Hubcentric Spacers

Jae 'Bird

Jae 'Bird

3rd Gear Poster
Joined
Dec 11, 2023
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166
Age
19
Location
Edmonton, Canada
Vehicle Details
1990 Ford Thunderbird Base with PEP 151A, 3.8L NA V-6
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How do we feel about hub centric bolt on wheel spacers? are they the worst thing in the world? or are they not bad? Also how big a wheel spacer would I need to go to not have to cut the studs? I'm just inquiring and I have not actually bought anything yet, I am just thinking for this spring when I pull the car out and I would like to get my stock wheels fitment dialed as I always found that the stock wheels sit way too far inboard.
 
They aren’t the worst thing in the world, but they aren’t great either. If you must use them, limit it to 1”, and definitely only 1 spacer per wheel. If done properly, and torqued down and loc-tite on the studs, there is no concern of them loosening up or the wheel falling off, however they do tend to cause wheel bearings to wear prematurely.
 
Darn, well so far democracy is confirming a little of what I thought. They seem to be disliked, so far its 2-1 for dislike em. I just dont know how else I could get my fitment to look better with the stock wheels, and I cant spend the money on new factory bolt pattern wheels + then they aren't the factory ones
 
Rather than spacers I’d throw on a set of 245s on the stock wheels. It’s not ideal and comes with some negatives but they look better and don’t pose the problems wheel spacers have (lack of thread engagement, lack of hub engagement, reliance on the spacer’s “quality” or lack thereof in cases where it uses its own independent studs, bearing stresses etc.
 
Hub-centric spacers that bolt to the hubs and don't just float over extended-length studs are fine. I know guys in the VW world who used them for years without any issues. Most of them were adapter spacers to convert to a different PCD.

They can cause early bearing failure if you're using them to make an extreme offset fit, but normally they are good. Get a quality brand and avoid the Fleabay specials. The good news for you is the Focus ST used the same PCD and centerbore, so finding a set of quality H&Rs isn't difficult.

Be sure to torque them down correctly and then re-torque them after 25 miles following the first install like a new set of wheels. And of course do the same with the wheels.

Finally, if you're using adapter spacers, never convert to wheels with a smaller PCD than your hubs.
 
Hub centric wheel spacers doesnt mean shit if the hub doesn't extend into the wheel itself. You're just centering the spacer and the wheel studs are supporting the cars weight.
 
dDUBb said:
Hub centric wheel spacers doesnt mean shit if the hub doesn't extend into the wheel itself. You're just centering the spacer and the wheel studs are supporting the cars weight.
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I think what he means by hubcentric spacer is the spacers that are milled to both accept the stock hub lip on the inside and have their own lip milled into the spacer to go into the center of the wheel on the outside. The problem with these is they need to be very thick (probably 3/4”) to accomplish that and not shear off if the lugs gave way.
 
dDUBb said:
Hub centric wheel spacers doesnt mean shit if the hub doesn't extend into the wheel itself. You're just centering the spacer and the wheel studs are supporting the cars weight.
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Yes sorry I did mean ones that don't sit on the studs, I would never trust one that put all that force on the studs, I know that's a recipe for disaster

Zep5.0 said:
Horrible picture, but 245/60 fit great and make the car look much less like a railroad truck.
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Those do look great, now im mad at myself that I didn't consult you guys before buying new factory size tires. I guess good news is the other set from the junkyard I'm refinishing this summer I can do it right this time.
Another question though, does this size combo throw the speedometer off at all and if so, by how much? I wouldn't really want to sacrifice speedo accuracy, but if its very minimal then I would consider it.
 
Jae 'Bird said:
Yes sorry I did mean ones that don't sit on the studs, I would never trust one that put all that force on the studs, I know that's a recipe for disaster


Those do look great, now im mad at myself that I didn't consult you guys before buying new factory size tires. I guess good news is the other set from the junkyard I'm refinishing this summer I can do it right this time.
Another question though, does this size combo throw the speedometer off at all and if so, by how much? I wouldn't really want to sacrifice speedo accuracy, but if its very minimal then I would consider it.
Click to expand...
Exact same overall height, so no issues with speedo.
 
Jae 'Bird said:
Yes sorry I did mean ones that don't sit on the studs, I would never trust one that put all that force on the studs, I know that's a recipe for disaster


Those do look great, now im mad at myself that I didn't consult you guys before buying new factory size tires. I guess good news is the other set from the junkyard I'm refinishing this summer I can do it right this time.
Another question though, does this size combo throw the speedometer off at all and if so, by how much? I wouldn't really want to sacrifice speedo accuracy, but if its very minimal then I would consider it.
Click to expand...

Speedometer is dependent on tire height which you can calculate based on the tread width aspect ratio and wheel diameter. But to save you the maths, 245-60-15 is what you want, height is 26.6” just like stock
 
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