Wheel spacers

[Splangj]

I finally replaced my old almost bald MT drag radials on the rear of my 69 RR. They were 275 50 15, and looked very nice tucked under the car. I was trying to find a regular radial tire in those same dimensions with no luck, unless I wanted to go to another drag radial. I settled on a BFG 295 50 15. Upon installation, I realized the tire now rubs on the inner fender well. My new tires are just about 3/4” wider than the old MTs, so….in theory I could use a 3/8 aluminum wheel spacer. I remember not hearing good things about the safety of them, but my friend who is an excellent wrench at a local garage says no problem. He said some Dodge trucks even came with spacers on one side. I would think longer studs at a minimum. Any thoughts and or experiences with these things? Thanks in advance!

 

[33 IMP]

I've got spacers on three of my cars.
.300 on one side, .375 on the other, to fit a 10.5 slick on my 62 (steel and aluminum I made). Low 11 second car
.500 aluminum billet I made,for each side, on my Cortina. High nine second car.
Billet 1.5 spacer for my Opel that I purchased, to fit small tires on a big tire car
Will be a ten second car, was an eight second car at one time.
3" or longer 1/2-20 studs, all around, all three cars.
No problems, AT ALL.
Just keep an eye on the torque on the lugnuts, AND DONT USE THE UNIVERSAL FIT CAST GARBAGE.

 

[Splangj]

I was looking at these yesterday.

 

[33 IMP]

I could do those. I'd check the center hole register against the wheel register of your axles.
The ones I made were custom fit to the register on the axle, and drilled for the one bolt pattern.
(Those are drilled for chev, ford/Mopar, and some other who-knows pattern. 4 1/4x5?)

 

[Splangj]

Ok, good information, thanks 33!

 

[Kern Dog]

Sometimes there are warnings that are valid. Many times they are overly cautious.
I've read about the "dangers" of using wheel spacers for years and most of those warnings seem unwarranted. A thin spacer is fine as long as there is still enough contact between the lug nuts and studs. A basic engineering principle is that the engagement of the nut needs to be as deep as the bolt is wide.
Cast, billet, I don't see a problem when the spacers are 1/4" or even 3/8".
Andy Finkbeiner wrote about spacers in his B body book. He warned of them too, I'll bet it was by suggestion from an attorney.
I know a guy (He used to live in a teepee) that once used a stack of washers on each lug bolt.

Uhhh, yeah. That is absolutely stupid. You went from a flat mounting surface of the drum or disc to four or five small pads about the diameter of a 50 cent piece.
He did this same bullshit years later with a crankshaft pulley (to make the belts align) and it flew off while driving down the freeway.

 

[khryslerkid]

I'm using billet aluminum.

 

[65CopCar]

Andy Finkbeiner wrote about spacers in his B body book. He warned of them too, I'll bet it was by suggestion from an attorney.

What makes you think he ain't one?????????

 

[65CopCar]

You don't have have to be afraid of spacers. You have to be afraid of poorly done spacers which is more often than not what I see. This is my setup. Heavy car with lots of hp. I lose zero sleep over this setup.

 

[Splangj]

UPDATE! With the car on the weight of the wheels sitting evenly, I have 3/4” clearance from the tire to the inner wheel well. I was getting a false reading with the axle uneven to the floor, via Jack, duh! How much is enough? I went from 275 50, to 295 50. One photo shows a weency bit of rubbing from last tires.

 

[67 GTX]

If you’re still using the existing studs, I believe it’s ok.
From my understanding, the fear is when you use the studs that are on a spacer and not through the hub itself. Because then the load is distributed onto the studs vs the hub itself.

 

[Splangj]

Well, I’m certainly not doing that. Earlier I showed a picture of a 3/8” spacer that goes over existing studs. I just wanted to know what the minimum clearance is? They’re heavy duty biased leafs with the burly sleeved rear hangers.

 

[33 IMP]

10.5 slicks on a 62 savoy. I have about a finger tip clearance to the spring (after approximately 3/8 spacer), and about twice that to the fender. No rubs.
But my new 10/28x16 slicks, on a half inch narrower rim fit a LOT better.

 

[Splangj]

I can see how narrower rims would help. I’m about 3/4” to the leafs as well. That clearance won’t change, but chassis roll makes the wheels angle in or out depending. I’m goin to try it this week. I’m a little concerned because each side does show a smidge of past rubbing, and these treads are 5/8-3/4” wider.

 

[1STMP]

Hub centric is key when
using any wheel spacer or
adapter. Buy those that
specifically are listed for
your car.

 

[Splangj]

Looking at my wheels, they’re not even hub centric. I’ve got about 3/4” to my inner wheel well, so I’m going to test it out soon.

 

[Kern Dog]

I think that the worry about "hub centric" is overblown.
There are lots of trucks that came with wheels that were not hub centric and they carry far more loads than cars do. I had a '78 Trail Duster 4WD that had those common 10 spoke steel wheels like these:

They are lug centric. There never were any balance or vibration issues either.

 

[1STMP]

I think that the worry about "hub centric" is overblown.
There are lots of trucks that came with wheels that were not hub centric and they carry far more loads than cars do. I had a '78 Trail Duster 4WD that had those common 10 spoke steel wheels like these:

View attachment 1646020

They are lug centric. There never were any balance or vibration issues either.

"All original equipment manufacturer (OEM) rims are hub-centric, and it’s this contact point (between the hub and the center hole of the rim) that carries the weight of the vehicle. The wheel studs or lugs are designed to resist lateral forces that are experienced when the vehicle is cornering. They are not designed to carry the weight of the vehicle."