Wheel Spacers

So I just picked up a set of SSR Type F Wheels. Great looking and got them for a great price. Now the problem is the off set and width is kinda high so it looks like it will rub on the struts. Wheel Specs 18x9 +60. The current plan of action is to run a 15-20mm spacer for these wheels on the street, and then use my stock BBS wheels for track day duty. What I would like to know is just about spacers in general.

-How will they affect ride quality?
-Will they affect the cars alignment? If so by how much?
-Are they safe to use on the street? If so are they safe for the track? If not why?
-Are there any down sides to using wheel spacers? If so what are they?
-And finally, in my situation (or for any one for that matter who thinks they need spacers) are there any alternatives to running spacers? (besides picking the proper wheel off set for your application :tard

Right now I know jack and shit about wheels, fitment, and all that stuff. I know what off set is, and I know how to read sizes and such. What I don't know is about getting wheels to fit and what are the best methods. I have heard of rolling the fenders, but I had thought this was for very wide application, from what I know is that a 255 will fit fine on the GR with out rolling or pulling the fenders.

Also as an aside. Is it suggestible to swap the TPMS from my stock wheels onto my new ones? I read up the nice write up about but wonder, where they are located and how to swap them.

Thank you all for your time, and sorry for the wall of text

adam@buddsautoparts.com said:

do you have a GR? The stock wheels are 18x9 +53. You should be able to just bolt them buggers up. The spacer will add even more offset not take it away.

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Spacers effectively lower offset, not the other way around: They put the wheel's mating surface closer to the centerline... He needs to push the wheels further out from the body to avoid hitting the struts, so needs a lower offset and therefore spacers.


The only really bad thing i've heard about spacers is that they can cause more wear on the wheel bearings. But the physics just seem to be that running a lower offset wheel is what causes the wear...not spacers themselves. A free-body diagram should show that. So in my totally-non-professional opinion, spacers are totally the way to go.

We want pics!

That's a crappy pic, but if you have the wheel on the left (typo fixed!) with an offset of 60 (like Vermont's) then you add a spacer (in blue), it's like lowering the offset, to say a 30.

Sorry, im extremely limited by MS paint, but here's how the spacer would help.

I did a couple of boxes for hubs, springs, shocks, etc... green=springs in that diagram. Now that i actually think about it, pretty sure the springs are much higher and it would be htting the lower part of the shock, but it still applies.

Updated the broken attachement.

It's semantics really. You're not technically changing the offset of the wheel. But if you think about the spacer being attached to the wheel, not the hub, you effectively are.


Some quick math:

The stock GR wheel is an 18x8.5 with a +55 offset (I don't have a GR, so I'm trusting the internet)

a 9" rim with a +60 offset is virtually the same "flushness" (only 1.35 mm more flush) so the extra half inch of wheel width is all in towards the strut. Consequently a half inch spacer would make the inner wheel surface the OEM distance to a strut.

Your 10" rim with a +15 offset is about 2.3" more "flush" than the stock wheel. That's a lot. And then you run a spacer on top of that?

Maybe it's a bad math day for me, but that doesn't add up. +15 is very low even for a more narrow rim.

let's see if this attachment works.

either my math before was off, or it's off now. I've had some wine, so i encourage you to check my figures.

Mark, it appears as if:

1) your current setup with NO spacers will result in no extra wheel bearing wear.

2) To get to OEM strut clearance you need an 11.35 mm spacer.

3) To keep a OEM "flushness" you need no spacer.

4) (unmathematical) To look good you need a 20 mm spacer!



edit: fixed pic. Also noticed i messed up inboard/outboard ratio. It's actually reversed.

Lol I like the look good part....

I just got off the phone with gino and he is suggesting no larger than a 10mm spacer. He had problems with the hub spacer thing... (large piece of steel that acts like anther hub on top of the stock one, you basically bolt on a second spindle to the stock one). I asked about a 20mm spacer and he is still kinda leaning no on that as well. Hopefully he will chime in here as well about this though. His personal experience was that he had no problems with a 10mm spacer and he was Auto Xing it as well. Then he only got two track days out of the hub spacer thing before the bearings were toast.

My idea is to go a 15mm spacer and see how it works/looks. 15mm should clear the strut and also give me a little bit of flush with out toasting the bearings as the center of gravity is not off set from the stock setup..... 20mm I think would poke out too much, and cause CoG issues.

So, i like "i had this fail on me" type of posts. I have no experience with wheel bearings failing, but i know that people do. However, I feel like a lot of the wheel-spacer knowledge is a lot of "internet wisdom" without basis in fact or experience (think, "you've got a turbo-back? you need an ewg and bov, man"), so I'm skeptical of people without a failure under their belts. Hence why I like Gino's anecdotal evidence. However, I'm equally skeptical of people with only one failure under their belts. Parts fail for dubious reasons, especially parts like wheel bearings. I know some of the people with Karlton flares are running wheels with crazy stats that are fairly aggressive on wheel bearings (I'd be happy to do the math if someone requests), and the've stood up through auto-x and track days. I think the moral of the story is that non-oem wheel fitments WILL place extra wear on the wheel bearings. The question is "how much"? And i dont think most people are in a position to answer that. Just like you find cracked ringlands on big turbos, you'll also find them on conservative and safe tunes.

I'm a skeptic at heart, so I'm not trying to belittle Gino's advice, so I hope it doesnt come across that way.

Grinder34 said:

So, i like .....Gino.........so I hope it doesnt come across that way.

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No problem man, fixed it for you

Don't worry he has tougher skin than that, he was giving me exactly what I was asking for, which was personal experience. Anecdotal evidence is still better than no evidence at all when it comes to forming an informed opinion. It gives me a place to start and warns me about it being a problem. As I said I think I will be trying the 15mm spacer and seeing how it holds up. If my bearings go out I will know exactly what did it and will have no one too blame but my self; but god damn it I am not fucking selling these rims. I bought them so they are going on, even I have to weld the damn things to the roof....

Yep. :nohomo:


But yeah, i think you'll be fine. Especially if you use the BBS for track duty with the SSRs for street. I think you'd be fine the other way too, though.

rek888v2 said:

I just know that when I used the hub versions, I burned out my front berings. Now, Ive also been told by several guys who do run track events that spacers will do this. I didnt listen. With that being said, Ive ran 10mm spacers with APR extended wheel studs without issues on the track but, again, have been warned that on the street, they will wearout berings. This is just what I have had happen, and been told. Its not gosphel, its just my thoughts!! LOL

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I might run my SSR on the track not sure yet, as they are wider, but personally I would prefer them on the street for looks. Also I can see why the hub extension would burn out the bearings makes perfect sense, but the spacer and studs? the center of gravity for the wheel will be the same due to my extra width and high off set. IDK ima try it and let you all know how it works. If my bearings go, I will let you say "i told you so".

(on a side note if they don't go out in the first 5 min of driving I am going to call you a negative nancy and punch you in the gooch....)

rek888v2 said:

<<<< Can press in new berings!!! LOLOL

Like I said though, I never really drove them on the street so I domnty know. I just know what happened on the track. I have also done so much crap people have told me not to and it worked. Look at me and BOV's!!!!

P.S. Im changing my uterus punch on Grinder to ferocious butthole pummeling!!!

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I shall be joining in that as well....


The butthole pummeling that is :highfive:

OOooo I know we can Eiffel tower him, as long as we avoid eye and ball contact its not gay....