Wheel Spacers

[hardsteppa]

thank you. My advice is to type it as 'spacers' and not 'spacer's'. When you say 'several' that doesn't sound like a lot, otherwise you would have said 'a lot'...? If you had been a career person in the automotive trade and they were a big problem I would imagine you would have seen 'a lot'. Could you give a specific number, like 5? And how many vehicles did you see with wheel-stud issues of some sort during your career that didn't run spacers? I would imagine, a lot...? I can think of 3 stud issues I've known of personally, that had nothing to do with spacers and it's not even my trade..

[MozzMann]

I have seen quite a few Stud failures on bush going 4WD's but they would have been as a result of over tightening or impacts in rough terrain most likely.
I've only a half dozen stud failures on regular cars over the last 30 years these are quite often caused by tire fitter's using those coloured torque adapter's with Air wrenches in tire shops instead of actually hand tightening with a cross wrench or better still a Torque Wrench, personally I have always used a cross wrench to check and tighten wheel studs and will never use and impact wrench due to the fact that you can bruise the tapered land and this can and has led to Nut's loosening and studs failing due to flex and fatigue.

Since using spacers to adapt wheels to vehicles is a relatively new thing, say from the 90's on and having seen several per year this was a LOT to me considering that they have the potential to cause a lot of flow on problems, by widening the wheel track depending on how much you change the roll centres and other inertially governed suspension settings this then if the change is big enough places additional stresses on other components and can result in them failing.

Edited April 7, 2015 by MozzMann

[niZmO_Man]

by widening the wheel track depending on how much you change the roll centres and other inertially governed suspension settings this then if the change is big enough places additional stresses on other components and can result in them failing.

wat

[KiwiRS4T]

Different offset changes the track too.

I have tracked my 1800kg Stagea with front and rear spacers without incident. The key is hub centric (i.e. the correct size for your hub) bolt-ons. Up to 20mm are legal in NZ although bigger ones can be certified if they satisfy the engineer as being safe.

Ideally you would get the right offset but I bought a set of Rays for $1200 and used spacers to suit. I can't afford the $4000+ to import the ideal offset wheels.

[MozzMann]

Yes Kiwi the most important thing is having a tight fit in the concentric so the whee is locked to the hub as it should be. I think the NZ v QLD v SA v Vic v NSW laws and rules are likely very different from place to place and that is itself is a Pain in the rear.

[MozzMann]

Ravi widening the Track ( Left to Right Wheelbase if you will ) via spacers and or Rim choice can effect how the car rolls about it's centre of Gravity and how well the ARB's Shock Absorber's and other components function generall this is not a problem in reality but if the excursion from stock is great enough then this places additional loads on other suspension components.

[niZmO_Man]

Yeah, not no one is going to put 50mm slip on spacers on their car.

Race cars use bolt on spacers...

[IM-32-FK]

I bought 5mm slip on ones from a tyre shop and they have a little play on them when you sit it on the hub and the spacer itself has different cuts and shapes for the bolts to fit through. I dont even know what material it is to be honest, but it doesnt feel anything like steel, it kinda feels flimsy. Im just using stock rims. I just noticed the wheel got cambered when i put them on and i like it that way but wont drive it if its dangerous. Im using rays 30mm closed nuts so i should have 25mm for the bolt to sit in the nut

[hardsteppa]

Yeah they are the sort that work loose and kill people. Cause there is no longer anything to centre your wheel.

[IM-32-FK]

Yeah they are the sort that work loose and kill people. Cause there is no longer anything to centre your wheel.

yeh sometimes i hear a loud thump coming from the wear wheels . ill take em off

[MozzMann]

ANY Noise indicates movement and no direct load transfer to the central rim ledge. OR more seriously potential problem with linkages and or joints. check this situation out ASAP for your own piece of mind

The Camber change could be due to play in the suspension and the wheel being further out from the centre of support has shown this play up by tilting the top of the tyre in further. Again have this checked to rule out possible other issues.

[IM-32-FK]

ANY Noise indicates movement and no direct load transfer to the central rim ledge. OR more seriously potential problem with linkages and or joints. check this situation out ASAP for your own piece of mind

The Camber change could be due to play in the suspension and the wheel being further out from the centre of support has shown this play up by tilting the top of the tyre in further. Again have this checked to rule out possible other issues.

But what will really happen if the slip on spacers "fail". I checked all the nuts, and they were all good. Would the nuts just break off a single stud at a time? or will all the studs break or nuts come off at once? Because u can still drive your car with 4 studs. As long as the tyre is not at risk or coming off then it can wait till this weekend and ill buy some bolt on spacers.

[Trex]

Yeah because breaking 1 stud is always safe. And yeah someone has tested this with great success in pin pointing how many studs break off at once. And yeah like everyone who has snapped studs has snapped the exact same way.

[IM-32-FK]

Yeah because breaking 1 stud is always safe. And yeah someone has tested this with great success in pin pointing how many studs break off at once. And yeah like everyone who has snapped studs has snapped the exact same way.

what happens majority of the time when they "fail"

[Ben C34]

Wheel falls off. Car then crashes.

Google wheel falling off due to spacers

[sonicz]

Get good hub centric spacers. 10mm is max I would go. Get good strong STEEL studs. Do not use aluminum studs or nuts ever. Sure steel is twice as heavy but 3 times as strong. I facepalm every time i see aluminum in a load bearing application.

I cant recommend Gktech gear enough.

Just use this combination

http://www.gktech.com/index.php/4-5x114-3-10mm-hub-centric-slip-on-spacers.html

http://www.gktech.com/index.php/13-0mm-knurl-extended-wheel-studs.html

You will most likely have to roll your guards too.

Heres is how aluminium studs break. Action starts at 7:50

[Ben C34]

Aluminum can bear load. Heaps of suspension components and wheels (!!!) are aluminum.

That said I wouldn't use aluminum nuts or stud's......

[sonicz]

lol OK yes. I guess I should say in situations where there is combination constant heat cycles, vibration, shock loads, torsional, lateral, literal, longitudinal, opstitutional and wongolational stresses. i.e wheel studs. A control arm has a cakewalk of a job in comparison relative to its size.

[MozzMann]

I seriously doubt you could ever buy Alloy Studs or nuts any why anyone would want to is beyond me

. Cast Alloy is very common for wish bones and struts, load spreading components, but fastener's nah sorry that is just inviting disaster

[GTSBoy]

I seriously doubt you could ever buy Alloy Studs or nuts any why anyone would want to is beyond me

Of course you can buy alloy nuts. All the wanky boy racers have them. It's tres cool.

Alloy studs has of course never been a thing.