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From: AutoHowTV
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  • Does wheel spacers mess up alignment. Like if you had wheel spacer, got alignment and want to take them off. Please let me know. Thnks

  • cheers for the video. it carried the basic principle of what you wanted to display.

    Just a note, if you get the wrong torque, its highly unlikey your wheel falls off... How do i know, cos mine was over torqued by some 6 fingered no-thumbed ogre and the nuts snapped on cornering and the wheel collapsed under the car at bout 90-100 mph. that was fun :|, especially for the oncomer that got a fantastic side view of a GT4

  • 2 huge mistakes...wow!!!

    1-never suppose to put any lubricate or anti-seize on threads you change the torque..(when torque)anti-seize only on hub

    2-never re-torque somthing once done, IF ITS TORQUED ITS TORQUED... on more important things such as a intake manifold, youd be f**** =warppaged

    and a 3rd mistake-you only thread on bottom nut to hold wheel on, after comptling the star pattern you are suppose to torque the lock nut last

    dont post vids teaching false information LOOK IT UP

  • nice. thanks. 

  • Vehicle: 2000 ford explorer sport with 2WD & 15'' factory rims. I wud like the tire 2b level w/the fender or 4it 2stand out about 1centimeter past the fender. Idk anything abt buying spacers so can u tell me wut wud b the best&SAFEST way 2go & the size i need? Prices wud also b nice 2 kno... Thanks a alot

  • Awesome video.

  • Are non-hub centric type safe? stable? This is for a truck.

  • I've never done that. I've changed the studs to longer ones and added the 1/2' ring spacers safest way to go

  • Excellent video!

  • Nice guide and all, but do people really need to be shown how to do this or is it just me?

  • Nvm found out it an adapter.

  • I just have a quick question........can you get wheel spacers that are 4 to 5 lug?

  • under torqued

  • are his shocks blown?

  • DO all wheelspacers have the same diameter on all cars?

  • hail the dark lord at 1:48!  \m/

  • @FilthyBadges

    lol

  • Just to catch up on some questions over the past few months...

    Spacers can be installed on front or back but watch front wheel clearance!

    Stock lugs are used to hold these spacers, and spacer lugs hold on wheel.

    No alignment needed afterward.

    Spacers are safe if you use the hub centric ones with the little lip around the center hole. The weight of the wheel is on the lip/hub and not on the threads. In my opinion most spacers sold are not the best. Eibach/H&R are usually good though

  • @AutoHowTV hey bro... what if the original wheel lugs are are too long? what do i do then?

  • do you put them on front wheels also or just the back?

  • how much does a set of 4 cost?

  • Are you using another set of lug nuts all together when you put your wheel back on. Only because it looks like you use the stock ones to keep the intital spacer on

  • Does there need to be any alignment work after the installation?

  • are they safe? i mean, wont they harm the car?

  • i heard that puting wheel spacers on is hard on wheel bearings, ever have any problems??

  • Please help me I have a wider set iof tires on my grandam gt. The normal ones are 225\50 and i have 225\60 . its rubbing on the struts what size spacer do you think i should get? Please

  • i have a 99 s10 single cab and i wanted to buy wheel adapters that will convert

    my wheels from 5 lug to 6 lug.

    i wanted to do this so i can fit the 2007 OE 20'' silverado wheels. the adapters are 1.75'' thick. can anyone tell me if this will work or will the new wheels be sticking out too much?

  • Hey what happens if you dint correct the offset with an equal spacer,... Besides rubbing in the inner wheel???

  • very well edited vid...nice

  • i have a widebody 350z and i was needing almost 2 inches added in the rear,could i stack or add some small spacers over the chunky spacers? look at my vid so you can see what i mean thanks so much

  • @07350zhr You might be best with custom deep dish wheels if you have a wide-body kit but they do make spacers that wide. I would see what others with the veilside kit have done too.

  • @07350zhr Never stack spacers like that, it puts a lot of strain on the hub and could damage it. Most people say spacers and even adapters can be dangerous in the long run. It's much better to invest in deep dish wheels, and looks better too. Wouldn't want to see a nice 350z go to ruin! Beautiful car

  • your before and after pictures are fucking retarded. keep the same angle...

  • @Saabriffic haha, some of these comments are great. 0:30 is the matching angle pic. I didn't have many pics of the car with those wheels prior to the spacers. Bottom line is they look better.

