BoostedLT

I did my research on here before I bought wheel spacers a year ago. I decided to put 1” spacers on the factory 18” Gray sport wheels on my new 2016 XLT. I meticulously followed the advice the off-road shop gave me after they mounted them. They had just finished installing a 2” level kit and mounted 305/65/18 tires. I drove about 500 miles and took the wheels off to tighten the spacers. They were slightly loose despite the thread lock. Every time I rotated my tires I tightened the spacers with a torque wrench and tightened my lugs with a torque wrench. I could tell my rear passenger side wheel/spacer was loose because of a knocking sound I heard while driving. When I went to rotate that tire here’s what I found.




Needless to say I was shocked. The lug nut torsioned off the bolt with less than a full turn. Another wheel stud was 50% cracked and another was bent slightly. I took it off completely since I had to pick my son up. I looked into sourcing new spacers before I decided the peace of mind was worth new wheels. I cannot in good faith drive around with my 7 y/o and worry about a spacer failing. I’m taking delivery of some 18” Walker Evans Bulletproof wheels. I will never do spacers again.

Summers22

iTrader: (2)

Good decision. I don't care what brand wheel spacers are, they will never take the place of wheels with the offset you are looking to achieve.

2slow05

mrv99

Bravo! I have seen and heard too many stories of spacer issues. Yes I am used to 10-15mm spacers and not 1inch. I have never favored them and always had a bad feeling about the idea

mikeinatlanta

Spacers are fine if done correctly. Correctly would be a spacer of thickness needed and high quality studs long enough to reach through them.

Are the studs on your spacer cut thread? They appear low quality from the pic. Regardless, the right way is replacing the OE studs with longer.

baxzilla

iTrader: (2)

What brand spacer were you using OP? Honestly a quality spacer is just as good as any wheel. If the offset of the aftermarket wheel is the same as your wheel with the spacer you're putting the same amount of load or twisting force on the factory studs. So the only thing that comes into play is the quality of the spacer. That's why you really don't really see Bora or Fred Groseke spacers failing. That use high quality materials . What causes problems with those spacers if if they are not properly torqued and rechecked for torque later

MichaelInCalifornia

How do your wheels fit with the OEM studs longer than the spacers? Is there clearance/pockets in the back of the wheels?

MNSportsman

iTrader: (1)

40k on my 1.25" BORA wheel adapters - No issues. Would also like to know what brand you are running?

DuneRunr

Stock lug studs are at least 1-1/2" long, realistically more like 1-9/16" long.

If you did not trim down your stock lug studs, then your wheels MUST have concave "pockets" on the inside hub mount surface that are at least 9/16" deep for the whole diameter of the stud (1/2"+), for them to protrude into when you mount the wheel.

I know OEM wheels have concave pockets, but I don't think they are that deep.

You see how the very outside face of your wheel spacer doesn't appear to ever have anything mounted right up against it? The very outside face of your wheel spacers should have had a wheel hub mated right up against it the whole time they were mounted. Your spacer faces are clean and untouched.

Those wheel spacers were never mounted correctly from the get go.... in my opinion.

Summers22

iTrader: (2)

True. They appear to only be a 1" spacer, and if the wheel never contacted the spacer and only the 6 wheel studs, that is a disaster waiting to happen. OP, post a pic of the inside of your wheel, so we can see the pockets that the original studs sat in. I wouldnt at all be shocked to see indentations.