Spacers...

[Comacchio]

I know this has probably been covered in depth before, but what's the general consensus of spacers these days? I've got a 340i that I think would benefit from the wheels sitting in the arch a little better and was thinking about putting 10mm spacers on the front and 13mm on the rear:

https://www.mlperformance.co.uk/products/h-r-bmw-1...



But before I pull the trigger wanted to find out if this is a bad idea - I've searched on a few other forums and 10mm front / 15mm rear is brought up a lot but I feel 15 is excessive & not sure if its wise to have such a difference between front and rear track?

[anonymous-user]

12mm front and 15mm rear fit perfectly without overhanging the arches. That’s what I had on my 335d anyway. Just watch those kerbs and narrow car park entrances.

[Boosted_8]

Upside on looks. Downside on front wheel scrub radius and wheel bearing stress. Another side effect that can be positive or a negative as you wish to see it: Longer suspension arm moment means that the spring has more leverage working on it and therefore feels a little bit softer.

[d_a_n1979]

Boosted_8 said:

Upside on looks. Downside on front wheel scrub radius and wheel bearing stress. Another side effect that can be positive or a negative as you wish to see it: Longer suspension arm moment means that the spring has more leverage working on it and therefore feels a little bit softer.

Old wives tales...

Spacers are run on cars all the time; keep them sensible and they'll cause no issues at all, none...

5-20mm are run on every day cars with zero issues; in every country

It's when they get stupidly wide that issues arise; even then it's not a given

[Comacchio]

I've ordered 10mm front and 13mm rear as per the images of the 340i touring on the link in the OP. Not keen on pushing it too much as i dont want the tyres to exceed the arches. On the plus side my wife just gave me permission to buy a trolley jack and a compressor on the joint account...

[toon10]

Do spacers push up your insurance premium at all? I presume like any mod, they have to be declared but I'm asking as I have a 5 series and thinking of adding some to mine.

[d_a_n1979]

toon10 said:

Do spacers push up your insurance premium at all? I presume like any mod, they have to be declared but I'm asking as I have a 5 series and thinking of adding some to mine.

Shouldn't do; but needs mentioning. Same with braided brake lines, more aggressive discs/pads etc

[d_a_n1979]

Comacchio said:

I've ordered 10mm front and 13mm rear as per the images of the 340i touring on the link in the OP. Not keen on pushing it too much as i dont want the tyres to exceed the arches. On the plus side my wife just gave me permission to buy a trolley jack and a compressor on the joint account...

Sounds a good deal

One thing I'm a fan of is the stud conversion over longer bolts; makes life much easier when it comes to fitting alloys & spacers too

But it's a personal choice

[Court_S]

d_a_n1979 said:

toon10 said:

Do spacers push up your insurance premium at all? I presume like any mod, they have to be declared but I'm asking as I have a 5 series and thinking of adding some to mine.

Shouldn't do; but needs mentioning. Same with braided brake lines, more aggressive discs/pads etc

I guess it depends on the driver, the car and the insurance co.

I know from threads on BabyBMW that spacers on stuff like the 140's were about as popular as a fart in an elevator with insurance companies.

[Boosted_8]

d_a_n1979 said:

Old wives tales...

Spacers are run on cars all the time; keep them sensible and they'll cause no issues at all, none...

5-20mm are run on every day cars with zero issues; in every country

It's when they get stupidly wide that issues arise; even then it's not a given

I run 10mm front 13mm rear spacers on my BMW. I accept the uplift in looks outweighs the negatives.

Which do exist, despite your incorrect opinion: https://suspensionsecrets.co.uk/why-you-should-not...

[d_a_n1979]

Boosted_8 said:

d_a_n1979 said:

Old wives tales...

Spacers are run on cars all the time; keep them sensible and they'll cause no issues at all, none...

5-20mm are run on every day cars with zero issues; in every country

It's when they get stupidly wide that issues arise; even then it's not a given

I run 10mm front 13mm rear spacers on my BMW. I accept the uplift in looks outweighs the negatives.

Which do exist, despite your incorrect opinion: https://suspensionsecrets.co.uk/why-you-should-not...

There is always a for and against anything like this

My opinion isn't incorrect; it's an opinion, whether you think it's right or wrong

For every day driving, sensible width spacers will not cause any issues, at all...

It's the muppets that run 40mm upwards spacers that get the issues generally; anything between 5mm and 20mm will be absolutely fine

Then. again; it's all down to said persons driving and how hard they push their car. If 'spacers' are causing 'issues' then really; the rest of the suspension needs to be looked at, as it's more than likely something that's failing rather than the spacers themselves

[b19rak]

Lowered by Motech with Eibach springs and 12/15mm spacers.