  • I have a 73 Malibu and i want to put 24x10 rims on them and my tires now are 8 inch wide with about 1.5 inches of room left how big of a spacer will i need and , these measurements were done at night

  • Your wheel torque spec is based on torquing the nuts dry...not oiled or lubed. Lube or in this case aniti-sieze compound actually increareses the stretch on the studs as well as the seating pressure on your wheel spacer. One or both of these factors combined could result in in the wheels coming loose or fastener failure. Just a safety tip everyone should consider when working on wheel related projects. Otherwise this is a great video!

  • I want a set 4 my Audi to give it a flush look will i be able 2 tell a big difference when done? The car is not lowered yet

  • @benry04

    well said

  • Different angles for the before/after shots didn't help..

  • would these wheel spacer decrease horsepower? or will mess up anything if used all year round?

  • @mza0616 No decrease or change really in forward movement. I had them on for a few years until I repainted my BBS rims. Some people put antiseize on the face and back of them to keep them from sticking to the hub or wheel.

  • @AutoHowTV oh ok thanks, can you do a vid on installing foglights on v6 99-04 mustangs? :D

  • Would 1.3'' spacers be wide enough to not have to worry about cutting the studs so it won't rub the wheel?

  • @Shane2fsu over 1" should leave enough room. And most wheels have a "hole" from casting that can buy you some room.

  • It is also a good idea to step up the torque as well. Not a huge deal on a street car though, but if you are going to 100 foot pounds, it is a good practice to torque the wheels and spacers to something like 40, then 60, then 80, and finally 100. I learned that working on engines, so I apply it to everything I torque now.

  • i want this for my 1999 ford ranger

  • the spacer's come with locking bolts, correct?

  • i have brembo brake covers if i add a 20mm - 22mm wheel spacer to my front and back tires of my 99 cadiiac sts would that be fine/wise and will you people styll be able to see my brake covers ?

  • so you dont have to replace the stock studs? the spacer comes with them so your wheels will fit on like normal?

  • i saw somewhere you had to cut the threads off the original bolts before putting on the spacers, what did you do to avoid this?

  • @Invisiblepanda use a thick enough spacers to bury the original threads or use wheels that leave space for studs that may stick through (in other words the back of the wheel is not flat but has indents that would surround studs).

  • I heard that it is possible to put fake brake disks in so that when people look through your wheel they can't see the spacers. Do you know anything about those?

    Also, what is the thickest spacer that they make, and is it possible to combine more than 1 spacer to create something so rice that it hurts?

  • @MasterTenku Brakes are around the hub and would not hide spacers....combining spacers would be a seriously dangerous 'mod'. This may be the most creative comment I have gotten...ha

  • Shouldn't the before and after shots be taken from the same angle? Hhhmmmm.

  • @Solowizard that one pic is close enough. haha

  • I have spacers on my car but it keeps vibrating even after doing 3 wheel balances. Around 65-85mph. What could be wrong?

  • @thedowner if the spacers are too thin the original studs may be hitting the back of the wheel (after passing through the spacer). Send me a PM if this is still a problem for you.

  • i just put these on my old CJ-5, anyone know how they hold up to off road use? i mainly just run trails, nothing too serious

  • @hairmonster12 my buddy has a set on his 1995 ford f150 with 38 inch tires and he does some pretty serious off roading and alot of road driving and from what ive seen of them they've held up pretty good

  • @mustangboy2838 thanx man

  • 1993TMAXX u wish thay were

  • my truck has 7 lugs. I have not been able to find them. Any suggestions?

  • y do u have GM stands and a ford car y

  • because I put an Corvette motor in the Stang...just kidding! Those stands just happened to be the better ones available when I went to the store years ago...

  • Because ford is made by GM

  • this video only covers disc brakes. Wheel spacers are designed to bear the load of turns and regular driving so you may not see a difference in wear. I guess it all depends on your exact setup

  • do the spacers work on drum brakes?

  • are they safe?

  • People have opinions one way or the other...you may want to read all the comments on this vid and make your own call. 99.9% of the danger comes from improper installation or the wrong type of spacer (one that transfers weight of the wheel to the studs or non-hub-centric spacers).

  • what is the widest wheel spacer ? cause i wan' t the widest. for the rears of course.

    will i have to do any cutting to the stock studs or is that for all wheel spacers ?

  • I have seen 35 mm...I know they get crazy wide for some of the off-road/truck applications. Get spacers with embedded studs like the ones shown and you should not have to cut your existing studs. In fact, the wider you go the less likely you have to cut the studs.

  • If you go too wide, you will have to roll/pull your fenders to minimize rubbing.

  • som tire places wont touch them if they have the spacers on, i know they wouldnt touch mine, i had to take them off myself. jus a heads up

  • what happens if you over tighten lug nuts? if you dont have a torque wrench is it bad to just tighten it real hard?

