Spacers...safe?

[hokejka]

I have read some people doing serious damage to their cars with spacers.

Anyone tracking/drifting running spacers?

Why are people having issues? Quality?

I have also read that a 12mm spacer is safer than a 10mm spacer on our hubs. how can that be? I believe both fully fit the hub and extend a hub centric ring.

any insight?

[wjk_glynn]

Originally Posted by hokejka

I have also read that a 12mm spacer is safer than a 10mm spacer on our hubs. how can that be? I believe both fully fit the hub and extend a hub centric ring.

You're right at the edge with 10mm spacers, and you might see seating issues.

Quoting from https://www.turnermotorsport.com/t-w...yclopedia.aspx

Hubcentric Fitments All BMWs use hubcentric wheels. When mounted to the car, the wheel rests on a lip instead of the wheel bolts or studs. The lip contributes to the strength of the wheel and the wheel cannot safely be used without a lip. The wheel bolts are not strong enough to support the weight and loads generated through the wheel. The lip is usually 9-10.5mm in depth and the new spacer must have its own lip. Turner and H&R Spacers with their own integrated hubcentric lip are: 10mm, 12mm, 12.5mm, 15mm, 18mm, 20mm, 25mm, and 30mm.
* -- Note that H&R and Turner Motorsport each make a 10mm hubcentric spacer but due to interferences between the spacer and lip, it's best to leave this to specialized applications. See below for more detail.

10mm Fitment Notes You must be very careful when fitting 10mm spacers to any BMW. Since the depth of the hubcentric lip will vary, you risk bottoming out of the spacer before it sits flush with the hub. This will leave a gap between the spacer and the hub, seriously compromising the strength of the spacer. The lip on the car must be shaved down so the 10mm spacer will fit flush on the rotor hat.

I fitted 10mm spacers and they seated correctly for me. But I've yet to track them...

Karl.

[Ginger_Extract]

It's fine. I use a 5mm spacer front and rear without issue.

[dbronnik]

Don't run a 10mm unless you want to lose a wheel don't ask me how I know..

[dtla1]

Originally Posted by dbronnik

Don't run a 10mm unless you want to lose a wheel don't ask me how I know..

How do you know? Have any pictures of the incident you are implying about? I am curious about this.

[hokejka]

Originally Posted by dtla1

How do you know? Have any pictures of the incident you are implying about? I am curious about this.

lol he lost a wheel. I'm so sorry man. that sucks. so much damage.



Ok to be clear: 5mm and below for flat spacer and then 12mm+ for hub centric spacers is safe for any kind of driving. correct?

Anything above 5mm you're bushing it with barely getting a hub, and and anything below 12mm you'r risking flat fitment, correct?

[dbronnik]

Originally Posted by dtla1

How do you know? Have any pictures of the incident you are implying about? I am curious about this.

pm'd

Originally Posted by hokejka

lol he lost a wheel. I'm so sorry man. that sucks. so much damage.

Ok to be clear: 5mm and below for flat spacer and then 12mm+ for hub centric spacers is safe for any kind of driving. correct?

Anything above 5mm you're bushing it with barely getting a hub, and and anything below 12mm you'r risking flat fitment, correct?

8mm or less is good, 12mm or more is good

[chris82]

Never had an issue with VAC Motorsports 10mm spacers. Buy quality

https://store.vacmotorsports.com/vac...mws-p3459.aspx

[dbronnik]

Originally Posted by chris82

Never had an issue with VAC Motorsports 10mm spacers. Buy quality

https://store.vacmotorsports.com/vac...mws-p3459.aspx

The issue isn't with the brand of the spacer (mine was from ECS) but rather in the variance in the depth of the lip. If your hub's lip more than 10mm and causes any small gap between the spacer and the hub, your spacer will cause vibrations which may cause your lug bolts to fail. Whether it works without issue for you is luck of the draw unless you are actually measuring/shaving down your lip if necessary.

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by chris82

Never had an issue with VAC Motorsports 10mm spacers. Buy quality

https://store.vacmotorsports.com/vac...mws-p3459.aspx

It's not a matter of quality or at least not in this cases. Hub lips vary car to car so you're playing roulette when it comes to 10's.

