HeavyTireSmoke

I had this issue with a set of spacers. The hub lip wasn't trimmed properly. The area where the hub meets the actual spacer had some excess material that needed to be shaved off, voila no problems after. Try two methods to check, 1, check how the spacer sits on the wheel itself 2. check how the spacer sits on the car itself. What you should be looking for is any uneven surfaces or tapping of the spacer which means there is a high point that is causing the spacer not to sit flush with whatever side you are checking. If this doesnt make sense, then take the spacers to a machine shop that deals with wheels and they can either shave the spacer as required or tell you the problem.

Wheel vibrations at certain speeds can be due to many reasons and spacers may not be the cause but can aggravate the situation and make the vibration more noticeable.

GL

Mikey B-mer

Read this: -
Most BMWs will take a 15-20mm spacer when used with the stock wheel/tire setup. This is because the German TUV (similar to our own DOT) still requires adequate clearance for snow chains. These are still widely used in Europe, especially in The Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden even though they are obsolete or irrelevant in other markets. The TUV also requires that every car in Germany be equipped with either dedicated snow tires or snow chains for winter driving.


-All BMWs use hubcentric wheels. When mounted to the car, the wheel rests on a lip instead of the wheel bolts or studs. The lip is usually 9-10.5mm in depth. The lip contributes to the strength of the wheel and the wheel cannot safely be used without a lip. The wheel bolts are not strong enough to support the weight and loads generated through the wheel.

Any spacer smaller than 10mm will not have a hubcentric lip on it. It's physically impossible since the spacer slides over the existing lip but is not thick enough to take the lip's place (the standard lip still protrudes through the spacer). With a 9mm lip, a 5mm spacer will only leave 4mm of stock lip left for the wheel to rest on. This is important to keep in mind when considering your wheel/spacer setup. A wheel with a beveled edge on the back will not adequately rest on the lip, resulting in a vibration because the wheel is not truly centered on the hub.

For most 5-lug BMW applications, Turner Motorsport offers a hub-extender. This takes the place of your hub's dust cap and adds an extra 10mm of lip for the wheel to rest on. Using the example above, instead of 4mm left over on the lip, you now have 14mm of lip to use. With the hub extenders, you can also change spacers around without fear of losing lip space - it can be used with a 3mm, 5mm, 8mm, or 10mm spacer.

Spacers with their own integrated hubcentric lip are: 10mm*, 12mm, 12.5mm, 15mm, 18mm, 20mm, 25mm, and 30mm.
* -- Note that H&R and Turner Motorsport each make a 10mm hubcentric spacer but due to interferences between the spacer and lip, it's best to leave this to specialized applications. The lip on the car must be shaved down so the 10mm spacer will fit flush on the rotor hat.


-When talking about tire sizes, remember that sizes vary a great deal from one manufacturer to another. Even though the tire size is listed as "245", the actual widths can be hugely different among brands and even tire types. Tire manufacturers publish their actual widths on their websites. This is important because a setup with a wider 225 tire may rub versus a setup running a narrower 225 tire.


-When installing spacers, never use anti-seize or grease between the spacer and the rotor hat face. In fact, you should scrub this area clean with Scotch-Brite or a wire wheel attachment. A thin amount of anti-seize can be placed on the lip of the hub for the spacer to sit on and on the spacer lip for the wheel to rest on. The number one reason for wheel vibrations with spacers is rust or some other substance on the rotor hat.


-Removing spacers can be a frustrating experience. Many spacers have a chamfer along the inner edge and with a hammer and chisel, the spacer can be knocked off the hub. However, this will easily damage the spacer. The newest generation of TMS Wheel Spacers include pockets around the entire circumference of the spacer. This allows you to pry the spacer without damaging the material.
I have a 535i with Style 124's using 18mm spacers rear, & 15mm front with no rubbing, or vibration!

ketchupfreak

Yes, I did notice that there is no lip for the wheel to rest on when using the 10mm spacers. I feel like this should be advertised before customer's purchase. I'll wait to see what Motorcepts says.

Quarta2six

I got 10mm spacers from Burger Tuning, they say a 10mm isn't hub centric but the ones they sell have the lip and its painted black. Fits perfect on the hub and no vibration at all. People tend to have a problem with those flat spacers from what I've read, not sure what kind Motorcepts sells. There good people over there I've gotten a couple things from them.

cryptical

I don't want to hijack this thread, but speaking of spacers, I'm a little confused on what size I need for that "flush" look. I have a 19" staggered setup on a 535xi with an offset of 35 in the front and 38 in the rears. I'm thinking 12mm front, and 15mm back? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

(and yes I know, she needs to be dropped a bit!)

balbs

It also depends on how wide the tires you are using. The best thing to do is measure from your tire's sidewall and out to where you want them to be "spaced" out to.

Also keep in mind that with mose flushed look, you may need to have your fenders rolled.

cryptical

Thank you, sir!
I have the standard 19" setup...245/35/19 front, and 275/30/19 on rear. I'd like to do this w/o having to roll fenders, so it doesn't have to be perfectly flush. Fronts actually look pretty decent, but the rears are definitely in a bit. I'm thinking that even 5mm spacers may make enough of a difference.

balbs

As mentioned earlier in the thread. It's best to use at least a 10mm spacer with a lip to avoid vibrations.

iyaayas12

Measure to first to find out exactly the spacer size you need. I have attached a link that will show you how to do it. This way it takes all the guess work out of what size you need before you roll your fenders etc

DIY: How to Measure Wheel to Fender Gap for Wheel Spacers - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums

ketchupfreak

John at Motorcepts is taking very good care of me to correct my issues. Good guy!