Wheel Spacers – Are They Safe?

As with most any aftermarket part, wheel spacers have their pros and cons, and there are good spacers and bad. YouTuber Tundra Guy takes a few minutes to share his thoughts and personal experience using spacers, and he seems to be right on target.

There are two types of wheel spacers: bolt-on and bolt-through. Right off the bat, we’re going to say the bolt-through design – spacers that simply slide onto the factory lugs between your hub and the back of your wheel – are a bad idea, period. All they do is increase the stresses on the lugs, and that’s never an area you want to increase stress.

Bolt-on spacers are a different story. As long as high-quality materials and precision manufacturing processes are used, the bolt-on variety of spacer can provide years of problem-free duty. As with most components, you get what you pay for, so don’t go in search of the cheapest spacers. Look, instead, for quality manufacturing and good feedback. If possible, purchase billet aluminum spacers made by reputable manufacturers, preferably here in the USA. Then, as long as you follow the proper torquing sequence and schedule – check the lugs holding the spacer onto the hub after the first few miles of driving, then every few months after that – you should have zero issues.