What Are Wheel Spacers And Are They Safe?

If you're looking for ways to change the aesthetic of your car, one of the easiest mods to start with are the wheels. It won't add any horsepower, but putting new wheels on your ride can change the look significantly, helping your car stand out in a crowd. It can also reduce unsprung weight (if you get lighter wheels of course) and change the performance if you put upgraded tires on those new wheels.

But what if you like the look of your wheels and just want a bit wider stance? Maybe you're looking to fill out the wheel wells more with stock or aftermarket wheels without paying the big cost of wider wheels and tires, or maybe you're looking to fit your wheels over a new big-brake setup. There are lots of scenarios where wheel spacers can make a difference.

A wheel spacer is a small disc that goes between a car's wheel and the hub, pushing the wheel out further toward the side of the car. I've used spacers on various vehicles of mine for years, changing the look and feel of each car. It's a relatively inexpensive modification that widens your vehicle's track and makes things feel a bit more aggressive. For the most part, modest wheel spacers are a safe modification, so long as they're installed properly and provided you know the pros and cons. But, depending on how big you go with your spacers, those changes can be problematic.

The benefits of wheel spacers, and their drawbacks, are generally controlled by what kind of spacers you get and what size you go with. For starters, you'll need to get a spacer that properly fits your vehicle's bolt pattern. There are lots of universal spacers, but getting something specific to your vehicle is a much smarter approach. Most spacers are built using aluminum, which is generally strong enough to take the torque required to bolt down wheels. Cheap spacers though, can break or fail entirely — something you definitely want to avoid.

Spacers start off pretty thin, often measuring just a few millimeters thick (some are as thin as 3 mm). Any thicker and additional modifications might be required. If you want to use a larger spacer, extended wheel studs or longer lug bolts might be necessary — after all, you need to be able to properly tighten the wheel once it's mounted. Space the wheel out too far from the hub and you won't be able to properly attach your wheels at all.

Some spacers use a second set of lug nuts or an adapter to change a vehicle's bolt pattern, and those will be a bit more expensive. Fitting spacers on my personal vehicle's wheels, for example, required extended wheel studs. I was willing to make this change to accommodate the wheel-tire-brake setup I wanted, but it added significant cost and labor when I upgraded my wheels and tires.

The wider a spacer is, the more potential impact it can have on your vehicle. Thicker spacers can widen your track and for some owners that will improve the driving experience, but combine wide spacers and a lowered ride height and your vehicle's fenders can easily rub along your tires. Metal on rubber means there's potential for cutting or damaging your tires in hard cornering or even damaging the vehicle's fenders. 

Putting the wheels significantly further out as it relates to the vehicle's center will also change suspension geometry and can affect all sorts of suspension components like axles, wheel bearings, and tie-rods. Putting big spacers on your off-road SUV or pickup truck (wider spacers are more common on these kinds of rigs) may get you the stance you want, but it can also significantly change the ride and handling when you're on the road.

Your best bet is to do a lot of research before installing any wheel spacers. Read lots of reviews and check vehicle-specific forums for your car or truck to see what other owners are saying. Buy trusted products and make sure they're installed correctly, and you'll likely have a much better experience.