How to Measure Wheel Spacers
Whether it’s because you’ve added big tires or just desire to widen your car’s stance aesthetically, you’ve concluded that wheel spacers are the most cost-effective way to do the trick for you, and will solve your fitment dilemma. They are installed between your vehicle’s hub and wheel to push the wheel away from suspension components to prevent rubbing. This would also provide a wider track for your vehicle which can improve performance and make the aesthetics of the vehicle more aggressive.
Before shopping for your wheel spacers, there are some things that you will have to do. For example, the necessary groundwork to measure and determine what size of wheel spacers you will ultimately need. Since every vehicle will be different, you may require wheel spacers of different sizes.
The Key Factors Include:
- The bolt pattern (PCD) and center bore (CB) of your vehicle hub;
- The size and offset of the wheels;
- The distance from the outside edge of your tires or rims to the inner fender lip;
- The vehicle hub height and inner wheel bevel;
- The thread of your wheel studs or bolts.
In this article, we’ll go through in detail how to determine what size of wheel spacers you will need.
How To Measure the Bolt Pattern of My Vehicle?
The bolt pattern refers to the diameter of an imaginary circle formed by the centers of the wheel lugs. Different vehicles come with different types of bolt patterns on their wheels. If you ever need to buy new wheel spacers for your vehicle, you should know the bolt patterns. Simply, you can find them on some useful websites. However, it is better to do some measurements on your own. Common bolt patterns are of 4, 5, or 6 lug holes.
A 4 lug bolt pattern means that the wheel has 4 lug holes spaced evenly on a circle. Measure center to center of two holes directly across from each other.
In a 5-lug wheel, measure from the back of a hole to the center of the second hole. The measurement method is a bit different from the 4 lug wheel’s.
To measure a 6 bolt wheel, you need to measure center to center of two holes directly across from each other. It is the same as 4 lug bolt pattern.
How To Measure the Center Bore of My Vehicle?
The center bore refers to the diameter of the hole in the center of the vehicle hub and wheel. If the size of the hub bore is different from the wheel bore, even they are the same bolt pattern, they won’t match. So, it is important for you to know the center bore before purchasing wheel spacers for your vehicle. To measure this, measure from one side of the centre hole to the opposite side, as the diagram shows.
How To Measure the Offset of My Wheels?
Offset refers to the distance in millimeters from the wheel’s centerline to the mounting plate of the wheel. Since that the mounting plate can be either in front of, coincide or behind the centerline, the offset can be either positive, neutral, or negative. To measure this, measure from the wheel’s hub mounting surface to the centerline of the wheel. The offset can be one of the most critical parameters of determining the thickness of wheel spacers you need.
How to Measure the Thickness of Wheel Spacers?
To achieve the look that flushes or nearly flushes with the fender, measuring the wheel gap is necessary. The wheel gap refers to the distance from the outside edge of your tires or rims to the inner fender lip. To learn more about how to correctly measure the space of wheel arches, check out our Wheel Arches Gap Guide.
How to Measure the Vehicle Hub Height and Inner Wheel Bevel?
For some European-made cars, doing some measurement of the vehicle hub height and inner wheel bevel is important. To learn more about how to correctly measure vehicle hub height and inner wheel bevel, check out our Vehicle Hub Height and Inner Wheel Bevel Guide.