Safe to use wheel spacers on X5?

[LeMansX5]

Originally Posted by kirkX5m

yah thats correct
oem bolts dont travel far enough to bite and hold
you need longer ones....
warranty? hmm. dont know, but i dont think thatll ever be an issue...what do u think lemans?

Agree with you.

[DinanX5]

This thread is perfect timing - I was just contemplating picking up 30mm spacers for the rear (and maybe 10 or 15mm for the front?) for my 8.5" winter wheel/tire setup...
So no one has any issues to report with using spacers? Even the 30mm size in the rear? Is one company any better than another (H&R, Rogue, Turner?) Are they all hub-centric?

[ncx]

I used H&R 30mm's on the rear all last winter. Had zero issues on the highway, mountain snow, or anywhere. They are very common on track cars which regulalry see tremendous pressure on the hubs, studs, and wheels. If the spacers can handle all day track abuse, I'd think they would be indestructible for normal driver use. Yes, they are hub centric. Can't comment on any other brand.

[DinanX5]

Sounds good, NCX - where did you get yours?
Do you use 'em on the front too? If so, what size do you recommend?

[ncx]

Originally Posted by DinanX5

Sounds good, NCX - where did you get yours?
Do you use 'em on the front too? If so, what size do you recommend?

I got mine from Turner Motorsport. They were around $170. I see them on ebay all the time too. I did not put any on the front but 10mm-15mm would look about right. If you want to see what 18x8.5" rims look like with 30mm's on the rear and nothing on the front look at the bottom of this page.
- Kevin

[DinanX5]

Is that your X? Looks great... even with the flared wheel arches!
I called Turner MS to order, and they suggested that I first measure the wheel clearance before selecting a size
I assume he just meant the overall track width of the wheels compared to the width of the fenders. That being the case, 30mm obviously would not be a problem.
But if he meant verifying that the tire can clear inside the wheel well (as in if the suspension was fully compressed) then I don't think a single 4.6 or 4.8 would pass that test
So you never had a problem with tire rubbing over big bumps (that compress the suspension all the way) with your 30mm spacers?

Thanks Kevin,

[jmh]

I was thinking about spacers too but decided against them as they convert your tire mounting from bolts to nuts and I personally thought it will look kind of strange to have nuts on the rear wheels and bolts on the front.
The ACS wheels come with 5mm/8mm spacers and a new set of bolts which is more in line with the OEM look.

- Jan

[DinanX5]

Originally Posted by jmh

I was thinking about spacers too but decided against them as they convert your tire mounting from bolts to nuts and I personally thought it will look kind of strange to have nuts on the rear wheels and bolts on the front.

Good point, although I think I'd rather the mix of nuts/bolts look than the unsightly "pushed-in" look of the 8.5" wheels on the back.
Are there any little black caps available that can be fitted to look like OEM bolts?

[ncx]

Originally Posted by DinanX5

Is that your X? Looks great... even with the flared wheel arches!
I called Turner MS to order, and they suggested that I first measure the wheel clearance before selecting a size
I assume he just meant the overall track width of the wheels compared to the width of the fenders. That being the case, 30mm obviously would not be a problem.
But if he meant verifying that the tire can clear inside the wheel well (as in if the suspension was fully compressed) then I don't think a single 4.6 or 4.8 would pass that test
So you never had a problem with tire rubbing over big bumps (that compress the suspension all the way) with your 30mm spacers?

Thanks Kevin,

Thanks for the comments.
Interesting. I never would have thought about a rubbing issue with these. It has never come close to rubbing. In fact, they aren't even out as far as the stock 10.5" rims and 315/20's. And they are the exact same overall height as the OEM 20's. Rubbing is not an issue at all.

[ncx]

Originally Posted by jmh

I was thinking about spacers too but decided against them as they convert your tire mounting from bolts to nuts and I personally thought it will look kind of strange to have nuts on the rear wheels and bolts on the front.
The ACS wheels come with 5mm/8mm spacers and a new set of bolts which is more in line with the OEM look.

- Jan

Good point, though I have never really noticed at all. I guess if you sprayed them all with the same paint you would really have a hard time noticing that they were different on the front vs. rear.