Wheel spacers - what are the downsides?

[ATGNI]

Thinking of things to do to my 07 zenith grey FR and wheel spacers seem like a good way of increasing the "stance" of the car.

Thinking of 10mm front and 15mm rear.

Has anyone had any bad experiences with using spacers?

I'll only be using good quality ones.

I do about 20,000 a year with a 50/50 motorway a/b road split.

Cheers all.

 

[Krasyy]

good mod, i'm planning too, only thing i'm afraid of is that the side of the car will always get dirtier with the spacers on

 

[ATGNI]

I'm not too worried about that as I'm always washing it anyway.

I'm sure I've heard stories of increased bearing wear and steering damage but I might have dreamt that.

 

[Cuprarob112]

Won't be too many downsides (as long as you use center bearing version and longer bolts).
Only downside of going wider on the rear is that the car will feel a bit less stable driving in a straight line but wit 10 mm more on the rear axle this effect will be marginal).

 

[Smee]

make sure they are HunCentric spacers the only down side is increased wear and tear on the Wheel bearing although on my old ibiza i had 20mm each side on the year and no issues with the bearings what so ever

i want to do the same but they arre so Expensive.

 

[BeezerDiesel]

The biggest downside is the possibility of the wheel catching on the arch on full lock or over big humps, especially if lowered.
There are obviously going to be minimal extra wear on suspension items that the extra track will affect but it isn't going to be a lot unless you're going super-wide.

Check your insurance though.

 

[ATGNI]

Cuprarob, why will the car handle worse in a straight line with spacers fitted? Can you expand on that mate.

Also, what versions of other spacers are there? There's a h&r I think that awesome sell, they should be the ones eh?

10mm front 15mm rear each side should be ok shouldn't it?

 

[ATGNI]

Beezer, car won't be lowered, I like the original height of the fr.

Could spacers affect insurance then? What about warranties? I have one from the dealer.

Cheers.

 

[BeezerDiesel]

Cuprarob, why will the car handle worse in a straight line with spacers fitted? Can you expand on that mate.

Also, what versions of other spacers are there? There's a h&r I think that awesome sell, they should be the ones eh?

10mm front 15mm rear each side should be ok shouldn't it?

You'll be altering the suspension characteristics the same as if you fitted very wide wheels with a low offset.
The flip side to the more squidgy straight line handling is that the turn in on corners will be a bit sharper.

 

[BeezerDiesel]

It is a modification, so yes, it will affect insurance.

They would also technically affect the warranty but could be easily removed before a dealer visit.

 

[OLDOILER]

No down sides, have used the same 15mm concentric hub set on the last 4 VAG cars with NO downside. Better handling and sit better on the road too. You should tell the insurance co. otherwise they will use it has a opt out ie non std. car. ............................................!!

 

[ATGNI]

Reet, set of spacers next it is then!

Cheers fellas.

 

[tonto]

get hubcentric though, which bolt to the hub, then the wheels bolt onto the spacer!

not the spacer, with extended bolts!

 

[Krasyy]

awesome gave me a tip of the same size as you wrote: 10mm front, 15 mm rear, and he told me that this size will never cause any problem

 

[DamianPM]

Morning,

As long as you stick with hubcentric and don't go too wide then you should be fine.

If I can be any help just let me know.

Damian @ DPM Performance

 

[Smee]

Damian do you do a full kit consisting of 4 spacers? or go i need to buy 2 kits or 2?

basically want a different size upfront to the rear also

 

[DamianPM]

All spacers are sold in pairs so yoiu just need to buy the two sizes you need.

Damian @ DPM Performance

 

[FSiLeonMike]

Yup, I agree, go 15 rear, 10 front. But as others have said, make sure they are hub-centric.

With only 15mm on the rear, the turn in will be much sharper, to the point of giving a bit of oversteer, having 10mm on the front will help cancel this out a little. And make the car look better

 

[tonto]

what size wheels will fit ok (no rubbing) with 10mm front 15mm rear.
i currently run oem FR 17 but looking to upgrade to cupra 18" and im lowered 30-35mm.

 

[DamianPM]

You should still be fine with the 18s but it will depend on width and ET.

Damian @ DPM Performance