Wheel Hub Spacers - anyone use them?

[boogz]

I'm ordering spacers for the rears (20mm) anyone using them at the moment?

[team_v]

No, they are illegal to use on road registered vehicles unless supplied by factory.
Also i have heard of some of the cheaper ones fracturing.

[vdubmotorworx]

yep.. illegal...even tho ive seen some cars with them on..told the customer and they didnt know.. when the rims were fitted at a proper shop they put them on!!

[Mysticality]

I'm considering getting 10mm spacers... especially for the rears on mine.

I know about the legalities, but for 5-10mm? Really?... My cars a bit of a legal anomally anyway

[Guest001]

I'm considering getting 10mm spacers... especially for the rears on mine.

I know about the legalities, but for 5-10mm? Really?... My cars a bit of a legal anomally anyway

Far better to get wider rims or a wider profile tyre and be safe 10mm is hardly worth while anyway

[Jarred]

Yes, they're illegal in Australia. (What isn't these days?)

If they're TUV (etc) approved, I wouldn't bat an eye lid.

Just make sure you use longer bolts, and as mentioned before, don't get cheapies.

[team_v]

Far better to get wider rims or a wider profile tyre and be safe 10mm is hardly worth while anyway

My thoughts exactly.
For the cost of a set of 4 quality spacers you could just get a better set of wheels that actually fit with the correct width and offset without the legal issues.

[Mysticality]

Far better to get wider rims or a wider profile tyre and be safe 10mm is hardly worth while anyway

I've got 18x7.5's with 235/40R18's on them... They don't make my rims in a wider size. If they did, I'd be all over that.

[wai]

I'm considering getting 10mm spacers... especially for the rears on mine.

I know about the legalities, but for 5-10mm? Really?... My cars a bit of a legal anomally anyway

The spacer puts additional bending loads on the studs/bolts. Your studs/bolts also need to be longer by at least the thickness of the spacer, otherwise you are not getting the same amount of thread engagement.

5 or 10 mm might not seem much but the steering offset is generally +/- 25 mm (depending on whether you have a negative or positive offset. A 10 mm spacer can easily change that offset significantly and change the way it responds to steering input. You don't have steering offset issues on the rear, but you do have increased bending loads on studs/bolts.

This is much like what Ford Escort and Capri owners would do to their cars. They used to use longer spring shackles for the rear leaf springs so that it gave the car a "nose down" appearance. It did that, but also took all the caster out of the steering. Not a problem at city driving speeds, but on the open highway, the car would be extremely unstable.

If you want a wider track, then the way to do it is with wheels that have the appropriate offset.

[gldgti]

I think its way too much of a generalisation to say spacers are dangerous. Spacers are not dangerous - but some spacers are cheaply made and may crack, and if you use spacers with incorrect bolts well you are asking for trouble.

People have been using spacers on the race track for eons, (where the loads are far higher than on the road) and some manufacturers have used crazy spacers (I'm looking at you Porsche!!!) on factory cars aswell.

As far as the engineering goes, a properly fitting spacer with appropriately long bolts is just as safe as anything else. (Trust me, Im a gingerbeer.... i mean engineer).

But yes its still illegal unless engineered.