[hokejka]

Originally Posted by dbronnik

The issue isn't with the brand of the spacer (mine was from ECS) but rather in the variance in the depth of the lip. If your hub's lip more than 10mm and causes any small gap between the spacer and the hub, your spacer will cause vibrations which may cause your lug bolts to fail. Whether it works without issue for you is luck of the draw unless you are actually measuring/shaving down your lip if necessary.

I am curious did you notice the gap and decided to wing it anyways or did someone else do the install?

[jvb6806]

I run H&R 5mm spacers on the front of my car and have raced for years on them with no issues. Take a look at different spaces available. I don't think my 5mm completely covered the centric ring on the hub, and there is a chamfer cut into one side of the spacer so that it sits flush up against the rotor. Make sure you put the chamfer IN so it sits flat.

Some of the thicker spacers have a counter sink cut into the backside w/ a chamfer so the centric ring on the hub goes completely in and there is a new centric ring on the outside of the spacer.

The TMS spacers are the same as the VAC ones.

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-43...lications.aspx

Buying extended wheel studs for whatever size spacer you buy should go w/o saying.

I AutoX with a guy that rans a setup like this on his evo for massive spacers. His wheels have not fallen off yet.

[dbronnik]

Originally Posted by hokejka

I am curious did you notice the gap and decided to wing it anyways or did someone else do the install?

didn't notice the gap

[chris82]

Originally Posted by 3002 tii

It's not a matter of quality or at least not in this cases. Hub lips vary car to car so you're playing roulette when it comes to 10's.

Not sure what you mean. The 10mm spacers I use from VAC have plenty of lip on them.

[chris82]

Originally Posted by dbronnik

The issue isn't with the brand of the spacer (mine was from ECS) but rather in the variance in the depth of the lip. If your hub's lip more than 10mm and causes any small gap between the spacer and the hub, your spacer will cause vibrations which may cause your lug bolts to fail. Whether it works without issue for you is luck of the draw unless you are actually measuring/shaving down your lip if necessary.

I see what you're saying, but there are no vibrations with the VAC 10mm spacers

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by chris82

Not sure what you mean. The 10mm spacers I use from VAC have plenty of lip on them.

I'm not talking about the spacer lip. I'm talking about your hub lip. The guy before me explained it.

Originally Posted by chris82

I see what you're saying, but there are no vibrations with the VAC 10mm spacers

And that is based on YOUR experience but that may not be the case for someone else. The question isn't about the specs/tolerances to which VAC or others build their spacers. It's how yoru CAR's hub lip may be different than someone else' BMW.

[chris82]

Originally Posted by 3002 tii

I'm not talking about the spacer lip. I'm talking about your hub lip. The guy before me explained it.



And that is based on YOUR experience but that may not be the case for someone else. The question isn't about the specs/tolerances to which VAC or others build their spacers. It's how yoru CAR's hub lip may be different than someone else' BMW.

Right, it is based on my experience. When you say the car's lip size can vary, you're saying the difference is due to manufacturing tolerances when BMW makes them?

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by chris82

Right, it is based on my experience. When you say the car's lip size can vary, you're saying the difference is due to manufacturing tolerances when BMW makes them?

BINGO

[dtla1]

Originally Posted by jvb6806

Make sure you put the chamfer IN so it sits flat.

Chamfer in? This may be the cause of my slight vibration with my 7mm spacers at about 72 mph. I'll have to flip them over tonight.

[jvb6806]

Originally Posted by dtla1

Chamfer in? This may be the cause of my slight vibration with my 7mm spacers at about 72 mph. I'll have to flip them over tonight.

Correct. There is a little fillet (rounded transition) around where the ring meets the flat section of the hub. That chamfer is there to go around that fillet and allow the spacer to sit flat.

If you are only getting the vib above 70mph that might just be a wheel balance issue too.

[dtla1]

Originally Posted by jvb6806

Correct. There is a little fillet (rounded transition) around where the ring meets the flat section of the hub. That chamfer is there to go around that fillet and allow the spacer to sit flat.

If you are only getting the vib above 70mph that might just be a wheel balance issue too.

I'll report back after I make the changes. I wasn't getting vibrations with my 10mm spacers or with no spacers. Plus, the wheels where road force balanced pretty recently, and I've never had balancing issues with the guy I use. You never know though, as someone mentioned, spacer could have fallen off. I'll try flipping them over, and if it still persists I'll try with no spacers.

[hokejka]

Finally got some wheels. Apex ec7s. I want to run 5mm spacers all around. Any recommendations on spacers? / extended bolts... ecs?