Spacers - Talk to me!

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KillerHERTZ

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Cambs
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SL63 AMG
Im quiet interested in the idea of widening my rear wheels so that they are flush/nearly flush with the arches.

Ill be honest, I dont really understand anything to do with alloys etc. so need some help please :D

I have AMG Style III 18" alloys.

1) Can I only fit spacers to the rear?
2) What spacers do I need?
3) What else do I need, I take it I need special bolts do connect them to the hub, then my exisitng bolts to connect to the spacers?
 
You can fit spacers front and rear if you wish. The only constraining factor will be whether this would lead to fouling on the arches.

You choose spacers by the distance you want to move the wheel pout, and they must be specific to your car. That is, they must be hub centric and be designed to fit a Mercedes.

If you go out a lot then yes, you'll either need need longer bolts, or just use the ones you have if the spacer is bolted to the hub.
 
From what iv seen spacers do in the past i wouldnt entertain using em, with use they tend to move about, causing wear, & if not checked for tightness on a very regular basis they can destroy wheel/studs/ spacers & more. Spacers put an undue amount of stress on the studs. Only last month i was shown this on a trailer, which was then sold off on e-bay as spares/repair !
 
Chris at Alloy Wheels Direct gave me great advice when I had to put spacers on the rear wheels on the CL. He supplied them. They came from Germany. Hub Centric seems to be the key.
 
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From what iv seen spacers do in the past i wouldnt entertain using em, with use they tend to move about, causing wear, & if not checked for tightness on a very regular basis they can destroy wheel/studs/ spacers & more. Spacers put an undue amount of stress on the studs. Only last month i was shown this on a trailer, which was then sold off on e-bay as spares/repair !

Thanks, I have heard horror stories, but there must be loads of members with them fitted who have no trouble at all?


Chris at Alloy Wheels Direct gave me great advice when I had to put spacers on the rear wheels on the CL. He supplied them. They came from Germany. Hub Centric seems to be the key.

Thanks, I will get in touch. whats the rough price range id be looking at for say a 2cm spacer do you know?
 
Thanks, I have heard horror stories, but there must be loads of members with them fitted who have no trouble at all?




Thanks, I will get in touch. whats the rough price range id be looking at for say a 2cm spacer do you know?

I have had them fitted for three years now without any problems. Mine where 16mm, don't quote me, ( suffering a little bit with C.R.A.F.T's disease ;) ) I think they where £50/£60 with the longer bolts
 
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I've used spacers in the past and I have used both kinds of hubcentric spacers - the kind that bolt to the hub and the kind that sit on the hub and require longer bolts.

I have never had a problem with either kind.

I have not used spacers on the front hubs.

Two reasons for this:

1) From what I remember, it isn't possible to get hubcentric spacers under 5mm

2) Going with a wider spacer (in order to have a hubcentric spacer) would have likely caused rubbing on the front arches.

Also, I have to say that I wouldn't be completely happy with running spacers on the fronts, as these are the turning wheels and exert greater lateral forces across the wheels and hubs.

I have no problem with using spacers on the rears, regardless of which kind they are.

However, it is the general opinion that hubcentric spacers that require longer bolts are better than the kind that bolt to the hub.
Although safe for normal use (not track days etc), the spacers that bolt onto the hub do not offer as much "meat" to secure the spacer to the hub.
The attached picture shows you a worse-case scenario.
Guy had type 2 spacers on the front of his R35.
Enjoyed a track day and noticed something wrong when nipping off to the petrol station after a track session.

Type 2 spacer had literally been pulled off the hub.
This, in my opinion, was due to a few factors...

Extreme cornering forces being placed across the front wheels and hubs - it is an R35 afterall - grip/ cornering capabilities would have magnified the forces on the wheels and hubs.

Heat build-up may well have helped weaken the spacers perhaps.

And also, the "meat" factor that I mentioned before. If you look at the type 2 spacers in person, up close, you will see what I mean.
The bolts, that secure the spacer to the hub, need to sink into the spacer so you can then bolt your wheel to a flat surface. This compromises the amount of meat between the hub and the bolt.

This I think was the main factor in R35 driver's problem.



Proper hubcentric spacers will not move around once in place, as previously mentioned.

Correct spacers that are suitable for your car will fit very snuggly over the hub and there will be no room for movement. They are then bolted firmly into place by the bolts.

Before considering spacers, you should really consider getting wheels with the desired offset or get some wheels made with the offset you want.

If these options aren't possible, then spacers can be considered.

I have used spacers on my old CLK, and briefly on my 63, and had no problems whatsoever.

As for checking torque on the bolts, just check them as you normally would - after a few hndred miles, re-torque them. You don't need to repeatedly check them.


To summarise:
I believe spacers are safe (having used them for years with no issues).
I would be abit apprehensive about running spacers at the front - but if they are thin, you should be ok - although you may not be able to get them hubcentric.
Either type of spacer are fine for the rears, as these are not steering wheels. But type 1 spacers are the favoured type.
 
