Installing spacers

[M3AG]

After installing spacers (12mm) I was getting steering vibration around 120 ~ 130 KM/h (75~80 mph). I used two wheel hangers and some electrical tapes to install the spacers. I wrapped some tape to make the wheel hanger a bit smaller than the spacer bolt holes.

It keeps the spacer perfectly center with no rotating/shifting during wheel installation. No more vibration at any speed

[bstone801]

Cool. Why don't you share where you got those wheel hangers. Happens to be I have spacers and a slight vibration in the wheel and I would like to see if this can resolve. Thanks!

[M3AG]

Originally Posted by bstone801

Cool. Why don't you share where you got those wheel hangers. Happens to be I have spacers and a slight vibration in the wheel and I would like to see if this can resolve. Thanks!

You can get them very much from anywhere. Make sure it's M12x1.5 thread. FYI, I've got those from ECS tuning.

[w0ady]

Switching to wheel studs would be a more permanent fix as well.

[M3AG]

Originally Posted by w0ady

Switching to wheel studs would be a more permanent fix as well.

+1

[M3Bimmer77]

I bought Renn spacers and regret it 100%. After many attempts and tests I tried this and it worked. Thank you man. Much appreciated. I did a small change. Instead of using electrical tape I used aluminum tape, like the one AC guys use on their installations.

[M3AG]

Originally Posted by M3Bimmer77

I bought Renn spacers and regret it 100%. After many attempts and tests I tried this and it worked. Thank you man. Much appreciated. I did a small change. Instead of using electrical tape I used aluminum tape, like the one AC guys use on their installations.

My aluminum tape was in the upper shelf and just used whatever was in front of me .

[m3gasm]

I have the same problem however i'm confused on what makes it not vibrate anymore..? Can anyone explain in more detail.

[W Cole]

Originally Posted by w0ady

Switching to wheel studs would be a more permanent fix as well.

Are studs going to center the wheel much better on a hub? If so this may be reason enough for me to pick up a set..

[w0ady]

Originally Posted by W Cole

Are studs going to center the wheel much better on a hub? If so this may be reason enough for me to pick up a set..

Not necessarily but it makes putting the wheel on a lot easier. A reputable spacer shouldn't cause the vibration but worth trying another brand to see if that may be the problem. 10mm shouldn't be used on the fronts but anything larger should have it's own hubcentric ring.

[pyglitt]

I have bms spacers and it vibrates. Did not use the hanger when installing. Is the hanger the difference maker? Also why put electrical tape on the hanger? Excuse my ignorance on this subject.

[arucano]

aren't these wheels (and spacers) hub centric? If so, you would only have off center problems if the quality of the spacer is not up to spec. (just my 2 cents)

[pyglitt]

Originally Posted by arucano

aren't these wheels (and spacers) hub centric? If so, you would only have off center problems if the quality of the spacer is not up to spec. (just my 2 cents)

yes they are and I have hub centric rings as well, but still vibrating. Going to try using electrical tape to fill up as much of the space (we talking about mms here) and see how it goes. Ordered the hangers to make sure the spacers are seated properly during installation. Who knows if it's going to work, just one last try before getting new spacers. The spacers are from BMS but definitely could be a quality issue. Will get ECS ones next if vibration doesn't go away.

[slicer]

Guys, using wheel hangers with electrical tape will do absolutely nothing to help center a hub-centric spacer or prevent wheel vibration. The hub is what is centering the spacer - the lugs are just there to sandwich the wheel in place. The spacer doesn't need to be centered on the lug opening.

Keys to install:
1 - Make sure your hub and hub face (or rotor hat face) are free of any debris or corrosion. Even a small amount of anti-sieze on the HUB FACE (AKA rotor hat) can cause the spacer to not sit flat. Even a rusty hub protrusion can prevent the spacer from sitting flat. I can't tell you how many times I see rusty hubs that I need to pry spacers off. Clean your hubs folks. A little anti-sieze on the hub protrusion is good but use it sparingly and make sure it doesn't get onto the HUB FACE.

2 - Install lugs while the car is in the air - without any weight the wheel. It helps to have an impact driver as the front wheel will spin. I use an impact to tighten. Then lower to the point that the front wheel is barely touching the ground (so it doesn't rotate) and torque to spec. Rear wheel can be torqued while in the air.

[Ajolives]

Originally Posted by slicer

Guys, using wheel hangers with electrical tape will do absolutely nothing to help center a hub-centric spacer. The hub is what is centering the spacer - the lugs are just there to sandwich the wheel in place. The spacer doesn't need to be centered on the lug opening.

Keys to install:
1 - Make sure your hub and hub face (or rotor hat face) are free of any debris or corrosion. Even a small amount of anti-sieze on the HUB FACE (AKA rotor hat) can cause the spacer to not sit flat. Even a rusty hub protrusion can prevent the spacer from sitting flat. I can't tell you how many times I see rusty hubs that I need to pry spacers off. Clean your hubs folks. A little anti-sieze on the hub protrusion is good but use it sparingly and make sure it doesn't get onto the HUB FACE.

2 - Install lugs while the car is in the air - without any weight the wheel. It helps to have an impact driver as the front wheel will spin. I use an impact to tighten. Then lower to the point that the front wheel is barely touching the ground (so it doesn't rotate) and torque to spec. Rear wheel can be torqued while in the air.

Same here with 90 ft lbs, 15mm front and back and never have problems.

[pyglitt]

Steering wheel vibration problem finally fixed. Took the wheels off, clean the wheel hub surfaces and backside of the spacers with a fine sanding block. Wiped it down with all purpose cleaner. Next, I put a layer of electrical tape on the outside of the hub centric rings (mine are aluminum incase you're wondering). Finished off the install with two Schwaben wheel hangers. This keeps the spacer perfectly centre with no rotating/shifting during wheel installation as mentioned above by OP. I think the difference maker is the electrical tape as it makes the fit even more snug hence eliminating the vibration.

If you don't have/need hub rings, you can put a layer of tape on the spacer lip. I think only 10mm+ spacers have spacer lips. Had this not worked, I would've order the ECS spacers as I heard they fit better than the BMS ones.

Been to two reputable shops and one BMW specialized shop...none of them were able to fix the problem. Came across this thread a couple weeks ago and it worked. Hope this helps anyone with steering wheel/spacer vibrations.

[pbonsalb]

I always clean the mating surfaces of my wheels and hubs when changing wheels. Same goes for spacers on the car I use them on. I also use a little anti seize since I drive year round including winter.

I have studs on 2 of my 3 cars, including the one on which I use spacers. I think they make wheel and spacer install easier but if the spacers and wheels are good, lugs should self center just as well. The spacer lip extends the hub. If you are using thin spacers (less than 10mm) that have no lip, that could cause issues since the hub won’t extend as far into the chamfer and hole in the wheel. You can buy hub extenders that take care of this. I have a set from Turner on one car.

Another occasional issue is aftermarket wheels that don’t have a chamfer to the hole that perfectly matches the hub. This can cause the wheel to not seat as well.