Wheel spacers are safe and available in various thicknesses, dimensions, and bolt patterns. This allows you to control how far out your wheels can be. According to the structure, they are divided into bolt-on spacers and slip-on spacers. Slip-on wheel spacers normally are made to thinner thicknesses, such as 5mm spacers, 10mm spacers, 12mm spacers. In many cases, the use of slip-on spacers requires one to purchase aftermarket longer studs for the proper thread engagement. If you would like to use 2-inch wheel spacers, then bolt-on type wheel spacers will be safer. They are bolted to the existing studs with the provided lug nuts and then using the stock lug nuts to secure the wheel on the new studs pressed into the spacer. This ensures you can fully engage the lug nuts. You don’t have to change to longer wheel studs. In a word, using 2-inch wheel spacers is safe, but it requires a few precautions.
Precautions to Keep 2-inch Wheel Spacers Safe:
- Make sure they are not too much for your vehicle. If you have a straight edge metal ruler, place the straight edge on the outermost part of the rims where the wheel comes closest to the fender (preferably the top), then, measure from the outside wheel to the straight edge. This distance is the size spacer you will need to achieve the look that flushes or nearly flushes with the fender. If the result is far below 2-inch, then change to thinner wheel spacers. Too thick, the tires may hit the fenders.
- Make sure they are high-quality wheel spacers from a reputable store. When you find a reputable store, you’ll find that they use 6061-T6 or 7075-T6 billet aluminum as the material of spacers. This ensures strength, service range, and safety as well as high resistance to corrosion. If the store you’re buying from can’t confidently say that it uses aircraft-grade 6061-T6 or 7075-T6 billet aluminum, you should probably find the nearest exit.
- Use precise hub-centric 2-inch wheel spacers rather than universal lug-centric spacers. Hub-centric wheel spacers allow the wheel to support the vehicle’s weight and fill the remaining space for a more tightly fit, reducing vibration, so they are considered safer.
- Not just the spacers themselves, but the wheel studs and lug nuts too. The wheel lugs apply a clamping force to secure the spacer and wheel to the vehicle hub. Use 2-inch wheel spacers with high-strength wheel studs (grade 12.9) and lug nuts (grade 10). Higher-strength wheel lugs provide stronger load-bearing capacity and less chance of wheel spacers failure.
- Follow the guide of included instructions when installing these parts. These 2-inch wheel spacers need to be installed securely. At the final installation step, a torque wrench should be used to torque the lug nuts to the appropriate tension.
If you installed them properly, 2-inch wheel spacers are exactly very safe to use and will not cause any vibration. It is recommended to get your wheel spacers installed at a reputable wheel shop. To ensure safety, the lug nuts need to be torqued properly. Untightened lug nuts or overtightened lug nuts will cause most lugs failures. This will cause the wheels to lose balance, resulting in vibration. It is important to double-check whether all lug nuts are tightened to the manufacturer’s specification with a properly calibrated torque wrench. Find a suitable balance in the level of tightness and the stud will remain strong, providing the greatest possible force to keep the wheel attached to the hub. Done correctly, 2-inch wheel spacers will make your vehicle even safer and better!
