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You might never consider buying wheel spacers until you upgrade your Explorer with larger brakes or aftermarket wheels that require some extra wheel offset to make them fit properly. Sitting between the wheel hubs and rims, wheel spacers will move the wheels further outwards, providing more room for your oversized brakes or aftermarket rims with a non-standard offset. In addition, wheel spacers will increase your track width to reduce body roll and improve stability, as well as will give your Explorer a more aggressive and sportier look.
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Types of wheel spacers
There are two major types of wheel spacers to decide on when upgrading your SUV, including hub-centric and lug-centric ones.
1. Hub-centric wheel spacers
These are the most common type of wheel spacers available on the market. They sit tightly on the wheel hubs and usually bolt onto them to provide a safe and reliable base for mounting wheels. Hub-centric wheel spacers are always perfectly aligned with the wheels and typically feature a new “hub” to install a wheel.
By design, hub-centric spacers can also be divided into pass-through wheel spacers and screw-system ones. Pass-through spacers (typically up to 20 mm thick) allow the bolts to pass through them into the hub, which, in turn, often requires longer bolts to be used to secure the wheels. As for screw-system spacers (typically more than 20 mm thick), they bolt onto the hub with provided bolts to create a more solid extension of the wheel hub.
2. Lug-centric wheel spacers
Unlike hub-centric wheel spacers, their lug-centric counterparts provide a gap between the wheel hub center and the spacer itself. By design, they are a kind of large washers that sit between the hub and the wheel, putting more stress on the wheel hub through the lug nuts or bolts. The latter makes them unsuitable for towing, off-roading, and high-performance applications.
Are wheel spacers and adapters the same?
While wheel spacers and adapters look alike, they serve completely different purposes. Thus, wheel spacers are used to provide some extra wheel offset, while wheel adapters are designed to make it possible to install wheels with another bolt pattern.
Are wheel spacers safe?
The short answer is yes, they are, at least when it comes to hub-centric spacers. Made of billet aluminum or similar metals, they create solid extensions of the wheel hubs to avoid vibration or damage to the wheels and wheel hubs.
Pros of wheel spacers:
Visit Truck and Gear to find a wide selection of wheel spacers for Ford Explorer at competitive prices. We deal with the most reputed brands and manufacturers to address your needs with the ultimate value.
Types of wheel spacers
There are two major types of wheel spacers to decide on when upgrading your SUV, including hub-centric and lug-centric ones.
1. Hub-centric wheel spacers
These are the most common type of wheel spacers available on the market. They sit tightly on the wheel hubs and usually bolt onto them to provide a safe and reliable base for mounting wheels. Hub-centric wheel spacers are always perfectly aligned with the wheels and typically feature a new “hub” to install a wheel.
By design, hub-centric spacers can also be divided into pass-through wheel spacers and screw-system ones. Pass-through spacers (typically up to 20 mm thick) allow the bolts to pass through them into the hub, which, in turn, often requires longer bolts to be used to secure the wheels. As for screw-system spacers (typically more than 20 mm thick), they bolt onto the hub with provided bolts to create a more solid extension of the wheel hub.
2. Lug-centric wheel spacers
Unlike hub-centric wheel spacers, their lug-centric counterparts provide a gap between the wheel hub center and the spacer itself. By design, they are a kind of large washers that sit between the hub and the wheel, putting more stress on the wheel hub through the lug nuts or bolts. The latter makes them unsuitable for towing, off-roading, and high-performance applications.
Are wheel spacers and adapters the same?
While wheel spacers and adapters look alike, they serve completely different purposes. Thus, wheel spacers are used to provide some extra wheel offset, while wheel adapters are designed to make it possible to install wheels with another bolt pattern.
Are wheel spacers safe?
The short answer is yes, they are, at least when it comes to hub-centric spacers. Made of billet aluminum or similar metals, they create solid extensions of the wheel hubs to avoid vibration or damage to the wheels and wheel hubs.
Pros of wheel spacers:
- reduced body roll and enhanced handling
- better appearance
- extra room for installing large brakes and aftermarket wheels
- put more stress on suspension components
- require higher steering effort
- increase the unsprung weight
Visit Truck and Gear to find a wide selection of wheel spacers for Ford Explorer at competitive prices. We deal with the most reputed brands and manufacturers to address your needs with the ultimate value.
