What Are Wheel Spacers?
Before delving into the legalities of wheel spacers in Pennsylvania, it’s crucial to understand exactly what they are and why they are used. Wheel spacers, as the name implies, are components that are designed to create more space between your vehicle’s wheel and its mounting hub. They come in various sizes and thicknesses and can either be hub-centric or lug-centric.
The primary purpose of using a wheel spacer is to adjust the wheel offset of your vehicle, effectively allowing for a wider stance without having to buy new wheels. There two key reasons for doing this: handling and appearance.
From a handling perspective, a wider wheelbase can contribute to better stability, particularly on high-speed cornering. However, wheel spacers also alter your vehicle’s center of gravity , and this is important. An extended wheelbase does not actually improve your vehicle’s handling if your center of gravity shifts in the wrong direction. In fact, doing so can even increase the chances of your car tipping over. While this is generally only a problem for certain vehicles (such as SUVs) it’s always something to consider.
A wider stance also brings some unique aesthetic options to the table. For example, it can allow your vehicle’s tires to sit flush against the fender. This is one of the most common reasons that people use spacers, since many manufacturers tend to design their vehicle’s wheels with a smaller stance simply because it’s less expensive to do so. Spacers offer an easy and inexpensive solution to this problem.
Legal Aspects of Modifying Vehicles in Pennsylvania
While wheel spacers and other modifications may seem innocuous at first, it’s important to consider the legal framework governing vehicle modifications. In Pennsylvania, several agencies monitor the legalities of modifications and tune-ups. The two main ones are The Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (or PennDOT), is the more authoritative of the two, and ultimately oversees all Department of Motor Vehicles (or DMV) regulations.
In general, PennDOT specifies that any changes made to a vehicles physical appearance must not be excessive or interfere with other legal requirements. Legally, "excessive" means a modification that changes the appearance of a vehicle. One area that PennDOT and the DMV closely monitor is the wheelbase and suspension systems. To maintain the utmost safety, PennDOT prohibits the installation of any equipment which would increase the height of the wheels or tires. In short, a vehicle’s wheels cannot bulge out further than its fenders permit. Additionally, all modifications must ensure the vehicle is still road worthy and able to perform well on open roads. This can include a variety of minor and major tune-ups, such as the replacement or upgrading of suspension parts.
Although wheel spacers are technically legal, there are certain limiting factors. Even wheel spacers respectfully limit the offset of your wheel to three inches. As specified by the official state guidelines, the outermost portion of the wheel shall not protrude beyond the fender:
Proper Spacers Should Fit Flush Against The Inner Lip of Wheel: While the wheels may maintain a certain bulging effect, PennDOT specifies this should not be taken to an extreme. The outermost portion of the wheel cannot extend further than the fender of the car. Additionally, the spacer must not interfere with the wheel’s structural integrity or performance.
While there are no officially proven wheel spacers to date, maintaining the well being of your vehicle and monitoring for any unusual performance is always recommended.
Are Wheel Spacers Allowed in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania is unique, however, in its legislation related to protruding wheels. PennDOT says the following regarding protruding wheels on vehicles. They have a base PennDOT Regulation entitled "TITLE 75, Chapter 41, HANDLING AND TIRE CONVEYANCES." Section 41.3 prohibits the protrusion of wheels. Protruding wheels. (a) Protruding wheels prohibited.-No person shall drive or move a truck, truck tractor, trailer, semitrailer, motor home or passenger vehicle equipped with pneumatic tires that are not covered by fenders or other wheel housing. (b) Fenders.-The fenders or other wheel housing must cover the entirety of the tires including snow tires, wider tires and wider tires fitted after purchase when the tires covering the vehicles are of a lesser width. (c) Exception.-This section does not apply to fire apparatus and other vehicles which require the use of chains, cleats or other devices to prevent skidding, to motor homes and to passenger vehicles upon which the manufacturer specifies the use of a tire which is not covered by the fender or other wheel housing. (d) Exception for movable equipment.-This section does not apply to a vehicle designed and used solely for the purpose of handling, maintaining or constructing waterworks or sewers and to which tires are fitted with side clement tread, cleats or similar appliances, if the waterworks or sewer is of a nature that would permit reasonable notice to the public of the movement in the vicinity thereof of the vehicle so equipped. (e) Exception for all-terrain vehicles. – This section does not apply to all-terrain vehicles, newspaper delivery trucks and other construction type equipment. 235 Pa. Code § 177.1 states: § 177.1.Protruding wheels prohibited.— No person shall drive or move a truck, truck tractor, trailer, semitrailer, motor home or passenger vehicle equipped with pneumatic tires that are not covered by fenders or other wheel housing. "Fenders or other wheel housing" means fenders or other projections of material so arranged and applied as to meet the requirements of this section. The fenders or other projections of material may be of flexible material such as rubber, or may be any other durable material. The law goes on to state that there are exceptions to this rule. For instance wheel spacers or extensions are legal if they meet PennDOT standards. Furthermore, they are legal on passenger cars. PennDOT Publication 46 replaces Pennsylvania Vehicle Code sections 177(a)(2) and 177(b)(2). The only thing that it added was a definition for "uses chrome rims." Otherwise, the law regarding protruding wheels has remained the same. The law from the left column below is a direct quotation from Title 75. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Publication 46, Chapter 301.7: Wheels and Rims (a) Width Exceeds Vehicle Manufacturer’s Original Design. Under no circumstances shall the tire bead seat width, or wheel width, exceed that of the manufacturer’s original design. (p) Wheels Book List. Only wheels appearing on the latest edition of the Federal Tire and Rim Standards or SAE, J2530 Tire and Rim Safety standard, or wheels on the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation list of approved after-market rims, or wheels on the AHMTA (American Heavy Machinery Tire Association) or British Standard Institute (BSI) ABE lists of approved after-market rims, or U.S. Department of Defense specification DOD472L, or GSA-FSS-FSS-P-153, or dual wheels fitted with inserts (inner wheel) as manufactured by real wheel suppliers, shall be acceptable for use on vehicles registered in this Commonwealth. We welcome your comments to this article and look forward to discussing this issue with you.