  • I guess it's better to tighten them too much than too little but a cheap torque wrench (like 30 bucks) is a decent investment for stuff like this.

    I know only because of the horror of hearing a loose lug nut while cruising down the road years back...lol. Thank goodness I pulled over and checked. at the least check everything after 50 miles or so.

  • My coz did that. He did not have a torque wrench so did it up real hard. but one of the bolts snaped off from over tighterning. Thats why to avoid this problem i always use a torque wrench.

  • they are legal but its illegal in the uk to have wheels sticking out the sides of the car so you just put some bigger wheel arches on

  • are they bad for your suspension or aliment?

    I got new rims and they are touching the caliber on the front. Was thinking about these spacers but not sure if they f up your suspension or aliment.

    i dont want to mess up any of those on my Audi A6.

    thank you for your videos and your replies

  • If you look through the older comments we talked about the extra weight on wheel bearings but everything in the suspension is built to withstand some serious loads (think of taking a corner really hard). You should be fine if you install them properly as shown in the video.

  • Yea i think i should be fine i only need about 10mm or 15mm so thats not extending it to far.

    Thx for your reply man.

    Take care.

  • no problem...just go with the hub centric spacers and if you are using the stock threads through to the wheel you may want to consider getting high strength versions to be safe.

  • hey man do i HAVE to put the spacers on all 4 wheels or will just 2 on the front will be fine?

  • you don't have to but it may look a little weird if the front ones are noticeably wider than the rears.

  • Comment removed

  • probably newer, high strength studs along with spacers. Or spacers that are similar to the ones in the video (separate studs).

  • are they legal in canada

  • I do not know...you can ask your inspection mechanic if you are curious. I haven't heard of them being outlawed anywhere though.

  • my buddy got mustang in mint with the v8 so im gunna send the vid to him btw i drive a 94 f-150

  • yes they are legal i had to put some on my S14 my tires wer too wide and wer rubbing my suspension i had to widen my load :P

  • umm what thicker the 1.5inch or 35mm

  • 1.5 in. is thicker.

    25.4 mm in one inch. So (1.5 in x 25.4 mm/in =38.1mm)

    Here's a nice trick for people that don't remember conversions:

    Type "1.5 inches to mm" into the google search bar. It will give you the answer automatically. Pretty cool.

  • does it matter which wheels you put it on? cause i've seen people put them on their trucks and they put them on the front tires. i'm thinking about getting some for my truck but confused about where to put them. thanks

  • You can put them on the front or rear. Clearance is always the concern. I recommend going to a forum specific for your truck and see what people know works.

  • I have a V6 2004 Mustang with 18X10 wheels on the back, can I install the 1.5in Billet Aluminum Wheel Spacers form AmericanMuscle or are they to wide??

    Thanks bro

  • That might be cutting it close...maybe the 1 inchers (25 mm). I run the same wheel setup as you with 285 width tires and I always leave the spacers off. If you have 275 mm wide tires you can probably do another 25 mm like shown in the video. Ideally you would just go with the wider tire since you have great rims to do it. I used to run 295s and I think that may have been my favorite.

  • yes that's right. The only thing you have to watch out for is if your stock studs stick through the spacer too far and hit the wheels. Would be more likely if it was a thin spacer or if your car has long studs. should not be a problem in most cases.

  • are spacers really safe ?

  • lots of discussion about this in the comments here and on my forums (link in description).

  • did you need to cut the stock threads?

  • Good question...actually I didn't have to. But if I would have went with a thinner spacer I may had the stock threads sticking through the spacer and hitting the wheel.

    It looks like 25mm was a good minimum thickness for the mustang.

  • where can i buy the 30mm wheel spacers at?

  • places like summit racing, jegs...try a google search too. you may find a place that specializes in your vehicle (not sure if you have a Mustang).

  • I am not as familiar with the Vettes but as far as I can remember the Vettes have a really nice stance and probably don't need spacers!

  • I'm already running quite a bit of rear negative camber because of my lowering springs, and rear camber on my car is non-adustable, spacers will increase negative camber because of the wider stance, correct?

  • Correct, you will have slightly more negative camber.

  • I noticed that those spacers were a pretty good size (20-25mm or so) and my question is, do you have any concerns about your wheel bearings using such a whide spacer?

    I want to put 25mm in the front and 20mm in the rear on my STi but I hear both good and bad things about spacers, what is your opinion?

  • Most of my comments about safety can be found below.

    I am sure there is some extra wear over a long time but every time you go into a corner you load up one bearing or the other. They are meant to carry a lot of weight...

