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2Addicts | BMW 2-Series forum Technical Topics Wheels and Tires -- Sponsored by The Tire Rack Wheel spacer testing - 5mm, 10mm, 12mm, 15mm

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      07-26-2014, 11:33 AM   #1
HX_Guy
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Wheel spacer testing - 5mm, 10mm, 12mm, 15mm

Since I had on hand 5mm, 12mm and 15mm, I played around this morning with some different combinations (including 2x5mm spacers on the rear to see what it would look like - no, I did not drive the car like that ).

There's very very subtle differences and some won't even notice. I previously tried 12mm on the front and 15mm on the back and it just didn't look right to me, the rear poked out too much. I then went to 12mm on the front and 5mm on the back which looked good, but I always looked at the rear wheel thinking "Could it use just a little more?"

12mm on the front looked good and I thought 15mm would be too much, but it's not bad actually, really aggressive looking and the whole car looks more planted.

For the rear, it's a toss up between the 10mm and 12mm. Obviously very little difference and I left it with the 12mm for now to see how I feel about it and if it bothers me like the 15mm did.

12mm rear, 15mm front

0mm rear, 12mm front


12mm rear, 15mm front

0mm rear, 12mm front


10mm rear, 12mm front


10mm rear, 12mm front


15mm front

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Last edited by HX_Guy; 07-26-2014 at 04:48 PM..
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      07-26-2014, 11:43 AM   #2
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That was a lot of work. Good job. And thanks!
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      07-26-2014, 04:45 PM   #3
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That is a lot of work...which brand did you end up with?
And did they really fit the dust cap issue or did you have to jury rig it some?
There are some cheaper made spacers out there, and when they crack at speed it is not nice OR pretty.
Proper spacers ought to be machined to fit exactly the ID for dust cap and then be totally flush with rotor hub--without any compromise IMO...so just curious.
Thanks for any further info.
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      07-26-2014, 04:49 PM   #4
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Crap just realized my pictures were all out of order, just fixed them.
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      07-26-2014, 04:54 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zkeeper View Post
That is a lot of work...which brand did you end up with?
And did they really fit the dust cap issue or did you have to jury rig it some?
There are some cheaper made spacers out there, and when they crack at speed it is not nice OR pretty.
Proper spacers ought to be machined to fit exactly the ID for dust cap and then be totally flush with rotor hub--without any compromise IMO...so just curious.
Thanks for any further info.
I'm still using the Ubercentric for now but I have H&Rs on order and will be returning the Ubercentric. The fit is just slightly off it seems, they work, but the lugs don't go in as freely as they should.

As for the dust caps, they fit with 12mm on the front but the cap is squeezed to make the spacer flush with the rotor, same on the rear with 15mm. With the 12mm on the rear, the dust cap does not work and has to be remove but the spacer sits completely flush against the rotor and has a little room to spare so absolutely no worries.

I actually took the caps off for now all around until I get the H&R spacers and then I'll decide what to do then. Honestly for the front, the cap is useless, there is nothing there to protect against, as you can see.



In the rear, there is a nut but even there I think it's overkill, I have never seen this on any other car I've had (from Honda to Audi to Mercedes). On the rear though, you can insert the cap into the spacer and it fits snug, so that is a solution.

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      07-26-2014, 05:00 PM   #6
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Also, I realized what bothered me about the 12mm front and 15mm rear setup and I don't think it was too much poke in the rear. I think the problem was there was too big of a difference between the front and rear wheels and that's what made it look odd to me.

15mm rear, 12mm front


From the factory, the rear track is already wider than the front by 35mm while the outside wheel edge sits the same amount away from the hub (total, so 17.4mm per size more poke in the rear than the front). Doing bigger spacers in the rear than the front makes that difference even more and it starts to look off.
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      07-26-2014, 10:33 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HX_Guy View Post
Doing bigger spacers in the rear than the front makes that difference even more and it starts to look off.
So, 12 mm front and rear would be the perfect fit?

Or 15 mm both axles if wanna be more agressieve...

