This is my first post here. I have a 2016 CX-5, GT with the 19" inch wheels. Just put a 40mm lift on it, 235/55/19 A/T tires, roof rack with utility box and love how it looks and drives. I was thinking of adding 3/4 spacers to the wheels to make it look a bit more rugged. Has anyone used wheel spacers; if so, were they hub centric or not and was there any issues with sensors at all?
Wheel spacers
- Thread starter Tdoria
- Start date
CarpeDiem
Under Pressure
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- Superstitions
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- 2021 CE Turbo
I’ve put quality spacers on most of my last five vehicles with zero issues - all were hub centric, most were H&R TRAX+ spacers. I would never use non-centric spacers, ever. I currently have 25mm on the front and 30mm on the rears and they are just past flush with the fenders. Note that my CX is a different generation than the OP’s.
Thanks for the reply. I know the OEM wheels are hub centric so that's why I was curious. Should I not do the same size spacer on all 4 wheels?
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- Mazda
It is not uncommon to use different thickness wheel spacers between the front and rear. As for hub centric vs non hub centric its all about how you install and torque the wheels. Personally, I just like the laziness of using hub centric. I mean what did we all do before hub centric wheels and spacers were around? Keep in mind that aftermarket hub centric wheel spacers do not always mean perfectly machined.
As for the thickness, I only know in performance the professional chassis builder tends to stay with using no more than 1/2 (12mm) inch. When I read about the technical reason I totally understand why.
As for the thickness, I only know in performance the professional chassis builder tends to stay with using no more than 1/2 (12mm) inch. When I read about the technical reason I totally understand why.
I originally wa going to go with 1/2 inch but the back wheel wells are wider than the front. The 1/2 inch would make the front flush or a little post flush because the new tires are about a 1/2 wider.
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- Canada
Should be fine, but you may need to use extended studs if the spacers you get don't come with their own studs. I have thin spacers on the rear of my CX-9 (5mm), they are not hubcentric and I haven't had any issues. As long as you torque your wheels properly, you'll be fine.
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- 16 CX-5 Tour'ngAWD
So, you want to add spacers to achieve a flush appearance of the wheel and fender...
The rear wheel track width is slightly narrower to aid in turning (circles). If the rear wheels were the same track width as the front, the turning circle would be bigger...and if the rear track were wider than the front, the turning circle would be bigger still.
How much bigger? I'm not sure, but it is done for handling/turning. But if you say, "what about the Carrera Turbo S and its huge rear track"...well, that is a different car designed to be in a whole different class than the CX-5.
Most of the time, spaces are measured in mm, not inches. So, the 3/4" are 20mm and the 1/2" are 10-12mm spacers.
Hub-centric spacers are better and easier to deal with. The weight of the wheel rests on the hub (lip) and when tightening the lug nuts, they are already centered.
With non-hub-centric spacers (also called lug centric), the wheels now rely on the lug nuts to ensure it is centered on the hub. Each lug nut needs to seat properly onto the wheel to ensure the wheel is centered to avoid any vibration. You definitely need to pay more attention with lug centric wheel mounting.
Don't forget, that with spacers, you may need longer wheel studs. Depending on the size you finally end up with, those spacers may already come with studs and they will use a shallow wheel nut to mount to your existing hub; and the wheel mounts to the new studs (common on 20+mm spacers).
As you push the centerline of the wheel out (or in), you begin to affect the scrub radius. Adding spacers will (or can) create positive scrub radius. The topic of scrub radius is widely discussed on the internet and can be researched easily, so I am not going to duplicate that effort here.
When it comes to spacers I'm an up to 10mm guy. Any more than 10mm, and I'd rather buy new wheels with a different width and offset than going above that 10mm mark. That's just me, and it is a flaw of mine. Personally, if you "have" to add a 20mm spacer, you have the wrong wheels.
But what if one wants to keep the OEM rims? I do like the look of tires and rim set a bit back into the wheel well on this CX-5 KF, so I am going with only 10 in the rear probably.
Since it's nowhere close to a real sports car, spacers that are bigger I'm ok with.
I don't trust the disc type spacers with longer nuts at all, especially for the front.
One company in Germany offers some "custom" H&R with 18mm spacers (32 per axle) - messuring the CX-5 I think if used in the front the wheels will be "close to flush" - which I am looking for.
Can spomeone link me a pic with 20mm spacers in the front?
I personally would only use the hub centric spacer when you are considering spacers of the 3/4 inch (about 19 mm) and made by a reputable manufacturer. As noted above most spacers are measured in mm (thickness). Depending on the size (thickness) of the spacers you need to check that by adding the spacers to the front it doesn’t cause the tires to rub against the inner wheel well when turning. If using hub centric you also need to check your rim pockets. Check this article for an explanation Tech Stuff: Wheel Spacers, Studs and Rim Pockets | GarageLine.
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- Canada
No need to apologize. You asked some questions nobody had asked before, and you asked them in the correct thread. Even if the OP or the user you quoted hasn't been back to the forum in a while, they may still get the notification and come back to respond, or someone else may respond to answer your questions.