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Karl,
If you want another option, you can call John at WheelsUK.
I've used him for a long time for bolts, spacers etc.
He'll sort you out and is very knowledgeable about MB's having had a few himself. Still has, from what I remember.

Off memory, he sells SCC hubcentric spacers. Aluminium and TUV approved. Made in Germany. Good spacers - never had an issue with the different types/ sizes I've had off him.
 
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Karl
Member paulgorringe has just ordered a set of hub centric spacers and bolts to fit the same style wheels to his 209. Might be worth sending him a pm I believe he ordered them from a company in Germany to get the exact length bolts to match the spacers and with M12 thread / M14 head.
 
Thanks for all the info, so let me get this right. A Hubcentric spacer uses just the 1 set of bolts which go through the spacer from the wheel onto the hub and is stronger?
 
Thanks for all the info, so let me get this right. A Hubcentric spacer uses just the 1 set of bolts which go through the spacer from the wheel onto the hub and is stronger?


No, a hubcentric spacer is a spacer that is designed to sit on the hub.

A normal, crap, cheap spacer is basically a big washer.

It's this cheap spacers that can move around when in place because they don't actually seat on anything.

Hold on, I'll find a picture or two for you....
 
A Hubcentric spacer uses just the 1 set of bolts which go through the spacer from the wheel onto the hub and is stronger?

Yes.

The thin alloy spacers in the photos above bolt to the hub and the wheel bolts to the spacer. Horrible design and it's clear from the photos what can happen when they are stressed above what they can take

Personally I wouldn't use spacers at all. They are a problem waiting to happen. What happens if you have a puncture, particularly if it's not you driving the car? Is the spare the same type of wheel? Etc etc

Nick Froome
 
As above, I have used spacers for the past two years on my S4 with no issues whatsoever. Like yourself, am looking to buy some for my CLS, albeit mine are 19's with et 25 front & 28 rear.
To determine what size you will need, you need to know, what your current offset (ET) is and how much further your wheel needs to come out in order to sit flush with the arch.
If you minus the measured distance that the wheel needs to come out from the current ET, it will determine what size spacer you require and what your new ET is.
I personally always buy hubcentric H&R or Eibach. The tricky bit is getting your measurement right, am thinking of 10mm on the front and 12mm for the rear, overal ET 15 & 16 respectively.
 
Thanks for all the info, so let me get this right. A Hubcentric spacer uses just the 1 set of bolts which go through the spacer from the wheel onto the hub and is stronger?


Sorry, mis-read your post.

Yes, as confirmed, one type of spacer you can use just requires one set of bolts.

Take a look at this link.

It will explain things alittle.

Hubcentric Adapter
 
Yes.

What happens if you have a puncture, particularly if it's not you driving the car? Is the spare the same type of wheel? Etc etc


Yes, these are indeed things to bear in mind.

Also, locking wheel bolts. You'll need longer ones.

If using spacers on the rears and not the fronts, you'll ultimately have two sets of bolts. Equally, if you are using 2 different size spacers for the front and rear.
 
Yes.

The thin alloy spacers in the photos above bolt to the hub and the wheel bolts to the spacer.


Actually, the spacers I showed in the pictures were likely to be 20mm or larger, as you cannot have this type of spacer any thinner as the bolt heads need to hide inside the spacer to enable you to bolt the wheel to the spacer.

You can get all sorts of different spacers that are type 1 (long bolt method) but you can only use type 2 spacers above a certain thickness.
:thumb:
 
I have 5mm hubcentric spacers fitted on the rear of my w202 fitted with 18" amg with et31. I did have to buy a set of new bolts that were 5mm longer. I bought 20 by mistake instead of 10 so I have these spare if you decide to only push them out 5mm. Will try and post a pic later for you ok :)
 
You need hub-centric spacer because MB wheels are hub-centric. That is they locate and are held central by the hub flange, not by the wheel bolts. Fitting *normal* spacers will result in imbalance and wheel wobble.

I used to run cars with spacers to give the track/stance required but was always concious of the fact these put greater stresses on the hubs/wheel bearings and suspension joints. I now would only ever try and achieve the same effect by changing the wheel offset, far safer.

Don't forget to seek your insurer's opinion before committing.
 
It's all been covered pretty well, here's a picture to reinforce what's been said.

Fast_Wheel_Accessories_Stance_Kit_include_two_billet_aluminum_hubcentric_spacers_and_10_chrome_lug_bolts__69766.1368851539.1280.1280.jpg


Pay no attention to those bolts as they will be wrong for your wheels.

Those are the only type of spacer I have and would fit to any of my vehicles. The hubcentric part is the bit sticking out in the middle and note that they only have 5 holes, in simple terms, avoid spacers with 10 holes!
 

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