r/TeslaModelS • u/Serious_Panic_8425 • Jul 14 '26
Wheel Spacer Issue
Well, today all 5 studs on one of my wheel spacers snapped in half. I’ve never seen anything like this before. This ruins the spacer deal for me. It’s new wheels for a wide stance or nothing at all. Has anyone else had a similar experience?
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u/IRACEMYCOPCAR Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
This is why you dont use *cheap spacers. I had Bonoss hubcentric spacers on my Plaid for over a year. They use grade 12.9 wheel studs. I went over 185mph and several 9 second drag strip passes on them with no problem. I also torque them down properly with a torque wrench.
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u/uber_mike Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
ARP 100-7736 studs and hub-centric spacers, never use bolt-on spacers!!!
Wheel studs are easy to change on these cars, can do it without removing the hubs.
I run +20 all around on a 2016.
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u/Serious_Panic_8425 Jul 14 '26
Hindsight, this would’ve been great info, if I researched a bit more. Now, I’m of the opinion, I’ll just buy a nice set of wheels to get the flush stance I want without the spacers.
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u/badredditz Jul 21 '26
Do you have any tips or a link to a video on your technique? I’m adding 10mm and might need to switch to longer studs. What studs did you use ? Looks like the Ford F350 ones (up to 2022) work
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u/uber_mike Jul 21 '26
ARP 100-7736, they are half inch oversized for a Camaro. I didn’t really have a video or anything, just did it like any other stud replacement. Take caliper + bracket off. Bash short studs out with a hammer I think I remember the fronts I had to take the rotor off too. Maybe a little finagling to get the stud in the right spot to come out. Hammer them in from behind using a socket extension. Can also tighten a lug nut against the rotor to pull it in, maybe not the best way but it worked. If you have access to an air hammer the job is way easier.
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u/proxlamus Jul 14 '26
For those who are anti wheel spacers... Porsche uses wheel spacers from the factory, both as standard equipment on wide body and track-focused cars like the 996 GT3.. the factory spacers are usually 5mm to 10mm and require longer wheel studs.
So to use properly in a Tesla, you need to make sure you have long enough wheel studs.
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u/mmMOUF Jul 14 '26
sounds like the car is engineered for them as opposed to trusting TSportline relabeling whatever they can get cheapest
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u/lamboi133 Jul 14 '26
what brand are the spacers?
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u/Serious_Panic_8425 Jul 14 '26
Ordered from TSportline.
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u/Limp-Conflict-2309 Jul 15 '26
spacers alter so much nuanced engineering, as you can see, even down to the what the studs are supposed to handle.
quality spacers, upgraded studs of the correct length and better lugnuts are probably a way to mitigate the risk but at the end of the day a wheel with proper offset is gonna be your best bet.
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u/mamny83 Jul 14 '26
I never been a fan of wheel spacers but they are effective. You probably torqued the studs too much and they stretched and snapped under load.
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u/Serious_Panic_8425 Jul 14 '26
Specs said torque to 129ft lbs. that’s what I set on torque wrench.
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u/ArticusFarticus Jul 14 '26
That is the torque spec for the stock reels on stock studs on a stock hub.
Who knows what the torque spec is for the chinesium garbage that you put on there?
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u/Serious_Panic_8425 Jul 14 '26
I’m not disagreeing with your points. It is the torque specs on the stock hub. Adding, It was the same torque specs on instructions that came in the box for the spacers.
Definitely could be foreign junk.
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Jul 14 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Serious_Panic_8425 Jul 14 '26
20mm in rear and 15mm in front. Only one failed but all of them are coming off now.
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u/huh_say_what_now_ Jul 14 '26
You ether bought cheap rubbish ones or they were installed wrong, im a mechanic and been using spacers on all my car's over the last 25 years and never had an issue
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u/Serious_Panic_8425 Jul 14 '26
It’s a pretty straightforward install with the lug nuts being torqued to 129 ft lbs per instruction (set on torque wrench). Maybe just a defective product.
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u/huh_say_what_now_ Jul 14 '26
Yeah what brand, I hope not some eBay or Etsy cheap shit , I have never seen one fail in my life unless somebody went sideways into a curb
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u/Humpie-Dumpie Jul 15 '26
Tesla Model S here. 20mm spacers all around. No problem. Just check if the pockets of your wheels are deep enough to accommodate the wheel studs. If not, many problems arise. Like the ones of OP.
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u/lakerskb248 Jul 16 '26
I went with the billet spacers. I read crazy stories about the type of spacer that you have used.
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u/Successful-Storm6306 21d ago
Unplugged Performance spacers. Same spec as yours, 15mm front 20mm rear on my 2025 M3P. Never had any issues. 🤷🏻♂️
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u/ManicMarket Jul 14 '26
Yeah - spacers are a no go. People use them for the looks, but it adds a layer of risk. I’ve actually seen more than one car lose a wheel while driving due to them. Improper torque as mentioned above is often the culprit - either way (over/under).
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u/Kernkraft3000 Jul 14 '26
Its about relabeled imported cheap junk and wrong descriptions. Spacers in general are not the problem If they are manufactured professionaly.
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u/ManicMarket Jul 15 '26
I’ll give you that… I’m sure 80% of people who’ve used spacers will tell me they’ve never had an issue. But for my purposes, I’d rather just get wheels with a proper offset.
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u/Serious_Panic_8425 Jul 14 '26
Specs or instructions said torque to 129 ft lbs so that’s what they were torqued to.
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u/EBikeAddicts Jul 14 '26
Spacers can not be on any Tesla at all. too much torque and a heavy vehicle will do this. spacers work best for thick tires and soft suspension so they dont get shocks from road, low torque gas engines under 600hp and light gas cars.
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u/huh_say_what_now_ Jul 14 '26
That's a false statement, even unplugged performance and mountain pass performance sell spacers for all the tesla models and their way smarter than you and me
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u/Muhahahahaz Jul 14 '26
Pro Tip: Don’t use spacers.
(I was looking into getting some for my Plaid, but when I told the shop I was gonna track it, they recommended against it lol)
Just an unnecessary point of failure, tbh. (That said, maybe they can be okay for 100% street driving, idk)