> Wheel Spacer and Adapter Installation Guidelines

Wheel Spacer and Adapter Installation Guidelines

FAILURE TO CORRECTLY INSTALL THE PRODUCT MAY RESULT IN THE LOSS OF WHEEL(S) WHILE DRIVING

50 Caliber Racing products are intended for off road or competition use only.

50 Caliber Racing products, including wheel spacers, wheel adapters and lug nuts are intended and sold for off road use only. Use of these products is at the customers own risk. Products sold for off road use are intended for off-road and racing vehicles that may never be used on public roadways. These off road only products may be illegal in many municipalities.

By purchasing aftermarket, off road only products, the customer takes full responsibility for any use and/or misuse of the product and agrees that UTVDUDE and 50 Caliber Racing hold no responsibility for any consequences, legal, or otherwise, of such use and/or misuse.

Proper installation is to be performed by a trained technician with sufficient knowledge of these products. The following points are guidelines only:

  • A torque wrench (no air or power tools) is required for the safe and proper installation of your new wheel spacers or adapters
  • Be sure to remove all corrosion from your vehicle's hub and rotor using sandpaper, a wire brush or a wire wheel to ensure correct centering and seating of the spacer
  • Make sure that the spacer or adapter seats completely flush against the hub of the vehicle and that the wheel seats flush against the face of the spacer
  • Pay close attention to the number of turns that you can get on the lug bolt or lug nut

Below is the minimum number of turns required for each lug nut/lug bolt:

  • 12x1.5 requires at least 6.5 turns
  • 12x1.25 requires at least 8 turns
  • 14x1.5 requires at least 7.5 turns
  • 14x2 requires at least 6 turns
  • 1/2"x20 requires at least 8 turns
  • 9/16" requires at least 7.5 turns

Make sure that the wheel spacers or adapters have studs with a thread pitch that matches your vehicle's studs:

If they do not, additional lug nuts will be required to bolt them onto your vehicle's hub and to secure the wheel onto the spacer or adapter

Your vehicle's OEM wheel studs may be longer than the spacer is thick. If that is the case, there are a couple of options:

  • Your factory wheel studs can be cut/trimmed down or replaced with shorter replacement studs
  • Your wheels may have pockets or cavities between the mounting holes. If these pockets are of sufficient size and shape to accommodate your vehicle's wheel studs, you may not need to cut them down.

Never install wheels onto spacers if the vehicle's factory studs make contact with the back of the wheel. Be sure to confirm that the wheel seats completely flat onto the face of the spacer, with no gap between any of the parts.

Torque Specifications

All of the lug nuts used to install wheel spacers need to be torqued by hand using a torque wrench. The use of power tools to install lug nuts can cause them to be over-torqued or can cause damage to the spacers and studs.

  • Torque all lug nuts to no higher than 110ft lbs. If your vehicle manufacturer's torque specification is under 110ft lbs, then follow that specification
  • After driving with your new spacers or adapters for 25 miles, check the torque on all of the lug nuts again. Your wheels will need to be removed to check the lug nuts securing the spacer to the hub on bolt- on spacers and adapters.
  • It is always a good idea to check the torque on all of the lug nuts periodically after installation and if you notice a new vibration Be sure to check the next section below for the specific installation instructions for the type of wheel spacer or adapter that you are installing.