Can Wheel Spacers Damage Wheel Bearings? (2024)

FAQs

Are wheel spacers bad for bearings? ›

By increasing the offset of the wheel, you place more stress on the axle's studs, and in a front axle application on the unit bearings (or spindles) and ball joints of the axle. You also increase the tire scrub radius, changing the way the vehicle handles and increasing the difficulty of slow-speed turning.

While no product is inherently so, some increase wear and tear on other components. The most common complaint about wheel spacers and adapters stems from the additional strain applied to your vehicle's front-end components, such as wheel bearings and ball joints.

Wheel spacers mainly affect handling in two factors: increasing the track width and adding more inner wheel clearance. Since spacers essentially move the wheel center closer to the hub assembly, they subtract the offset. Reduced offsets result in larger track widths.

And improper installation, for example, untightened or overtightened lug nuts will also increase the chances of accidents. So, are wheel spacers safe for daily driving? — as long as you take the appropriate safety precautions, they are totally safe.

Wheel bearings are especially vulnerable if you hit a pothole, a tall curb, or a speed bump at a brisk speed. If water, mud, road salt, or sand gets past the seal and touches the bearings, it will contaminate the grease, causing the bearings to wear down, eventually leading to failure prematurely.

Taking one ruler in each hand, set one flat against the inner fender lip hanging down as straight as possible. Measure the distance from the tire edge to the hanging ruler. This distance is the amount of room you have till you would have contact. You will want to get a spacer smaller than this number.

Secondly, installing wheel spacers on a car increases the leverage on the wheel bearing. The larger the spacer, the larger the leverage becomes. This reduces the life of the wheel bearing as they are not made to take leverage forces and can therefore wear faster, increasing rolling resistance and power loss of the car.

The reason behind this is that aftermarket wheel spacers can alter the handling and stability of a vehicle, making it more prone to accidents. Wheel spacers can also cause significant stress on the wheels and suspension components, leading to increased wear and tear, which can ultimately result in costly repairs.

A big first mistake a lot of people make when it comes to wheel spacers is getting one of poor quality. You'll see a lot of no-names, poor-quality wheel spacers on eBay that are sold for an extremely low price and this is one of the reasons why people end up having a bad experience with spacers.

Are wheel spacers safe for 4x4? ›

Wheel spacers are not recommended for heavily loaded down 4x4s like overland vehicles or 3/4- and 1-ton trucks. High-speed prerunner applications should also avoid wheel spacer use.

The main symptom of bad wheel spacers is the tire(s) wobbling on the road. It's important to inspect your wheel spacers immediately you notice signs that they've gone bad.

If you installed them properly, 2-inch wheel spacers are exactly very safe to use and will not cause any vibration. It is recommended to get your wheel spacers installed at a reputable wheel shop. To ensure safety, the lug nuts need to be torqued properly.

The maximum distance you are advised to travel on a saver tyre is normally around 50 miles (as the wheels have a limited 3mm tread) but if it's necessary you can drive up to 300 miles. This is provided that the road surface is good and that you drive at a slow speed – so absolutely no racing along those country roads!

As you can see from the side angle of a deconstructed wheel, bearing spacers sit right in the between the inner races of each bearing on the truck axle. With these spacers properly aligned with the inner races of the bearing, they will keep the balls and outer races of the bearings straight as well.

Top tip - bearings are unlikely to slow you down at all unless they are really destroyed!