings"

I'm wondering if anybody has some concrete scientific data regarding spacers and adapters?
Naturally I can see issues if your spacer is too wide, resulting in too little thread on your stud to safely mount the wheel.

Is there any truth out there? Let's imagine a perfect scenario where you have enough stud left to safely mount the wheel.
 
Get some quality hubcentric spacers/adapters (H&R) and you shouldn't have any problems! I ran 25mm spacers for years, which is more then the average Joe with no issues whatsoever.
 
HNIC514 said:
Get some quality hubcentric spacers/adapters (H&R) and you shouldn't have any problems! I ran 25mm spacers for years, which is more then the average Joe with no issues whatsoever.
Click to expand...


X2 same thing here no problem whatsoever.... the larger spacers will bolt up to your studs and have another set of studs to bolt up your wheels....
 
Same here, just had to get some longer bolts. Running 10mm hubcentrics up front (otherwise it rubs) and 5mm rear (for the look).
 
73mm spacers will wreck your wheel bearing faster, that's a fact. 19mm not that much. it's the real wheel offset that's hard on bearing, it gives the wheel more leverage to pry bearings

hubcentric is nice to have but not that critical IF YOU TORQUE YOUR LUGS PROPERLY! cross patern and torque wrench are your freinds here, along cleanning the mating surfaces.

i've done many sets, some centric and some non-centric, never had problem with both. we use non-centric in race apps with more than 1000whp with succes, they hammer wheel studs like nothing else but it stays togheter so...

having the right lug for the lug seats is more important, some are taper, some are round. if you mix them you end up with much less contact surface, that can lead to loosening once you drive
 
I ran 25 mm spacers in the rear of my B5 A4, granted i enjoyed the occasional drift on wet pavement and a fuckton of driffting in winter, i had to change my rear bearings every 1.5 yeasr

Mine were hubcentric H&Rs with 50 mm bolts
 
As stated, it's final offset that is the factor. If you use spacers to clear a wheel with a higher than factory offset, it could theoretically return a wheel to factory offset.
 
Thanks for the responses guys. Google wasn't really helping me much.

My case is more or less just because I would want a different bolt pattern.
 
As long as it's hub centric, you should be ok. The major concern with spacers is the shear stress the studs will undergo (since the wheels are designed to sit on your hub with the studs acting to both bind the wheel, and transmit force/torque to the wheel, and adding a spacer removes the load-bearing capacity of the hub, passing that load to the studs). For 99% of situations, you should be fine, but if you have the bad luck to hit a REALLY shit pothole, you could shear the studs if the shock load is high enough.

Wheel-bearings, as previously mentioned, depends on overall offset. Spacers will cause this, due to increasing the length of the "lever" acting on the bearings, but you can select a rim to compensate for that. Alternately, learn how to pack wheel bearings and invest in a comfortable stool.


Sent from the 90's using 3S-GTE
 
it's change more then just the look.

pivot radius too.

and that have more then just bearing effect. (longer lever at the end of the spindle= more stress on balljoint, controll arm pivot point, steering rack, tie-rod end.)
It's not dramatic but it can affect suspension quite a bit.


if spacer to correct a wrong offset wheel back to stock , it doesn't change a thing.
 
maxpat82 said:
it's change more then just the look.

pivot radius too.

and that have more then just bearing effect. (longer lever at the end of the spindle= more stress on balljoint, controll arm pivot point, steering rack, tie-rod end.)
It's not dramatic but it can affect suspension quite a bit.


if spacer to correct a wrong offset wheel back to stock , it doesn't change a thing.
Click to expand...

Would say a 20mm spacer effect wear that much?
 
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