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2012 E550 Cabriolet 2011 VW Eos 1985 Pininfarina Spider
Spacer Issue
I have a 2012 E550 cab and about 6 months ago I installed spacers (10mm front/15mm rear) and longer bolts. Last night as I was driving from my house I heard a thumping and thought I had s flat. When I got out to look, the wheel was being held on by only one bolt. The other 4 had broken. When I got the wheel off the spacer had broken on the hub centric collar. I’m trying figure out what happened. I’m thinking the spacer hub broke and started slightly moving and placed more stress on the bolts, causing them to break. Any other theories?
Last edited by Davery; May 25, 2018 at 05:14 PM.
Reason: Spelling
Were the "longer bolts" the correct length and were they torqued properly. Check all the other bolts for proper torque. You are lucky the wheel didn't fly off at speed. Are you running OEM wheels?
This happens with cheap spacers - I would replace them with H&R spacers and the necessary longer bolts. I suggest going through the tire rack for the correct and quality built spacers. I’ve used H&R spacers on many of my cars without any issues.
Last edited by andrew e coupe; May 26, 2018 at 08:49 PM.
2012 E550 Cabriolet 2011 VW Eos 1985 Pininfarina Spider
Thanks for anyone's input. I had to leave for vacation a couple of hours after the mishap. I'm thinking the issue may have been caused by the aftermarket lug bolts that came with the spacers. I believe they were conical bolts and since I was using OEM wheels I believe I should have been using ball seat bolts. When I get back from vacation I will confirm my theory. I know there is a big debate on spacers vs no spacers, but for those using spacers I have a question. It seems some spacers I see for sale are acceptable for the rear, but not the front. Why is that? Also, I assume I should be using ball seat bolts with OEM wheels, correct?
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