Here at BFI, a common question we get is how to tell which spacers you need for your vehicle. Different vehicle manufacturers tend to stick to specific bolt patterns, centerbores, and wheel bolts, but there are the odd outliers here and there. Whether you need some additional cleaerance for bigger brakes or just want a more aggressive look, here is our guide to dial in your car's stance!
BASIC MEASUREMENTS
The simplest way to find out what size spacers you need to get that flush wheel fitment can be found using basic measurement tools.
Simply measure the distance from the outside lip of your rim or sidewall of your tire to the fender line.
The rule of thumb conversion from inches to millimeters can be drawn from 1 inch = 25.4mm. If you've got an inch gap from the wheel to the fender line, you will need 25mm spacers which is the widest size we offer.
For most wheel bolts, the factory length is 27mm, so you simply add the spacer size to the factory length and voila - you've calculated which length wheel bolt you need!
General guide for bolt sizes:
- 3mm spacers - 30mm bolts
- 5mm spacers - 32mm bolts
- 8mm spacers - 35mm bolts
- 10mm spacers - 37mm bolts
- 12mm spacers - 38-40mm bolts
- 15mm spacers - 42-43mm bolts
- 20mm spacers - 47mm bolts
- 25mm spacers - 50mm bolts
OEM ONLY VS. UNIVERSAL FIT SPACERS
10MM OEM ONLY SPACERS
In our wheel spacer listings, we specify if the spacers are designed to fit with either OEM wheels only or if they are a Universal fit (meaning they are designed for aftermarket wheels).
The difference between the two types only matters for spacers between 8-12mm as this is the range where the wheel hub depth makes a difference based on which wheels you have.
As you can see from the images of OEM only spacers and Universal fit spacers, the hub design on the spacers themselves are much different.
10MM UNIVERSAL FIT SPACERS
VOLKSWAGEN SPACERS & BOLTS GUIDE
Below is a general guide to find out which spacers you'll need for your VW:
- VW MK1/MK2/MK3 chassis vehicles use a 4x100 bolt pattern and 57.1mm centerbore with M12x1.5 wheel bolts.
- VW MK4 chassis vehicles use a 5x100 bolt pattern and 57.1mm centerbore with M14x1.5 conical seat bolts.
- VW MK5-MK8 vehicles use a 5x112 bolt pattern and 57.1mm centerbore with M14x1.5 spherical/ball seat bolts.
An exclusion to the general wheel specs of Volkswagen is the 7P generation Touareg, which follows the first generation Audi Q7 in using a 5x130 bolt pattern with a 71.6mm centerbore.
Please note that aftermarket wheels will sometimes use a different seat bolt than that which comes from factory. Ultimately, you are responsible for knowing which wheel bolts you need for your specific application!
AUDI
Audi has generally stuck to using a 5x112 bolt pattern with a 66.6mm centerbore across a majority of their platform. That is excluding the A3, S3, and RS3, which use a 57.1mm centerbore instead.
The first generation Audi R8 also uses a 57.1mm centerbore while the second generation R8 uses a 57.1mm centerbore on the front axle and a 66.56mm centerbore on the rear... in typical Audi fashion.
Another Audi oddball is the first generation Audi Q7 which uses Porsche's 5x130 bolt pattern and 71.6mm centerbore.
SPECIAL FITMENTS - VW/AUDI
VW MK4
Volkswagen's MK4 chassis has an unusually large depth on the rear hubs due to the protrusion of the factory spindle, axle nut, and dust cap. If you attempt to install a spacer between 8-12mm, it will likely break the hub ring on the spacer once the bolts are torqued to spec.
For MK4 applications, we recommend our 3mm and 5mm spacers, and any spacer 15mm and above. That is - unless you want to spend hundreds of dollars on a compact bearing conversion kit...
VW MK5-MK8
From factory, the VW's MK5-MK8 chassis vehicles use a dust cap that protrudes just far enough for 10-12mm spacers (Universal fit specifically) to not seat fully without breaking the centering ring of the spacer.
For this reason, we designed a recessed replacement dust shield that allows you to run 10mm and 12mm universal fit spacers on the rear hubs. The recessed design allows for sufficient clearance of the spacer's hub to seat properly. For your reference, see the associated graphic.
Check out our blog post about our dust caps HERE
BMW SPACERS & BOLTS
5x120 SPACERS - 72.56MM & 74.1MM CENTERBORES
BMW has historically used mainly two centerbores with their 5x120 bolt pattern hubs - 72.56mm and 74.1mm. We offer a few different sized spacers for these older BMW applications including 5mm & 12mm. BMW models with a 74.1mm and 72.56mm centerbore use M12x1.5 and M14x1.25 conical seat bolts from factory.
Our 5mm BMW spacers fit both the 74.1mm and 72.56mm centerbores as spacers 5mm and below are not hub centric - meaning there is still enough protrusion of the hub to not need an integrated hub centric ring.
Our 12mm BMW spacers only fit vehicles with a 72.56mm centerbore and will not fit those with a 74.1mm centerbore.
5x112 SPACERS - 66.6MM CENTERBORE
With the introduction of the G-chassis vehicles, BMW adopted the 5x112 bolt pattern and 66.56/66.6mm centerbore. While this is the same as most of Audi's platform, BMW instead uses M14x1.25 conical seat wheel bolts rather than Audi's M14x1.5 spherical/ball seat bolts.
This change makes our life a bit easier as this is the same specs that Audi uses across most of their platform, so we offer a wider variety of spacer sizes for these applications.
We offer 3mm, 5mm, 10mm, 12mm, 15mm, and 20mm spacers for BMW vehicles with a 5x112 bolt pattern and 66.6mm centerbore.
BMW SPACERS & BOLTS GUIDE
Below is a general guide to find out which spacers you'll need for your BMW:
- BMW E30 (non-M) chassis vehicles use a 4x100 bolt pattern and 57.1mm centerbore with M12x1.5 conical seat bolts.
- BMW E30 M3, E36, E46, & E90 chassis vehicles use a 5x120 bolt pattern and 72.6mm centerbore with M12x1.5 conical seat bolts.
- BMW F-chassis vehicles use a 5x120 bolt pattern and 72.6mm centerbore with M14x1.25 conical seat bolts.
- BMW G-chassis vehicles use a 5x112 bolt pattern and 66.6mm centerbore with M14x1.25 conical seat bolts.
Please note that aftermarket wheels will sometimes use a different seat bolt than that which comes from factory. Ultimately, you are responsible for knowing which wheel bolts you need for your specific application!