Wheel Spacers 101

Originally Posted by mults

So, I've read this thread from start to finish (almost) and cannot find what I am looking for.

After seeing a fellow Cleveland Z Club member's car with front and rear wheel spacers installed (20 front and 25 rears), I really liked the way the wheels filled the wheel well. I decided on Ichiba spacers and when installed, they were perfect. They fit like a glove and was exactly what I had in mind, until:

A friend and I drove to Watkins Glen racetrack for an event sponsored by his Alma Mater. When I entered the freeway, I hit about 65 MPH and I thought that the wheels were going to fall off . Anything above this speed, and I could hardly hold on to the steering wheel. At the first rest stop, I rechecked the torque on the lugnuts and there were perfect.

The car felt to me that the tires were way out of balance; mostly the fronts, but in the rear as well. Every time we stopped, the nuts were checked and were found to be tight.

After the 5 hour drive, my arms were tired and the next morning before our laps at The Glen, I removed the spacers in the hotel parking lot. Once removed, the car was perfect again. At speeds up to 100 MPH, the balance was right on .

So, fellow wheel spacers users, what the heck is going on? I made sure that the spacers were absolutely centered (the spacers are hubcentric) and the mating surfaces were clean and had no debris. I have been working in a torqueing company for 42 years and I know how to secure wheels in the proper sequence and torques, so that was not the issue. I love the way they look, but if I can't figure out what's going on, they will NOT be reinstalled.

Any insight is appreciated...