Suspension Basics: The Pros and Cons of Wheel Spacers

 

Suspension Basics: The Pros and Cons of Wheel Spacers

Wheel spacers are one of the first upgrades that many will utilize in their vehicle. Look here for an explanation of all the pros and cons of wheel spacers.

Wheel spacers are an aftermarket component that allows you to move your wheels out from the vehicle's body. They're a popular and inexpensive improvement that has a lot to offer to both street and off-road vehicles. Here are the major pros and cons of wheel spacers.

What Ar Wheel Spacers?

Wheel spacers are attached to the wheel assembly. They create a gap between the assembly and the wheel by slotting between them. This allows the wheel to be placed further outward. The space between the wheel hub assembly and the wheel itself is thus increased. It's vital to note that spacers only move the wheel, not the hub assembly. As a result, the distance between the wheel and the wheel well widens.

Wheel spacers are a popular choice for individuals in both the street and off-road sectors because of the benefits they provide. Wheel spacers are only available as an aftermarket accessory and are not pre-installed on any automobiles. They can be as tiny as 5mm (0.20 inches) and as large as 45mm (1.75 inches).

The Pros

Improved handling is one of the main advantages of wheel spacers for performance drivers. The car is more planted by increasing the distance between the left and right wheels. Overall handling, grip, and cornering are improved because of this. Wheel spacers allow owners of road-focused vehicles to install wider tires for improved traction and handling. Off-roaders frequently choose tires that are larger and taller than the standard tires. These tires would ordinarily scrape against the wheel wells or fender flares if they didn't have spacers. Another reason to acquire spacers is to fit larger wheels. Because many drivers prefer to use larger rear wheels, some wheel spacer sets include a larger pair for the rear or are sold as a pair for the rear only.

The Cons

Wheel spacers provide better handling at the cost of increased steering effort. It takes more steering wheel input to turn the tires when the wheels are farther apart. The increased tire scrub radius, or angle of the steering axis with the tires, is the reason for this. At low speeds, the consequences will be more apparent. With current power steering, though, this disadvantage is easier to overlook. 

Installing wheel spacers may potentially degrade the quality of your ride. After all, the engineers who created your car did an excellent job of optimizing it right from the start. Installing spacers, on the other hand, throws things out of whack. The ride quality suffers when the wheels are further away from the suspension components.

We hope this article has helped you understand the many pros and cons of wheel spacers. While it may be an easy decision to install wheel spacers, knowing which ones to choose for your truck is a different story. As such, make sure you know the different factors to consider when choosing new wheel spacers.