  • i have some wheels that my friend let me borrow and the wheels rub against my caliper in the front, will these wheel spacers help in eliminating that?

  • Depends where they rub...top or side of caliper? Spacers could help but you have to check clearance on the fender and suspension components. Maybe swing by a tire/wheel shop and see what they think? I don't want to give you bad advice.

  • Ive heard of people using locktite on the lugs to make sure the nuts didnt come off, but why anti-seize? wouldnt that make it easier for them to come lose?

  • Because the wheel spacer studs and lug nuts are made out of different metals...if you torque them properly and then do a follow up check they should not come loose at all.

    If you look at the above comments you'll see that some prefer antiseize between the hub and spacer too.

    Thanks for commenting! I am sure others had the same question.

  • Very nice! I was always wondering what's the bezt way to tighten the wheel nuts. Now I now:)

    Thanks a lot!!!

  • I found some TC Sportline spacers on Amazon for like 90 bucks and change (part number WH-SP400156125B).

    Good luck. Be sure to take the wheels and retighten them after 30 miles or so.

  • Thanks for the informative diy, man. I am going to be upgrading the suspension on my Benz ML Class. I am going to get some aftermarket performance antisways, probably H&R or Addcos. Would adding spacers provide more stability by placing the tires further out?

  • Yeah it should help. But I bet you would feel a much larger improvement lowering the ML a bit!

  • Wow...thanks, I've been getting so very many different opinions. Some say don't get them unless you get wider and bigger wheels. I am going to lower the ML too...just trying to find the best kit for that. What are the drawbacks for spacers though?

  • Having spacers will make it look cooler and handle a bit better but as I have warned earlier, you need to keep an eye on them and make sure they are tightened properly, and that you get a quality hubcentric spacer made by Eibach, H&R, etc

    If handling is your main goal I don't think the spacers will add much when compared to the effect you'll see with lowering springs (and will be one less thing to worry about and install!). But that's just my opinion based on what I think your goal is!

  • I saw some guy have a nasty solo crash after the front driver wheel flew off...not good. Thanks for the advice.

  • I put 17" Cobra R rims on my 96 gt and the tires rub when I turn hard. Would wheel spacers help me out? if so wut size?

  • Depends where the tire is rubbing: inside or outside of the tire?

    I am surprised 17" are causing problems. What size tires do you have on the front?

  • Arent these bad for your wheel bearings?

  • Some people claim spacers help absorb impacts from the road and ease the force on the bearings but at the same time they put some additional leverage on bearings. I don't have definitive proof one way or the other...except that bearings are obviously built strong enough to handle cornering. It's not like spacers would make them snap off as soon as you lowered the car...lol.

  • Use the anti-sieze lube on the areas they showed to sand, not on the lugs. Using it on the lugs is just asking for the lug nuts to back out because they will not reach torque properly. They might actually be tighter than needed and this raises the chance of breaking a wheel stud. I've seen it done before as I was a mechanic for 3 years.

  • Good point. Although I still like the anti-seize on the threads since the lug nuts and aluminum spacers are different metals. I think the best thing to remember is to check them every now and then, especially after the first 25 miles or so.

  • You forgot to put antisieze on the sleeve on the wheel hub.

  • I never thought about using anti-seize on anything but threads but that suggestion could help too--thanks for sharing the tip!

  • Yep, when I had mine on, they sized to the wheel hub sleeve more than they did the threads.

  • Awesome.

  • Hey man, great stuff. I have 2 ?'s. #1. Are adapters installed the same way? #2. How safe are spacers/adapters?.....ok so mabey a few more ?'s. #3. what brand do you recomend? and finally, #4. would it be a good installation on a 94 T-bird to fit some Cobra or GT rims? any info appreciated.

  • Thanks!

    1. Some spacers fit over existing studs and push wheels to the edge of the studs...not good.

    2. Safe if installed correctly and checked periodically after install.

    3. I went with Eibach b/c one Mustang owner had used them on the Autobahn regularly without issue. I am sure there are other good brands.

    4. I am not familiar with the T-bird fender clearance, etc. but if it's possible I am sure someone has posted on a forum about it!

  • i got a 2001 ford mustang v6. i am planning to buy cobra rims do you think my car will look ok with biger wheels at the back. 20 at back and 19 or 18 up front

  • I am always a fan of bigger wheels for looks. The only downside is you increase rotating mass and so your car will be a little slower to accelerate. Oh and tire sidewalls get to be a little thin which makes it easier to dent a rim in a pothole. I usually settle for 18s.

    if you are looking for mustang wheels, american muscle has a large selection. buy the wheels and tires together and you can install them in your driveway (saves about $100 in mounting and balancing at the shop).

