[Ishan99]

Hey guys! 2 questions:

1. I am getting wheel spacers on my car. I have tires on my car that I got from Costco about a year ago. As you guys may know, Costco does free rotation and balance. So my question is, if I put spacers on my car, and when I go to get my routine rotation and balancing, will Costco refuse the service?


2. Similar to the question above. I have the lifetime unlimited alignment package from Pep Boys. I know that once I put spacers on, it is important to get an alignment. With that in mind, will Pep Boys refuse the service?

Thank you!

[Ishan99]

Bump

[alohasurftoad]

Maybe you should ask Costco if/how spacers may affect service and warranty.

You do not need an alignment after installing spacers

EDIT. since spacers changes the wheel offset, you may need an alignment depending on how thick the spacer it is you're using.

[VP_56]

I am not sure about Costco, but in the Chicagoland area, I was refused service by discount tires for the spacers being on. I had to remove the spacers on that visit.

[Ishan99]

Originally Posted by VP_56

I am not sure about Costco, but in the Chicagoland area, I was refused service by discount tires for the spacers being on. I had to remove the spacers on that visit.

Did they remove it for you?

[haagm58]

Since the spacers are not part of the tire and don't need to be removed to rotate tires, I can't imagine Costco having an issue.

You definitely don't need an alignment after installing spacers, don't let a shop talk you into it.

[VP_56]

Originally Posted by Ishan99

Did they remove it for you?

Yeah they removed them, and they stated they cannot install the wheels with them on. I came home and put them back on. Because this place is very delicate with the rims and I normally get tire repairs for free, I now take the wheels off and drop them off in my other car whenever I need tire service.

[Ishan99]

Originally Posted by VP_56

Yeah they removed them, and they stated they cannot install the wheels with them on. I came home and put them back on. Because this place is very delicate with the rims and I normally get tire repairs for free, I now take the wheels off and drop them off in my other car whenever I need tire service.

Well that's good. It's better than them removing the wheel and not touching the car after seeing that it's there. And it's at least good that they removed the spacers for you. I'm going to try my luck at Costco this weekend. Hopefully they don't say anything, but if they do, I'll just ask them to remove the spacers!

[alohasurftoad]

initially i said you don't need an alignment with spacers however, i was wrong. you may need an alignment, depending on how thick the spacers are, which is equivalent to lowering your offset and this goes the same for those that run wheels with aggressive offsets.

while spacers may improve appearance, it is changing the suspension geometry. the most important being, scrub radius. it is also changing lessening the effectiveness of the dampers, the further out you push the wheels. there are many articles and youtube videos regarding this.

the bottom line is spacers change the suspension geometry from OEM. If i was in business of tires, i probably would not elect to service a vehicle with spacers, due to reasons of liability and i definitely would not warranty the tires.

[Ishan99]

Originally Posted by alohasurftoad

initially i said you don't need an alignment with spacers however, i was wrong. you may need an alignment, depending on how thick the spacers are, which is equivalent to lowering your offset and this goes the same for those that run wheels with aggressive offsets.

while spacers may improve appearance, it is changing the suspension geometry. the most important being, scrub radius. it is also changing lessening the effectiveness of the dampers, the further out you push the wheels. there are many articles and youtube videos regarding this.

the bottom line is spacers change the suspension geometry from OEM. If i was in business of tires, i probably would not elect to service a vehicle with spacers, due to reasons of liability and i definitely would not warranty the tires.

I see I see. I got 12.5mm all around but I read on burger motorsports that 15mm is recommended for the rear. I'll update the thread after I go to my appointments this weekend.

[VP_56]

Originally Posted by Ishan99

I see I see. I got 12.5mm all around but I read on burger motorsports that 15mm is recommended for the rear. I'll update the thread after I go to my appointments this weekend.

Good luck, and let us know happens

[Ishan99]

**Update**

I called Costco and they said that having wheel spacers is totally fine. As long as I don't do anything to the tires, I'm all good!

[haagm58]

Originally Posted by Ishan99

**Update**

I called Costco and they said that having wheel spacers is totally fine. As long as I don't do anything to the tires, I'm all good!

Victory! Good for us to know too. Thanks!

[Ishan99]

Originally Posted by haagm58

Victory! Good for us to know too. Thanks!

Yessir!! I'll confirm again tomorrow after actually going to Costco. I will also confirm after I go to pep boys to get my alignment as well!!

[Ishan99]

** Update **

Costco tire has no issue with wheel spacers in terms of tire balancing/rotation


Pep Boys has no issue with wheel spacers in terms of suspension alignment- I was advised that alignment is recommended when installing/removing spacers

[VP_56]

That is good to know. Thanks for sharing the update on this.