Are spacers that bad?

[Nikw91]

I want to do 15mm or 20mm wheel spacers with the stock rims.

My local Honda mechanic is 100% against spacers saying it is going to cause multiple suspension components to wear out quicker. He is saying it’s horrible for the car.

Are wheel spacers really that bad? I do drive a lot, 25k to 30k a year so if spacers do cause problems, I’ll live without them.

Has anyone had any issues with theirs installed?

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[AZCWTypeR]

Yes, they will wear out components faster and may induce torque steer. But depending how you drive, it may never affect you.

Similar to lifted trucks, it's worse for the truck, but it might be 150k miles before something wears out.

 

[Chilly613]

Can spacers be bad, yes, but just about any modification can be bad, there's really no telling.

Some people have also had zero issues with them and some people even track their car with spacers without a problem, but that's probably not recommended.

I'm sure the mechanic is looking out for you and also avoiding the possibility of having to fix it later if something does go wrong, cause more than likely if it does they might tell you it wont be covered under warranty.

If you get a quality set and install them right and check to make sure they are torqued every so often, you should be okay, but again, nothing is guaranteed.

 

[Allthingsfl5]

Yes things may wear out at an increased rate, but it’s no different than getting wider wheels.

 

[Icehawk]

No. Ran super low offset wheels with R compounds for years on my Miata with no issue and so do a lot of folks. Would I run them on a car with known bearing issues, no, but that isn’t something most modern cars have to worry about. High offset can introduce positive or negative handling effects though depending on the car’s geometry. I have not tried different offsets on the FL5 so cannot comment on that aspect.

I do recommend bolt on ones if you will be swapping wheels often as “free” ones require a little care with mounting.

 

[Clark_Kent]

BLUF: If used responsibly and intelligently, there are no material issues with wheel spacers. There's a camp who do not agree with spacers, but you have to divorce fact from feeling.

This one has been an automotive polemic since the beginning of time. I wouldn't characterize them as "bad"; however, you should pressure test pros and cons like anything else. I have run them on previous and current cars and would do so again in the future. FWIW, Porsche has offered them as a factory ordered option on many models in the past including the 997.2 C2S.

What's interesting is most are very comfortable running lowering springs and the known outcome is premature strut failure. This is a fact. It's not if the factory struts will be compromised, it's when. This is almost never mentioned when the topic of lowering springs come up. I would be more concerned with lowering springs over wheel spacers.

 

[Superhatch]

A LOT of the NSX (NA1/2) community has been running spacers for decades with no issues that I've ever heard of. Not talking 10-15m, more like 25-30m (in the rear) on OEM wheels. I've used them on everything from my CRX to my NSX and currently have them on my FL5.

Make sure you get a reputable brand, torque everything down, check alignment, never think about them again outside of how good your car looks now.

 

[Nikw91]

What would be the top brands for you guys? I see Eibach, Bonoss and PRL make them

 

[HKSpeed]

H&R has been making spacers in Germany since at least the 90s.

 

[getRIGHT]

Getting a rim with a proper offset is always the best way to go

 

[WindJunkie]

I don't know about wearing and tearing faster on suspension components, but I'll tell you that I ran spacers on my 2019 CTR and it made the handling complete garbage. I installed 30mm H&R spacers...looks-wise, it was absolutely stunning on OEM wheels. Just looked insanely good, very aggressive. But from a handling perspective, the turning radius absolutely sucked, and the overall handling was way too heavy

 

[TheFactor]

Running Bonoss 15mm & 20mm no issues and Absolutely love them with my Spoon Springs. Handles good and looks amazing. I love the stock wheels and saved 3000 or more probably.

 

[TypeRD]

Running Bonoss 15mm & 20mm no issues and Absolutely love them with my Spoon Springs. Handles good and looks amazing. I love the stock wheels and saved 3000 or more probably.

That might be the cleanest looking setup, with the stock wheels, that I’ve seen. Nice job!

 

[TheFactor]

That might be the cleanest looking setup, with the stock wheels, that I’ve seen. Nice job!

Thank you Brother !

 

[arcticdc5]

No. As long as they are quality units with proper installation you have nothing to worry about. (22K on a Mustang GT w/ 20mm spacers and 6k on a FL5 w/ 20mm/25mm)

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