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[John 328i]

I don\'t laugh but I really don\'t know what \"spacers\" are. I am guess they push the wheels out more?? Is this something I want to do to my 2007 328i e90. Is it safe? And, do I only do the rear wheels or all four? What\'s the downsides?

[PINeely]

Spacers are machined pieces of metal that are made to fit over your hubs and therefore push the wheels out more (ALWAYS use longer bolts with them!) to increase the track width or for the wheel to be flush with the fenders. You can run them front and back but if you pick one too big for the front ie 20mm it will rub on full lock. I have 15mms in the back and 10mms in the front.

By increasing the track width minor changes will be had in the handling but nothing too perceptible. Most people do it for the wheels to look flush with the fenders.

[Neutrino45]

Hey, I have front and rear spacers on my stock 17" E90 sports package wheels. You can check it out locally if you want. I'm in Round Rock. Neutrino45@hotmail.com

[Route 16]

I bought my car from the Mercedes dealer 5 months ago and just last weekend I find out I'm running 10mm spacers on all four wheels. Can't believe the dealer didn't tell me about this mod. I'm happy I look a bit flush but disappointed about no details on the sale. And I've always wondered if driving fast would be dangerous. I've been WOTling this car for a while and being aggressive even before noticing the spacers.

In my opinion fit the wheel you want and find the ET you want to avoid spacers. The higher the ET the closer the wheel is to the car, the lesser ET, the wheel sits closer the the fender (wide looking).

[VMRWheels]

Spacers are machined pieces of metal that push the wheels out further, lowering their effective offset. If you get spacers, be sure to get longer bolts. If you are running spacers without longer bolts you risk having your wheel fall off from not enough threads grabbing the hub. Aside from that, they do not pose any major risks for everyday driving. Whether you get them for just a pair of wheels or for all four is up to you though. The goal of them is to make your wheels sit more flush with your fenders and/or widen the track of your car. Spacers come in various sizes, so finding the right spacer for your needs really varies on a case to case basis. The best way to figure out what size you should run, if you want to run spacers, is to measure the distance between the tire and your fenders.