And I'm not saying in terms of looks because I think we can all pretty much agree they can make a set up look 10x better... But I'm talking about functionality and MOST importantly safety.

I just installed my Swifts on my G this weekend and I love the look, even with the duck feet. I absolutely want to run spacers (20mm front and back) to make the wheels flush. My concern is all the horror stories I've heard regarding people running spacers, specifically the bolt on versions that many companies offer. I can't even google the word spacers without finding a title involving "How I almost DIED!!" in the subject title. I do a lot of highway driving and I can't help but imagine one of these bolt on spacers coming loose, losing a tire, and ending up in a fiery wreck. I mean, maybe I'm over analyzing this, but it just seems like there's so much information out there on these things failing that it would be stupid to ignore.

Second part of my question is regarding which version of these spacers is safer, more stable, less chance of vibration. I've seen a lot of companies (h&r, ichiba, b2) offer the version 1 spacer which would use extended bolts to the replace the stock bolts on the hub to accommodate the extra width of the spacer. To me, this seems like a much more secure option. Do you guys think so, or is it really just 6 of one, half dozen of the other when it comes to running spacers period?

 

That's something I am kinda curious about as well...In for some info!

 

I ran a set of Akata's (15s and 20s) from October to April with no issues. Drove the car from Brooklyn to NJ to Brooklyn to Memphis and all over around here. Highway, traffic and... Spirited driving. Didn't have any issues.

That's about all I can tell you though, they worked okay for me. Just don't need them any longer with the couple rims.

 

Me personally, I'm a little sketchy on the whole spacer idea. For me there is always that thought in the back of my mind saying what if one failed. If I was driving by myself and one happened to fail it would be tragic but if my wife or any other members of my family were in the car too.... It's just better to get rims that have the right offset to get the look your after w/o spacers. Why increase the risk of something going wrong just for looks? Maybe I'm being dramatic and I'm sure someone will come on here saying "I have been running spacers for 60k miles and I have had no problems" but to me it's really just a cheap way to get a flush look without buying rims with more aggressive offsets. OK I'm done :-)

 

^^^
I needed them to clear the BBK which wasn't part of the original mod plan at that time. Switched to different wheels now and don't need them. But, like with anything, I suppose it's a personal choice. I'm actually not that concerned with running flush, it was function over form.

 

I put a set of spacers on my G sedan (20mm) after I lowered my car on Swift springs last year and have had zero problems to date. I have driven on highways doing 70 or 80 mph as well as around town at slower speeds and have yet to have any noticeable negative effects. I do plan on checking them for tightness this month just because it seems to be the logical thing to do. It seems that problems may arise if they"re not properly installed to begin with.

 

Here's a tip. Take your time installing them. When I put mine on, I took my time and did every step correctly. 45 minutes per hub

 

Just the fact that you have 5 more nuts & bolts added to the equation it would potentially add more things to possibly fail. That said, I've run spacers on my old wheels for about a year w/out any issues.

Like Paulie said, take your time w/ the install and just as important a good follow up a couple hundred miles later to re-verify torque, also re check torque every wheel rotation.

Some say use thread locker others (myself included) say avoid it. The reason I didn't use it is the nuts on the spacers are a soft metal and are easy to round off, adding extra force via thread locker would make removal that much harder making it even easier to damage the nuts. Also BE SURE to use a 6 point socket, other wrenches or 12 pt sockets will round those nuts. I did notice a very small amount of torque needed after a couple hundred miles to get back to 80- ft. lbs so I assume there was a bit of settling of the metals over time. I never had any loss of torque after that instance though so I assume they take a set after those initial miles.

Also hubcentrics are a must, and brands like H&R, Ichiba, and B2Autodesigns have good reviews from all I've read.

Also the versions w/ extended studs can lose some strength w/ the wide (15mm and over) spacers so the wider spacers seem to be better w/ the bolt on versions (again, this is just what I've gathered from various sources).

I only plan on using small (10mm or less) spacers if I needed to clear a BBK, I'd rather not resort to using wider spacers again. Just feel better w/out them

 

I might be the most experienced regarding spacers here...not sure.

I had H&R DRS 15mm (frt) & 20mm (rear) spacers on my 2003 FX35...I was the first one to have this set up installed on an Infiniti FX.
(DRS spacers are spacers that require the OEM bolts to be replaced with extended bolts).

I drove the FX for 3.5yrs without any issues.
I replaced the 2003 with 2007 FX35 and installed H&R 20mm DRS spacers on both front & rear.
Drove the FX for 5.5yrs without any issues.

Had my regular tire rotations done at the dealer and they torqued it to spec...nothing unusual or out of the ordinary ever happened regarding the spacers.
I did have issues with the Eibach springs...but that's another story for another time.

Now I'm on my 2013 G37xS and have B2Design DRM Hub Centric 20mm Spacers for almost 2yrs and all is fine.
I have had the spacers tested & re-torqued twice since I've installed them and no issues.
I was a bit hesitant on going with the DRM style spacers in the beginning, but after careful research I decided they were safe to be installed...as long as you install them correctly as instructed.

I have nothing but good experience regarding spacers.
As long as I'm on stock wheels, they will have spacers & a drop!

 

I've had spacers for four years, swapped for different sizes etc.
Drive like a bat out of hell.

Just use good ones like H&R, torque them properly, then torque wheels properly, no issues.

H&R are TUV certified, meaning the German government has a 3rd party pass these for safety.
Would they let someone drive the Autobahn with unsafe parts!!
You can't put a part on a car in Germany without this.

 

get the H&R hubcentric ones, clean the rust off the rotor and install the spacer.
torque them to specs with a very good torque wrench.
drive for 100 miles, check the torque on them.
I would ensure they are torqued at every oil change or every 2 months.

dont forget to only buy the H&R ones.

later on when you buy a set of aftermarket wheels, it is extremely crucial you get the offsets right(which means going for wheels that can be ordered with custom offsets only) that way you dont have to run spacers.

IMO spacers with aftermarket wheels = huge fail

 

H&R being TUV certified doesn't mean anything in my mind in regards to quality. It is the equivalent of ISO here in the states. If my process is well documented, and there is a standard set and followed, I can become TUV/ISO certified. It doesn't matter if that process makes a completely crappy unsafe product...
ISO and TUV are both companies whose main goal is to turn a profit. Both are used for marketing, but in my professional experience working in facilities and participating in ISO/TUV audits, they don't mean anything in regards to quality.

With that said- I bought the $60 20mm spacers off amazon.com. So far so good, but as others have said- I need to get the wheels off and re-tighten.

 

get quality spacers, stay 20mm or less, torque appropriately and there shouldn't be any issues with bolt on types. I ran spacers on my 350z, but took them off when I switched to track wheels, just to avoid any issues from the added strain on the car...but I did a track day on spacers once and didn't have any issues.

 

+10000 on hub-centric.

 

Had the amazon $60 spacers up to 140+ a little today, no vibration. Would absolutely buy again. This track did not have any hard cornering, but I trust them even more now. Going to check torque.