Hello everyone! Today we will be going over wheel spacers. Enjoy!
Purpose of Wheel Spacers
Ford never seems to get wheel setups perfect (with only high-po Mustang’s getting good wheel setups). The biggest downfall that the stock wheel setups are that they are sucked into the wheel wells, not being flush with the fenders. The purpose of wheel spacers is to push the wheels out of the wheel wells, making them flush or even poking them past the wheel wells.
Different Types of Wheel Spacers
There are a few different types of spacers with different designs.
Slip-On Spacers
Slip on spacers slide over the existing wheel studs and are secured placing the wheel back on and lug nuts out on as usually, securing the spacer. 1/4 IN (8 mm) are the biggest slip on spacers you should use. Make sure they are hub centric also, which we will get to a little later.
Bolt-On Spacers
Bolt-on spacers bolt directly to the vehicle’s hub, and the wheel then attaches to the spacer via its own set of studs and lug nuts. This means you NEED purchase quality bolt-on spacers that are hub centric, as they are now charged with keeping the wheels attached to the vehicle. I would not go bigger then 1.5 IN to not take the risk of accelerating wear on the suspension parts or stress the spacer itself too much.
Hub Centric vs Lug Centric
Hub-centric wheels have a center bore that matches the vehicles hub bore, using the hub bore to be centered on the hub. Lug-centric wheels rely on the wheel studs and lug nuts to stay centered on the wheel hub. Lug centric have problems with vibrations and placing too much stress on the wheel studs. I only recommend quality hub centric wheels.
Are Wheel Spacers Safe?
The biggest concern people have with wheel spacers is “are they safe?” Wheel spacers are perfectly safe, as long as they are the following:
- Not too big: I would not recommend slip on spacers longer then 1/4 in. or bolt on spacers bigger then 1.25 IN spacers
- Hub centric: The wheel spacers are hub centric
- Quality spacers: It may seem expensive for quality spacers like Bora, Eibach, or Lethal spacers, but cheap eBay specials or similar cheap spacers are not safe, and have a high chance of failing
As long as those criteria’s are met, wheel spacers are perfectly safe. A lot of people have been using spacers for over 5 years now with hundreds of thousands of miles on them, none that I know of ever having problems caused by the spacers.
Wheel Spacers Size Guide
You can use spacers to bring the stock wheels flush with the fenders. For all 2020+ Explorer 21″ wheels (Platinum, ST, and ST-Line), 1″ spacers all around with-.5 degrees of camber for the rear wheels will make the wheels perfectly flush. You do have to trim the wheel studs but its not a huge deal. If you do not want to trim the wheel studs, you can do 1.25 IN. all around and don’t have to trim the wheel studs at all. You will get some poke though.
For the Timberline wheels, 1.25″ spacers all around with -.5 degrees of camber for the rear wheels will bring everything flush with the fenders.
For the XLT 18″ and 20″ wheels, ST-Line 20″ wheels, and King Ranch and 2025+ Platinum 20″ wheels, 1.5″ spacers all around -.5 degrees of camber for the rear wheels will bring everything flush with the fenders.
Why -.5 Degrees of Rear Wheel Camber?
Why do I keep mentioning -.5 degrees of camber for the rear wheels? The front and rear wheels have identical track width, but the rear wheels look like they are sitting inside the wheel wells more then front. That is because the funky OE camber is angled inward more then the front wheels, so moving camber to -.5 degrees will fix that allusion, bringing the rear wheels upright.
Hope you found this article informative! Thanks for reading and be sure to subscribe to keep up with all our latest content!
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