Wheel spacers can add a bit of aftermarket style to your ride and increase its performance, but they may also cause tire wear issues. To avoid making mistakes or adding unnecessary parts, it's crucial that you understand the pros and cons of wheel spacers before installing them on your car.

Wheel spacers are generally safe, provided you buy a quality brand and properly install them. However, if they are not the right size or are installed incorrectly, they won't be safe—and could damage your car.

While wheel spacers can improve the performance of your car, any aftermarket addition will impact your car insurance rates. That's why

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if you add them.

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What are wheel spacers?

Wheel spacers are aftermarket parts that create extra space between the wheel and the hub of your car. Basically, they move the wheel farther away from your vehicle's body to improve the car's handling and performance in various conditions. The performance boosts come as a result of widening the car's stance, which affects its handling and grip.

They are common among both off-road and street car enthusiasts, and they can add some additional style to your ride. For example, wheel spacers can modify the bolt pattern, allowing you to use unique and different-sized wheels—which also impacts the car's performance.

MORE:

Will insurance cover aftermarket parts?

Wheel spacer pros and cons

If you're considering installing wheel spacers on your car, it's important to consider the upsides and drawbacks. Here are some things to consider before modifying your ride.

Pros

There are quite a few reasons—both for performance and aesthetics—that you may want to consider wheel spacers. Here are some of the highlights:

Improve the vehicle's handling, grip, and cornering in various conditions. Wheel spacers widen your car's stance—the distance between the driver and passenger side tires—resulting in better performance.

Allow for bigger wheels and tires. Wheel spacers sit farther away from the car's body, so you can use tires that otherwise might rub on fenders or wheel wells.

Enable use of larger brake calipers. High-end, performance brake calipers are frequently too large for the space available on an unmodified car.

Affordable modification. These are one of the cheaper modifications you can make to your vehicle, with a decent set averaging around$125.

Easy to install. If you can change a tire, you can put wheel spacers on your car. Simply remove each wheel, slide on and bolt down the spacers, and then return the wheels to their original positions.

Upgrade style. While many car modifications are hidden, resulting only in slight performance boosts, wheel spacers directly affect your vehicle's appearance and performance.

MORE: The best mud tires for your car

Cons

While wheel spacers have their upsides, they don't come without their drawbacks. Here's what to consider:

They can cause increased steering effort. The wheels are farther apart and require more input to turn. However, this issue is largely negligible with modern power steering.

They may reduce ride quality. Increasing the space between your wheels can throw some components off balance, and the greater the distance, the more likely you will experience reduced ride quality.

They may result in more wear and tear on your suspension. When you set your wheels farther apart, there is more strain on your suspension components. Over time, this can damage components like wheel bearings and axles.

You could have difficulty finding a mechanic. If you use wheel spacers, or any aftermarket part, on your vehicle, the manufacturer or dealership may not guarantee their services. Because aftermarket parts can change how the car handles or performs, many shops shy away from working on modified vehicles for liability reasons.

MORE: How often to check your car’s tire pressure

Are wheel spacers safe?

Wheel spacers are generally extremely safe. However, you must install them properly, including adhering to the torque specifications.

Wheel spacers may also cause your tires to rub on the fenders or wheel wells. This issue can be dangerous since it might result in damage to the tires or other vehicle components. If you encounter this problem after installing your spacers, you cannot ignore it. You won’t necessarily have to remove your spacers, but you may need to modify the wheel wells or trim some plastic to create the space.

Pro Tip Some areas have laws that regulate whether your car's fenders or wheel wells must cover the wheels. These laws are in place to protect pedestrians, and other vehicles from rocks or debris kicked up by large, uncovered tires. Before you install wheel spacers on your car, be sure to check the local guidelines.

MORE:

How to modify a car

How to properly install wheel spacers

Wheel spacers are easy to install, and you only need to follow a few simple steps:

Remove the wheels. To do this, you'll need a jack or some way to lift the vehicle, as well as a lug wrench, impact wrench, or a standard socket wrench. Using your wrench, remove the lug nuts and then the tires.

Slide the spacers onto the same bolts that your wheel sits on and tighten the nuts to their recommended torque specifications.

Return your car's wheels to their original positions and tighten the lug nuts to their proper torque specifications.

How to find affordable car insurance

If you're thinking about customizing your ride, it's essential that you have the right car insurance plan to protect it. You might see your rates increase as insurers will raise their premiums to account for the risks associated with aftermarket modifications.

Fortunately,

Jerry

can help you find cheap car insurance rates—even with wheel spacers. As a licensed insurance broker, Jerry is committed to helping you find the best coverage at the lowest price. It only takes 45 seconds to view and compare rates from over 55 of the nation's top insurance providers.

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"I was tired of looking around multiple websites, so I decided to give
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MORE:

12 Cheap and Easy Car Mods

FAQs

Do you need an alignment after installing wheel spacers?

No, you don't need an alignment if all you did was install wheel spacers.

However, if you modified other aspects of your suspension, or if the car was improperly aligned, to begin with, then an alignment will be necessary.

Are wheel spacers safe at high speeds?

Wheel spacers are generally safe at high speeds. As long as you properly install them and don't drive excessively fast, then you should not experience any problems.

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