Personally, I'm thinking about 10 mm front 12 mm rear in my F20... Maybe better 12 mm all round (??)
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      07-27-2014, 12:30 AM   #8
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I like 12mm front and 10mm rear. Perfect stance.
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      07-27-2014, 01:23 AM   #9
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Yeah I think 12mm front/12mm back would be ok too...I just wouldn't go with bigger ones on the back than on the front...either same or slightly bigger on the front looks best I think.
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      07-27-2014, 01:59 AM   #10
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wonder why then some say 10 won't fit on the back

http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=981284
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      07-27-2014, 02:07 AM   #11
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Might depend on who makes them. Someone else on here reported that they put 10mm on the rear without a problem. I had no problems with 12mm even though H&Rs website says 10mm and 12mm will not fit on the back, so I guess it depends on the manufacturer and how they are made.

EDIT: Too ad, I wonder if the person in that post was trying to fit the 10mm spacer with the dust cap still on. If they were, it would not fit for sure, but if you remove the dust cap, should fit fine.
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      07-27-2014, 12:28 PM   #12
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@AndrewGS You may be right with the 12mm front and 10mm rear setup...I went back this morning and tested that setup vs 15mm front/12mm rear and man I can't decide which I like more. It's such a subtle difference but to me it changes how the car looks.

With the 12mm/10mm setup, I think the car looks more OEM like, it looks longer and more elegant/classy. Almost reminds me of a new 5-Series from the front 3/4 angle. I do feel the front of the car is more emphasized and the front end looks bigger/hood looks longer.

With the 15mm/12mm setup, the car definitely looks more aggressive and beefy, more planted...reminds me of an M3 in the stance it has from the front 3/4 angle. The car almost looks like it has a rake to it and the hood feels shorter for some reason, probably the added width of the track.

It's hard to tell these differences in pictures, they are more apparent in person. And yes, I do have a lot of time on my hands. This is what happens when you're in your 30s, married, and no kids.


Top picture in each set of 2 photos = 12mm front/10mm rear
Bottom picture in each set of 2 photos = 15mm front/12mm rear























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      07-27-2014, 12:49 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HX_Guy View Post
Might depend on who makes them. Someone else on here reported that they put 10mm on the rear without a problem. I had no problems with 12mm even though H&Rs website says 10mm and 12mm will not fit on the back, so I guess it depends on the manufacturer and how they are made.

EDIT: Too ad, I wonder if the person in that post was trying to fit the 10mm spacer with the dust cap still on. If they were, it would not fit for sure, but if you remove the dust cap, should fit fine.
well if I get 15 and 12 I can try 12 on the rear first and 15 front and if it doesn't work, I'll just reverse them
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      07-27-2014, 12:52 PM   #14
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15mm on the back is too much though I think. If you buy some from Amazon, you can easily return them if you don't like them.

I think I'm leaning toward 12mm/10mm vs the 15mm/12mm now, but I have to see if the 10mm fit on the back, just ordered from from Amazon, will have them on Tuesday.
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      07-27-2014, 01:01 PM   #15
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do you have the link to the ones you ordered?
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      07-27-2014, 01:07 PM   #16
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15mm: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KTNKDYQ
12mm: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KTNKG7U
Extended lug bolts: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ED4WMCS
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      07-27-2014, 01:15 PM   #17
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Looks good!
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      07-27-2014, 01:20 PM   #18
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mmmm

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      07-27-2014, 02:21 PM   #19
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Have you tried 12/12mm yet? That might be the sweet spot.
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      07-27-2014, 08:22 PM   #20
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This is awesome. Thanks, HX.
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      07-28-2014, 01:23 AM   #21
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"Hello, This is Jason from Burger Motorsports. The 2 series is a great car. You can have 12mm on the rear of the F22 2 series if you want. That warning is only for the F30 and F31 3 Series.
"
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      07-28-2014, 03:33 AM   #22
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Can someone verify which bolts we actually need? Are they 14x1.25 or 14x1.5? I also kind of like the wider track look in the rear so I think I would go the 15r 12f route. More like the M3's I guess

Last edited by horsepower_and_hounds; 07-28-2014 at 03:40 AM..
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