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[Chesmu]

Hey everybody:
Planning on getting 20 mm wheelspacers for my 330. Will I need to change anything else on the car to adjust for the spacers? Planning on rear only. 330i with sport package (18" 162's). ARe here any particularly good/bad companies out there? Is 20 mm an appropriate size?

[Driv3r]

20 seem kind of big, if anything, 15mm, 18mm is pushing it...

[Ryan@Motorwerks]

A guy at a local car parts store told me spacers were "unsafe". Have you guys heard this too or is this guy just making up BS to cover his ass b/c he doesn't have any spacers in his store?

[PittWm]

Make sure you have longer lugs also.

[Big Jim]

How is the spacer attached to the rotor? If it's free to move, then I would think that you would be bending your lug bolts pretty often everytime you large bump in the road.

[Chesmu]

lots of people have/use spacers. the lugs fit thru the current wheel, thru the spacer and then to the rotor. THey're not "free to move". And yes, longer bolts are obviously needed. Some rotor companies, especially online ones, sell longer bolts with their spacers.

[fletcher969]

Originally Posted by Big Jim

How is the spacer attached to the rotor? If it's free to move, then I would think that you would be bending your lug bolts pretty often everytime you large bump in the road.

The spacers are not free to move as they are locked into place where the lugs pass through like-sized holes. No chance of it moving.

[fletcher969]

Originally Posted by moocow

Hey everybody:
Planning on getting 20 mm wheelspacers for my 330. Will I need to change anything else on the car to adjust for the spacers? Planning on rear only. 330i with sport package (18" 162's). ARe here any particularly good/bad companies out there? Is 20 mm an appropriate size?

20mm will put your tires about flush with the top of the fender well, 15mm is just inside a bit. You shouldn't have to modify anything with 20mm unless you get enough weight in the rear end at some point you begin to have rubbing issues. As for companies...Rogue Engineering seems to be the most often purchased (where I got mine), and they include the necessary longer lug bolts (not the black ones to match the front though). H&R is a close second, and they don't include the lug bolts for the price. My advice is to purchase either brand of spacers, and make sure to order the black lug bolts from somewhere as they add the right contrast to the wheel. I have the chrome lub bolts that came with the RE spacers, and they don't look as good as the stock black lug bolts in the front IMO. Make sure to get the hubcentric spacers with a 5x120 bolt pattern also.

I have the 18x8.5 37ET 162's with 15mm installed, and when the net offset is figured (22mm), it's nearly identical to what one gets with the typical M-series setup (assuming I wasn't misinformed). While you wouldn't go wrong with the 20mm, here's a pic of my 15mm setup from the rear so you have some reference...

[fletcher969]

Originally Posted by 335e90

A guy at a local car parts store told me spacers were "unsafe". Have you guys heard this too or is this guy just making up BS to cover his ass b/c he doesn't have any spacers in his store?

If purchased from a reputable manufacturer (Rogue Engineering and H&R for example), they are built with enough integrity to withstand racing conditions. Hence they should be more than safe for road driving conditions/situations. As for handling, I've not noticed any difference whatsoever, and one might argue that by widening the stance slightly (i.e. not spaced out ridiculously wide), stability is somewhat improved due to a lowering of the roll center. I'm sure others would argue, but most of whom I've heard argue, both for and against, agree in general that 15mm-20mm doesn't degrade performance enough to be "overly" concerned. Again, and FWIW, I've noticed no degredation in performance on my 15mm setup.

[Frank2808]

Great info on spacers!! Any idea where to get the longer black lugs that you mentioned?

[Big Jim]

By free to move, I mean that the spacer is not attached in any way to the rotor. The only thing holding it in place is the friction of being pinched between the wheel and rotor by the lug bolts, correct? So when you hit a large bump, the whole assembly slides upward when the bolts bend. Is this not a common problem?

[Driv3r]

Originally Posted by Big Jim

By free to move, I mean that the spacer is not attached in any way to the rotor. The only thing holding it in place is the friction of being pinched between the wheel and rotor by the lug bolts, correct? So when you hit a large bump, the whole assembly slides upward when the bolts bend. Is this not a common problem?

no, there is a ring that petrudes out toward the rotor a few cm's which is what the wheelspacer is pushed onto..i am to alzy to bring up a pic

[Chesmu]

thanx for the info. big jim...
have you ever changed a tire? you know how you have to sort of "fit" the new wheel on the rotor before you put the lugs in? That what the spacer sits on as well. So no bending, etc.

[Troy]

Just make sure you get "hubcentric" spacers that also includes longer lugs, more than 15mm is pushing it