Wheel Spacers and Stud Kits: Myths and Facts
As we leave the holidays and anticipate the warm weather that will allow us to take out our lovely BMWs, we are undoubtedly thinking about all the things we want to do for preparation. If that includes changing up your wheel setup, or at least your fitment, we have a few things in mind. Namely, spacers and wheel stud kits.
If you’re like me, you’ve probably heard everyone and their brother voice opinions about wheel spacers and stud kits. The truth is, much of what people say on the internet is, in fact, not true. You’ve likely read or heard something about ‘the dangers of wheel spacers’ or had someone exclaim in between heavy breaths ‘buy wheels that fit!’ Today, we’re going to address some of the common myths surrounding wheel spacers and stud kits and demonstrate why they might be the right choice for you. | 
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Myth: Buy wheels that fit instead of using wheel spacers
Fact: Wheel spacers can help your fitment and improve your handling by widening the track
People like to shame those of us who have a set of wheels we like, be that factory options or aftermarket wheels, and use spacers to widen the track and improve fitment. With wheel spacers, you are effectively changing the offset of the wheel without changing the wheel in any way. All you are doing is pushing the mounting surface out by the width of your chosen spacer. Of course, it is important to choose the right size spacer for what your car will allow you to run without modifying the body in any way. It is also critical that your spacers are hub-centric to prevent any unwanted vibration, potential wear or even failure of your lugs/studs. If the wheel isn't properly centered onto the hub, the lugs can end up backing themselves out. None of us want that! |
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Myth: Cheap spacers are fine
Fact: Poor quality spacers can (and do) fail or potentially cause other issues
When buying wheel spacers, the cheapest option is rarely a safe bet. Remember, wheel spacers either bolt to your hub and you mount your wheels to the spacer or they sit sandwiched between your hub and spacer, held in place by your wheel. If you opt for cheap, cast, universal spacers, you can run into issues ranging from premature wear on your lug holes and vibration at certain speeds to complete failure of the spacer or shearing the studs on the spacer. These outcomes are less than ideal in any situation. If you are concerned with your safety and the safety of others on the street or track, buying high quality spacers which are made from billet aluminum, are designed to hold up under the hardest driving conditions, and are intended to fit your specific application will always be your best choice. |
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Myth: Math is hard, I don’t know what size to buy and I don’t want to screw up
Fact: A simple measurement is all it takes to know what size spacer is right for you
Whether you just want to bring your wheels out a bit for a more aggressive look or you want to improve your handling by widening the track width of your BMW, spacers are a great option that costs much less than custom wheels. By simply measuring the difference in width between the face of your wheel and the widest part of your fender, you can easily determine what size spacer you need. If your BMW wheel’s face sits 30mm inside your fender, you know a 30mm wheel spacer will bring the face of your wheel even with your fender. If that is the look you want, and you’re not afraid of rolling your fenders, then 30mm is your ‘flush’ fitment. For a safe bet that your tires will not rub as your car loads on that corner, you can always subtract 5mm and avoid any body modifications. | | | 
| Myth: Spacers/Stud Kits are dangerous
Fact: High-Quality spacers are more durable than the wheels and hub they mount between while stud kits are generally required by most racing bodies as they are safer than the bolts used by BMW from the factory
As we mentioned earlier, using quality spacers are no more dangerous than installing aftermarket wheels. If you buy high-quality parts, you get high-quality results. If you choose to skimp out on the parts that hold your wheels to your car, however, you are open to serious risks that lead to rumors like these persisting. Of course, you also have to ensure they are the proper spacers for your car, which means they need to be hub-centric for both the hub and the wheel and the correct PCD (bolt pattern). For stud kits, you are safer than the factory BMW lugs since the studs thread into your hub and have a nut that threads on to the stud, clamping your wheel in place. Not only are they more convenient for mounting wheels, but they are, in fact, safer. Larger size wheel spacers are often ‘bolt-on,’ which means they bolt onto the wheel hub and then you bolt your wheel to the spacer with the studs on the spacer. This is another place where quality and measurements are key. If your studs/lugs are too long, you won’t be able to mount the spacers and then mount your wheels since the studs/lugs will stick out past the face of the spacer. If you choose low-quality, cheap, cast spacers, you are at risk for shearing the studs from the spacers, that cause serious damage. | | 
| Myth: Spacers cause premature hub/bearing failure
Fact: Proper installation and correct size spacers are no more risky than aftermarket wheels
The argument that spacers cause premature wear to the hub rests on the assumption that pushing the track width farther out from the hub puts more stress on the hub and bearing, which can cause it to fail. The reality is, as we mentioned before, you are effectively changing the offset of your wheels. If the myth were true, then any wheels with lower offset than factory options would cause the same damage. The fact is, they don’t cause any noticeable premature wear. Your bearing’s life would end naturally before any negative effects would be seen, so don’t worry about adding spacers and causing your bearings to fail. If they fail, they were going to with or without the spacers. | 
| Myth: Spacers aren’t as useful as a set of wheels that fit
Fact: Spacers let you run different brake setups and wheel/tire setups with the fitment you need to make it all work
Let’s imagine a scenario: it’s your first year on the track and you buy a set of wheels and tires that you like and fit relatively similar to stock with a little more aggressive fitment. Your next year, you decide to upgrade to bigger brakes, like the E46 CSL brakes for the E36. This requires you to either run different wheels that clear the brakes or go back to your factory brake setup. However, you have a third option that allows the best of both worlds: spacers. With wheel spacers, you can provide the clearance you need to run the bigger brakes without needing to spend even more money on a new set of wheels and tires when you already have a perfectly good set that you like. |
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Myth: Spacers can cause your wheel studs to bend
Fact: Quality wheel stud kits like our Turner Motorsport sets are not going to bend easily, especially not from the use of a spacer
Quality wheel spacers that are the correct PCD and hub bore are going to be the same as mounting any set of wheels to those studs. I can speak about this with firsthand experience: I use H&R 20mm spacers on my E30 with the Turner Motorsport stud kit and have for over 35k miles. The studs are straight, I’ve never had a shimmy or wobble from the spacers, and never experienced anything other than perfect fitment and a wider wheel track for better handling. | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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| With this information, you should have a better understanding of what wheel spacers, specifically, high-quality spacers like the ones we provide, can do to improve your BMW. If you take the time to measure, you can achieve the looks you want without any negative side effects. As well, with stud kits, you won’t have to play the fun balancing game on your shins when you go to mount your wheels. That means less time cursing gravity and BMW engineers and more time driving your car or enjoying how it looks with the beefier fitment. So, if you are looking to make a big change to your BMW’s appearance and performance for a relatively low investment this season, Turner Motorsport wheel spacers and stud kits are your best bets. |
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