Spacer Confusion - Flat vs Beveled Wheels, Front vs Rear

[3002 tii]

Yes it's a simple concept, spacers effectively lower your wheel offset thus sticking them out further but when it comes to purchashing them it doesn't seen as straightforward.

I understand the risk of running 10mm spacers due to the fact that if the lip on your oe hub is 11mm or greater, the 10mm spacer will not sit flush against the hub. That slight gap is enough to be a safety concern and apparently certain BMW models have varying hub lip sizes. Thus by going 12mm or bigger you avoid this issue. I also get any spacer less than 10mm will most likely be a flat, (no lip) design, thus your wheel will mount directly on your existing hub, as it normally would.

Now this is where I get confused, different vendors have different warnings depending on whether your wheel has a beveled / chamfered or flat surface, and if it's for front vs rear... Why is that?

For example Turner warns that H&R 5mm spacers must be used with flat surfaces:

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-35...cers-pair.aspx

5mm Spacers require you have a flush mounting surface on your wheels.
Wheels with a beveled mounting surface are not compatible with these spacers. If you have beveled wheels and wish to run a 5mm spacer on the front, you can use the TMS Hub Extender kit (front only!) See link below.





On the other hand Rogue warns that it's 10/12mm spacers can only be used on wheels with chamfered (which is synonymous with 'beveled') surfaces but they cannot be used with wheels which have centering rings:

http://www.rogueengineering.com/rogu...R/WSPACER.html

[Beedub]

i read the turner site a good few years ago when i wanted spacers, at the time they said i Couldnt use 10mm spacers due to the hub extending too much, now fast forward to know, and ive just purchased some lightweight spacers in 10mm, i was alittle nerous when coming to fit them..... i can assure you they have no issues at all and install just like a 12mm would, hell he lip on my hub, it looked like 8mm hubcentric ones would work.....



you can just see the lip, albeit not to well..

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by Beedub

i read the turner site a good few years ago when i wanted spacers, at the time they said i Couldnt use 10mm spacers due to the hub extending too much, now fast forward to know, and ive just purchased some lightweight spacers in 10mm, i was alittle nerous when coming to fit them..... i can assure you they have no issues at all and install just like a 12mm would, hell he lip on my hub, it looked like 8mm hubcentric ones would work.....

you can just see the lip, albeit not to well..

Right this addresses the potential hub lip issue but doesnt address the beveled vs flat surface question.

[inTgr8r]

Originally Posted by Dubbedown

Right this addresses the potential hub lip issue but doesnt address the beveled vs flat surface question.

With flat spacers (eg 5mm) they rely on the OE hub extending enough to engage the wheel center bore.

With the sum of lost hub extesion (5mm) and the depth of the champfer (Xmm)
It's possible that the hub might not reach (engage) the wheel center bore.

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by inTgr8r

With flat spacers (eg 5mm) they rely on the OE hub extending enough to engage the wheel center bore.

With the sum of lost hub extesion (5mm) and the depth of the champfer (Xmm)
It's possible that the hub might not reach (engage) the wheel center bore.

I thought that might be the case but then what's the deal with RE's warning regarding wheels with centering rings? Why would those not work with 10-12mm but work with thicker sizes like 15mm? I would think you could just pull the rings out and any size would work?

[Quickid]

Originally Posted by Dubbedown

I thought that might be the case but then what's the deal with RE's warning regarding wheels with centering rings? Why would those not work with 10-12mm but work with thicker sizes like 15mm? I would think you could just pull the rings out and any size would work?

I have just recently dealt with this exact issue. The 15mm spacers don't have a beveled corner (unlike the 10-12mm ones) and the hubcentric rings fit right on. The hubcentric ring's beveled side plus the 10-12mm spacers beveled corner makes the wheel not sit properly.

I needed hubcentric rings along with a 12mm spacer so I had to cut off the beveled side of the centering rings (made of plastic) in order to make it work.

[Quickid]

Originally Posted by Dubbedown

Now this is where I get confused, different vendors have different warnings depending on whether your wheel has a beveled / chamfered or flat surface, and if it's for front vs rear... Why is that?

I also would like to add that the amount beveling (sp?) will also determine what spacers you can use. My Morr VS8 has a beveled cb but the amount of material removed looks a lot less than the stock 224M. A 12mm spacers sits just right on the Morrs but a 10mm does not. Both 10 and 12mm fits fine on my stock wheels.

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by Quickid

I have just recently dealt with this exact issue. The 15mm spacers don't have a beveled corner (unlike the 10-12mm onces) and the hubcentric rings fit right on. The hubcentric ring's beveled side plus the 10-12mm spacers beveled corner makes the wheel not sit properly.

I needed hubcentric rings along with a 12mm spacer so I had to cut off the beveled side of the centering rings (made of plastic) in order to make it work.

Ahhhh, that makes sense. Thanks everyone, I'm glad this got figured out. I feel like the greatest overlooked mystery has been solved. So conclusions:

1. For flat spacers with no lip, you must use a flat surface wheel for a perfectly tight, flush fitment. Beveled wheels will have some play.

2. With 10mm spacers, you must ensure your oe hub is less than 11mm else there will be a 1mm gap between the hub and spacer. Therefore your safest bet is to go 12mm or thicker.

3. When using RE or other brand spacers between 10-12mm, also ensure whether or not there's a beveled lip. If so, you'll want to make sure it mates up to a wheel with a beveled surface so they fit complimentary. Wheels with centering rings will not fit properly on spacers with beveled lips. And if your wheel does have a hubcentric ring, either modify the ring to make it flat or go with an even bigger spacer (ie 15mm).