So what are wheel spacers and what do they do?
They’re essentially like a thick piece of aluminum which is curved down to fit in between a car hub and wheel. As a result, the car gets an wider track.
They are one of the most popular car accessories to pimp up your car’s looks.
There are some major benefits of fitting a wheel spacer on your car. Firstly, The wider the wheels are, the lower the center of gravity. As a result, the handling becomes easier with more stability.
You will surely notice the performance improvement while cornering. Add up smooth maneuverability in sharp turns and you get an amazing handling.
Moreover, as you add wider tires, you get a powerful car that looks and rides very good. By just adding a simple spacer, you get all these benefits without spending no money afterwards.
You could misunderstand your wheel size and buy a wrong sized tire, but with a wheel spacer you can counteract the offset.
If the offset is higher for your car, the tire will be pushed much inward which will look ugly and it might scratch the suspension utilities in the car or the wheel.
With a wheel spacer, it can be corrected simply.
A wider wheel area makes a car look super attractive. If you also take wider wheels, the combination of the two will make the look even high performant, like a super car.
Imagine yourself riding a car like this. And you know how it feels to drive a racing car.
Larger wheel area equals more stability. Hard turns, and cornering will get much better. With more stability, you reduce the overall risk of your car getting tripped in faster speeds.
So you feel more comfortable as a driver. And all of these sums up to be extending the lifetime of your car tires.
Disclaimer
Tires, wheels and other parts around these are very sensitive parts of your car. Unless you’re a qualified mechanic, don’t try to install or replace any of these on your own.
The following information is provided below as a general guide and is not meant to be a replacement for an expert.
Also note that this is not specific to your vehicle, just a normal how-to guide. You must follow the installation instruction of your manufacture.
Things Required
- Auto Jack
- Jack Stand
- Torque Wrench
- Breaker Bar or Tire Iron
- Degreaser
- Wire Brush
- Shop Rag
- Optional – Gloves
How To Install a Wheel Spacer
1. Make sure to have a fitting wheel spacer designed for your vehicle. These are aftermarket parts and using an unfit one can expose you to higher risk of accidents.
2. Now, loosen the lug nuts that fastens the hub and wheel together. But don’t remove it now.
3. Park the car on a flat, hard surface. Then remove the wheel. Afterwards, use an auto jack to lift the vehicle up off the ground. Have a jack stand below your car to keep the car stable the process.
4. Remove the lug bolts on the lifted tires. Take off the wheel and set it aside. Take a wire brush and clean the hub well. If there’re bits of paint or rust left, clean them thoroughly as these might cause severe vibrations while driving. You can clean the backside of the hub if you want.
5. Some people like to use brake cleaners as they like clean surface to work on. This is optional. You can use if you want. After spraying the cleaner, wait for some time to allow it to dry up. You can speed up the drying with an air compressor.
6. Another optional step is to use a corrosion preventative coating in case there are risks of the hub getting rusty(in winter specially). You can use a good coating to prevent your hub and spacer getting fused together.
7. Now, line up your spacer on the bolts, put it onto the hub and thread the extra lug nuts(if provided with the kit) on bolts. Tighten the nuts properly with a torque wrench.
8. Grab your wheel and put it back onto your car. Thread each lug nut by hand, tighten up a little and lower your car. Afterward, with a torque wrench, tighten the completely.
Now that you’re done with setting up your wheel spacer. Check and certify the alignment of them.See whether they function properly or not. Do not go for a test drive immediately before checking. After making sure everything works well. Drive safely.
