Here is one of our good customer’s 1998 Lexus GS400 which has 20×9.5 MRR HR3 wheels at all four corners.  The 9.5′s all the way around where chosen instead of  8.5′s up front because the 9.5′s concave in more which looks much better.  This GS400 can easily accomodate 9.5′s all the way around without spacers.  This car actually has 25mm spacers in the back making this rim essentially a +13mm offset.   He has 15mm spacers in the front making the fronts essentially a +23mm offset.  This car is lowered quite a bit on Tein Flex coilovers.  He is also running a good amount of negative camber so the wheels tuck in nicely.  This customer is a perfect example of the type of person that will do whatever it takes to achieve a certain look.  Thats how most of the employees here at Element Wheels feel about our own cars too.  We like to push the limits of vehicle fitment.

Below are pics of the front of the GS400 before and after we installed Ichiba 15mm Hubcentric Bolt-on spacers.

-Chris @ Element

BEFORE:

15mm Ichiba Version 2 Bolt-On Spacer:

AFTER:

With a wide range of products and accessories, and with the knowledge our sales reps have, you’ll be sure to get exactly what you need to get you out on the streets tonight. Let’s talk today about the three major accessories you may need to get the look you want.

Lug Nuts or Bolts

Most cars and trucks use lug nuts to hold the wheels in place. The lugs are threaded onto the stud and hold the wheel in place. Most European cars, such as Audi, Mercedes, and Volkswagen, use bolts to hold the wheel onto the hub. This takes the place of the wheel studs that are on most other makes of cars. Because factory wheels are hub centric, they can use many different styles of lugs to hold the wheels securely to the hub. However, most aftermarket wheels will need to use a conical seat style lug, as displayed in the image to the right. This is used to help center the wheel on the hub, and is true of both lug nuts and lug bolts.

The second major different between lugs is whether a hex style is used or a spline is used. Generally, spline bolts will be much more narrow and are good for dual drilled wheels, as well as wheels that have narrow openings for the lugs. This is most common on “tuner” style wheels such as Tenzo and SportMax. A hex style is used on most single drilled wheels, as well as wheels with larger lug holes. If you’re ever in doubt about which lugs to use, we can help you out.

Hub Rings

Hub rings are another important item to consider when purchasing wheels. If your aftermarket wheels are not hub centric, you’ll be relying on the lugs to both center the wheel and keep it secured to the car. This is known as lug centric. While this is acceptable in most situations, it may cause slight vibrations on some cars. This is where the hub rings come into play. A hub ring is used to center the wheel on the hub, and distribute the weight more evenly across the hub. If you’ve recently installed aftermarket wheels, and you’re getting a vibration, hub rings may be the way to go.

Spacers and Adapters

Spacers and adapters are very similar to each other, and basically serve the same purpose. They space the wheel out from the hub, pushing it out farther and giving a more aggressive look. Spacers come in many different sizes, ranging from 3mm, 5mm, and 7mm, and they just slide over the stock studs and the wheel is bolted on after. These will work for most applications, but you will always need to make sure that you can still get at least six turns of the lugs before they tighten to ensure a proper fit. If they don’t, you may need to upgrade to longer studs or longer bolts.

Adapters serve the same purpose as the spacers, except they usually provide more space such as 20mm, 25mm, and 30mm. These are more popular with the 350z and G35. Adapters will also bolt onto your stock studs, and they have new studs pressed into them. Adapters should always be torqued onto your stock studs by hand to ensure a secure fit. If you do not have a torque wrench, you should contact a shop to install the adapters, or if you live in Arizona, we can install them at our shop here in Tempe, AZ.

There are many different wheel accessories available when you purchase aftermarket wheels, and many are available right here through Element Wheels, however this list just shows the most common accessories as well as how they work. If you are ever in doubt, or feel that you need an accessory to complete your wheel and tire package, feel free to talk to us about it. We’re always here to help.