  • do you know if i could put spacers on 99 expedition

  • I don't see why not but I would scope out some expedition/ford truck forums before I made a final decision. Sorry I am not as familiar with trucks and I don't want to give you bad info!

  • Would it really damage the car/tires if you put 275's on a 2003 mach 1 and install these spacers?

  • you'll really have to do your homework and research the mustang forums, etc to get the answer. I have 285/295s now during the warmer months and my buddy runs 315s. At first glance you would think a thinner, 25mm spacer would be safe for rears with 275s. But is the wheel offset the same? I am leaning towards no given that the wide rims put more of the tire "under" the car to fit those 315s. Tough to write all this out in 500 characters or less so feel free to post in the autohowtv forum.

  • The stock tires on a mach 1 are 245's. I was thinking of putting fatter, 275's on the stock rims and the 30mm spacer...would that be safe.

  • I did a little google search...people have been able to run 1 inch spacers (25mm) with the 275s on the rear. But "275" may be different between manufacturers. For instance, the BFG 275s are a lot wider than say a Kumho 275 and would cause an issue. In the end you'll have to make the call!

  • Yeah, that is true. Guess I will have to do some more research and find the best tires. What about just putting the stock rim/stock tire on with the 30mm spacer? Would that still look good? Stock tires 245's and rim size is 17 x 8's.

  • My car had 245s in this video with the 30mm spacers so the pics you see at the end are what you'll get on the mach 1. I run the fatter 285 tires whenever possible because I want to get some extra traction...but the 245s with the spacers are just as flush with the fender :)

  • hey man i really need some help finding some hub centric 2" spacers for my truck all i can find via jegs, summit, and jcwhitney are lugcentric that are only 1/4" thick!

  • there's a company called arrowcraft that has spacers/adaptors that big. Trucks are not my strong point--wish I could help more!

  • hey please help me...putting wheel spacers means that I can fit any wheel model on my car?for example if I have a set of wheels which don't fit on my car,putting wheel spacers could solve the problem?Thank you for this video!

  • not necessarily. do a search on "wheel offset explained" and you'll be able to see some diagrams and better explanations of positive/negative wheel offset.

    You also have to consider bolt patterns too which vary between cars (both in number of lug nuts and spacing between them). Again a search on "wheel tech explained" will lead you in the right direction!

  • hi im about to install 22mm wheel spacer for my bmw 318i.. is that safe? please give me some advise. thanks

  • Please see the second link in the description of this video for a forum discussion on safety.

    As long as you are using wheel spacers with built in studs (like in the video), pick spacers that don't make the tire rub and follow the proper torquing procedures you will be fine.

  • Can I install them on the front wheels as well as on the back? :) Thank you.

  • It's possible but you'll have to take the geometry of the steering/suspension into account. You may have tire rubbing issues if you try to get too crazy.

    Best thing to do is check a forum that's devoted to your type of car and see what size spacers have been proven to work out ok.

  • How to install wheel spacers:

    DON'T. They are unsafe and will usually fail you when you least expect them to. And it's not only your car that suffers, but others as well in the event of an accident. Do yourself a favor and bite the bullet for the right rims. You'll never sweat the choice.

  • Usually fail? If you have numerous cases of mechanical failure on hub-centric spacers, please share! I have been running mine in the winter for 30+ thousand miles!

    The spacers themselves aren't unsafe but improperly installing them is. Only go with hub-centric (see description for link to more info), make sure the surfaces are smooth and clean, torque everything down and periodically check them.

    Pretty much any mod is unsafe when you do it wrong...that's why I made these videos ;)

  • Agreed, i don't understand these ppl who are claming spacers are dangerous when they have no proof on it. Im running hub-centric 40mm spacers on rear. No problems this far.

  • hey i got a question, what prevents the spacers from being imbalanced?

  • The manufacturing quality/tolerances and a clean surface between the hub, spacer and wheel.

    I haven't run across that problem though...and I hope you haven't either!

  • What about the taper...i thought that had ALL to do with it!??...but I've seen some kits that you have to purchase a ring for the inside to take up any clearances...

  • I am not sure what car you are adding these to, but in the Mustang's case you want it to be perfectly flat...

    The best general advice I can give is to go with a well known brand like Eibach even if it costs a little more. Make sure the mounting surfaces are clean and that you torque everything correctly. The first time I installed mine I forgot to torque the rear wheel and it started to loosen. Trust me if something isn't right you will hear it! lol

  • Thanks a lot!

  • thanks a lot !

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