Safety Guidelines When Using Wheel Spacers
Minimizing the risk of having spacers down too tight is critical, because that would set the spacers up for a failure. Wheel spacers are most vulnerable around their bolt holes, which are meant to accommodate the studs on a vehicle. Tightening the spacers down too forcefully can cause the spacers to break down internally, leading to accidents and injuries.
Wheel spacers can impact a vehicle’s handling and braking in a couple of primary ways. First, spacers create more distance between a car’s tires and its suspension. Because the suspension was engineered for the original wheel and tire size, not accounting for spacers , then the interaction between the tires and the rest of the vehicle’s systems can be impacted.
Spacers also affect brakes because of their width. The width of a vehicle’s tires and how those tires fit into the wheel wells are designed to work with the original manufacturer’s dimensions. Adding spacers, especially not those compliant with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) guidelines can lead to problems. For example, a vehicle’s tires might be exposed to areas that are not designed for it to be there, especially when considering the force that is being placed on tires during abrupt stops.
Pros and Cons of Using Wheel Spacers
As with all performance modifications, there are pros and cons to consider. When it comes to wheel spacers, an increase in stability and cornering grip is usually the performance benefit. The wheels sit further away from the suspension components giving you a wider stance and more traction. This additional grip is often noticed when taking corners quickly because the added grip will allow you to hold your line better and eliminate some body roll. Other benefits of a wheel spacer installation include giving the wheel well a wider appearance and allowing you to use wheels that were not specified for the make and model vehicle.
While most aftermarket shops install spacers with no problem, there are some concerns to be aware of before installation. If the spacers are not installed properly, there could be a loss of efficiency in the brakes. If the spacers require longer lug bolts and the stock rims are being used, the bolt may not reach the rim properly. Loss of braking efficiency can be caused by the spacers themselves and can also occur with the simplistic addition of wider tires. The added tire width allows the driver to corner quicker due to the added contact with the road, however, the wheel has a tendency to hit wheel wells, bearings and components of the brake system, all of which could lead to serious braking failure in the long run.
Reviews from Experts and the General Public
We approached local and state car clubs to get their thoughts on wheel spacers. Most mechanics we spoke with pointed out the additional wear on tires due to excessive lateral forces as the main concern. "I don’t recommend wheel spacers at all and the only time I recommend to my customer to install them is when they have a vehicle with tight fender wells that allow no room for offset wheels.", said Robert Miller, Owner of Nottingham Tire & Auto Center in Pennsylvania. "That was only the case years ago when aftermarket wheel and tire designs started becoming common to older vehicles. The offset wheels would not allow for a safe bigger tire to be installed and the only way to install the tire without rubbing was to add wheel spacers". "While adding wheel spacers may occasionally solve the clearance problem for aftermarket wheels, you have to analyze carefully before you make that decision, because it may create bigger problems", says Timothy Simons, Lead Service Technician at Berglund Luxury Harrisonburg in Pennsylvania. "A good way to make sure that the wheel spacer isn’t hurting your vehicle suspension is to contact the aftermarket company that sold the wheel and check if they approve the use of wheel spacers for that particular aftermarket wheel profile", he states. Public feedback is also opposed to using wheel spacers. "Wheel spacers are useless" exclaims Steven Pace, an active member of a local car club . "There’s no way you can beat the price to have my factory wheel installed over any wheel spacers you throw my way!" he adds in disdain. Markhenson MacKenzie, a long time car enthusiast and member of a popular vintage car club adds to the opposing public opinion citing brake dust build-up on the wheel spacers is a huge problem. "I had to get the spacers installed a couple of times because they kept loosening up whenever I drove fast, I had to check them daily and re-tighten them. The worst part was the brake dust build-up around the spacers, it just looked horrible every single time and took way too long to clean" he explained. Another car enthusiast Ethan Avery strongly agrees with the majority opinion and says he has experienced two serious accidents due to broken wheel spacers. "I now refuse to use wheel spacers since I had two accidents due to wheel spacers deteriorating on my Aero and causing my tires to blowout. Never again." However, there are a handful of people who disagree with the majority and advocate for the use of spacers. Nick Fayette adds on the opinion forum "I like wheel spacers and had no problems, the steering wheel feels so much more relaxed and I get to maintain my sleeper look. The wheels align great and I drive fast without worries!". David Bolivar a member of a drift community forum highly recommends wheel spacers to enhance the ability of his vehicle to drift. He states that "Wheel adapters allowed my dad and me to drift and allowed us to enjoy our summer."