I want to apply wheel spacers to my car. i do not wish to lower my car. but i want some space between my tires and wheel well.
i just want to know that if i buy 10mm spacers for front and back cant i just put them on and be done with it (have no problems)
or is there stuff i need to know before hand. Thanks!
All spacers do is decrease the "offset" of the wheel, meaning they make the part of the wheel that attaches to your hub closer to the center of the wheel (it's normally offset out toward the wheel face so that the wheel tucks under the car more). Thinner spacers like what you'd get simply sit on top of the brake rotor/hub and get sandwiched in between that and the wheel.
Measure the horizontal distance between the inside of your fender lip and the side of your tire. Spacers will decrease this distance by the thickness of the spacer. Generally people get spacers in order to fit wider wheels/tires by creating more clearance from the struts in front, and also to make the tires sit more "flush" with the fenders and body of the car. Most cars from the factory have the tires tucked up under the car a bit, with a fair amount of room to the fender. Adding spacers gives it a wider stance and a more aggressive look.
I don't advise extending your tires beyond the fender lips, even if your ride height allows it. It'll look like some sort of weird BMW 4x4 thing, and you may end up hitting the fenders under suspension load. Also, make sure and get quality spacers and be mindful of the hub-centric ring if your car has them. The 10-12+ mm spacers generally have their own built in ring to mirror the ring on your wheel hub so that your wheels have something to center on. Lastly, you'll need to get longer lug bolts or wheel studs if you're still using stock. I use 75mm studs with my 12mm spacers, so that's the length I'd recommend for you if you get a similar spacer.
1999 M3/2/5 - Titanium Silver - Track/Weekend Toy
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