Anyone ever had a problem with spacers causing vibration in the steering wheel? I use them on my stock winter rims and it isn't bad, but it's noticeable.
Problems with Spacer
- Thread starter Jmscalf
- Start date
I've ran spacers the last few winters and it has always done it. I had my thrust bushings replaced and that helped a lot, but it is still there. I know it's not the suspension because when I run my summers without spacers it's fine.
I've tried BMS and now Apex and I still have issues.
I run my small spacers during winter. A former rally pro who did the setup of my suspension recommended to get rid of them, as there was a noticeable vibration, but after cleaning all surfaces from wheel to axle it vanished.
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I think taking the wheels off and giving them and the hubs a good cleaning is my next step. Thanks for the suggestions!
Yes, I am fairly certain. I ordered them from BMS. I really just think it's what others have mentioned and I need to give them and my hubs a good cleaning.
I've seen people say this, but it makes no sense... Can you explain more? As long as the spacer has a lip for the wheel to seat on hubcentrically, what's the difference in how thick the spacer is?
They don't make spacers with a lip in anything <8mm and there is not enough hub to mount on with a 7mm spacer... what's so bad about bumping up to 10mm spacer with a proper lip to mount your wheel on?
Hub lip actually varies somewhere between 10-11mm.
The depth of the lip on the car where the spacer will rest will vary. The available lip space may be 11mm and a 10mm spacer with its own hubcentric lip cannot physically fit. The spacer will bottom out on the lip instead of on the brake hat, leaving a gap between the spacer and the rotor hat. The biggest reason for this is the thickness of the rotor hat. The thickness varies by manufacturer and design. A thinner hat (such as used with aluminum Euro Floating rotors) will leave more lip protruding and make the problem worse. Most spacer manufacturers add an extra chamfer, or shoulder, to push the hubcentric lip further out. The extra chamfer clears any extra part of the stock lip. The other way to get the spacer to fit is to shave the stock lip with a metal file. While not the most elegant solution, it works. If you don't properly shave the stock lip just to fit the 12mm spacer, it can cause the spacer to act as a spring and lugs to vibrate leading to lug bolt failures.
Note this is not theorycraft, I've seen these failures firsthand
Hub lip actually varies somewhere between 10-11mm.
The depth of the lip on the car where the spacer will rest will vary. The available lip space may be 11mm and a 10mm spacer with its own hubcentric lip cannot physically fit. The spacer will bottom out on the lip instead of on the brake hat, leaving a gap between the spacer and the rotor hat. The biggest reason for this is the thickness of the rotor hat. The thickness varies by manufacturer and design. A thinner hat (such as used with aluminum Euro Floating rotors) will leave more lip protruding and make the problem worse. Most spacer manufacturers add an extra chamfer, or shoulder, to push the hubcentric lip further out. The extra chamfer clears any extra part of the stock lip. The other way to get the spacer to fit is to shave the stock lip with a metal file. While not the most elegant solution, it works. If you don't properly shave the stock lip just to fit the 12mm spacer, it can cause the spacer to act as a spring and lugs to vibrate leading to lug bolt failures.
Note this is not theorycraft, I've seen these failures firsthand
Well this is a different issue entirely. Yes, some hub's have a hump at the base. If you have these hubs, you must use spacers that are chamfered so they fit flat to the face of the hub... That has nothing to do with how thick the spacer itself is...
I still see no reasonable explanation for not using 10mm spacers that have a hubcentric lip to mount on. All you're saying is that we shouldn't use spacer that don't sit flush with the face of the hub (they must be chamfered).
Also, the hub lip tapers as it extends. You cannot rely on the stock hub lip to mount your wheel on with 7mm spacers. The 3mm lip left to mount on is not 72.56mm anymore, it's less. You're wheel will be depending on the conical lugs to center it properly without vibration (no longer hubcentric!). I 100% would argue that you should bump up to an 8-10mm spacer that properly extends the hub lip so you can mount your wheel without vibration.
Thick spacers are going to cause more stress no matter what. No spacer is your best bet, if possible. 10mm spacers are no different than 7mm or 15mm spacers though... Lug failures are probably due to people not getting extended lugs when using spacers.
I say all this because I have ran flat 7mm spacers and I had vibrations. My 72.56 apex wheels didn't mount on the 3mm lip that was left. The lugs centered the wheel as I torqued it down, and mounting the wheel was a pain in the arse without a stud conversion. I moved to a 10mm spacer, that has a lip extension, and now the wheels have a proper 10mm lip to center the wheel on again (hubcentric). My spacers sit flat to the hub face because my 135i doesn't have the 1mm hump at the base of the hub to worry about. My spacers did come chamfered though!
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Sounds like you've read a lot about the subject. I've seen first hand (check your PM) that these chamfered spacer with extended lugs fail even though they were all torqued down correctly:
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-ecs-parts/bmw-10mm-wheel-spacers-ecs-conical-seat-bolt-kit/ecs262e70wb/
Anyway, I think it's a fair warning to almost everyone to to stay away from 10mm spacers unless they really know what they're doing (maybe you do!).
That's awful. Sorry to see that happen. Just doesn't make much sense as going to an even thicker spacer would just cause MORE stress on the lugs/hub. Thanks for the info!
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