As we know the wheel spacers can allow you to run wider tires. Wider tires can make your car look better and more capable off-road. However please take a look with these wheel spacer:






As a 4x4 Off-Road fan, if your car was installed this kind of wheel spacer, are you afraid?
There is no doubt, fear. The quality of wheel spacers related to the safety of you and your family, so the quality is quite important to driving safety.

So how to choose a high quality wheel spacer?
I think a high quality wheel spacer should be: spacer,bolt/stud,lug nut,surface treatment,machining precision and so on, all aspects of these should be qualified, only every aspect are up to standard, that can give the owner enough security.

1. Spacer:
Firstly, Manufacture Methods.
There normally are two manufacturing methods: Casting and Forging. Forging and casting are two very different manufacturing methods. Forgings normally have less surface porosity, finer grain structure, higher tensile strength, better fatigue life/strength, and greater ductility than castings. In other words, forgings are generally better for shackles. Therefore, the mechanical properties of forged parts than casting superior.

Secondly, Manufacture Material.
Different factory will choose different materials, and the mechanical properties of different materials will be vary enormously. Please refer to the picture below:


In Tensile Strength, Yield Strength, 7075-T6 has a great advantage than others. 6061 only has advantages in Failure Elongation. However, the mechanical properties of the wheel, the first two are more important.
So Forged material possesses a better performance; especially the forged aluminum alloy material 7075-T6 can meet the demand in different kinds of the extreme environments (rally, cross-country, etc.). It’s the best choice. The casting wheel spacer can only be used in the low-stress environment because of the bad mechanical performance of the recycled casting wheel spacer, which may pose a big threat to the safety to the driver. Please pay attention to identify.

2. Bolts/Studs:
In wheel spacer system, Bolt is actually more important than the spacer body parts. Bolt/Stud affects the safety performance directly, so they are very important accessories. The good product is always along with the test report and can bear series of test. There is a standard for Bolt/Stud to check the available, The standard of wheel hub Bolt/Stud commonly is 6.8,8.8,9.8,10.9 grade etc. If it's truth 10.9 grade Bolt/Stud that is secure enough. And the truth 10.9 grade Bolt/Stud must have the certification, and it was engraved with the trademark. Material should be SCM435 or better.


3. Lug nuts:
This is another important parts of wheel spacer. Generally they have level 6 grade and 8 grade. And 10.9 grade bolt should be used with 8 grade lug nut together. Good quality nuts should also passed times of heat treatment and passed salt spray test, and it was engraved with the trademark. Material should be 45 # Steel or better.


Not only pay attention to the Grade of bolts/studs, lug nuts but also concerned about their Anti-Rust Level.Detection methods is neutral salt spray test(NSS). Anti-rust ability makes a great impact in the Life limited range of the bolt/stud, lug nut. Generally, the product having passed NNS 72 hours test can get not rusty during 6 years use.

4. Surface treatment:
Generally speaking, there are four methods of surface treatment for Bolts/Studs/Nuts: galvanized, black, chrome plating, dacromet. Galvanized,black, there are cheaper; Chrome plating,dacromet, there are more expensive.
About surface treatment for spacer, Hard Anodized will be the better chioce.

5. Machining precision:
The machining precision of high quality wheel spacers should be taken seriously. Spacers machining accuracy are higher, more stable to drive. For the wheel spacer, in Circularity, Perpendicularity, Parallelism, Concentricity:,PCD

true position etc., which have different requirements for machining accuracy. Now many sellers like to emphasize that. But the real is rarely reached 0.01mm-0.05mm. However CNC can finish it and reach 0.01mm-0.05mm.

In a word I think the high quality of wheel spacer is this: Forged process, Material 7075-T6/6061-T6 Aluminum Alloy, 10.9 Grade Bolt/Stud and Heat-Treatment's 8 Grade Nuts with certification, 72 hours NSS Tested or more long time, Machining precision 0.01mm-0.05mm etc.


What is your idea of a high quality wheel spacer?
Any questions about high quality wheel spacers could PM me.

 

Spacers suck regardless gtfo.

 

This is rare.. but I finally agree with you on something. Spacers suck. I would rather use plasti dip.