Contents
1/2-inch (12mm)Moving wheels 1/2-inch outwards eliminates rubbing and clearance issues when installing aftermarket wheels. |
1-inch (25mm)A super-effective accessory to increase stability and give a noticeably aggressive stance. |
1.5-inch (40mm)By pushing out the wheels further out from the hub with 1.5-inch wheel spacers you gain in handling characteristics and get a catchy look. |
2-inch (50mm)Allow for significantly wider tires to improve road grip and traction when off-roading. |
2.5-inch (63mm) |
3-inch (75mm) |
SUVs maybe becoming more and more popular every year, but there are still some sedans that are staples in American families, like the Honda Accord. There are several reasons why this Japanese sedan is always at the top when it comes to sales, chiefly performance, fuel efficiency, comfort, and reliability. Some would argue that Accords were always good to drive, injected with the Honda racing pedigree, which is another reason why it’s been so popular through the years.
For that reason, the Accord is also popular in the tuning community – you can see a lot of modified examples on the street. One of the simplest modifications of the Honda Accord, which can bring several performance benefits with it is a wheel spacer. These inexpensive parts can make your Accord better to drive in the corners, but they bring several other benefits as well.
Why do you need a wheel spacer?
There are a lot of scenarios when you’ll need to install a wheel spacer on your Accord, but the most popular is when installing new, bigger rims. Aftermarket rims can have a different geometry or be wider than the stock ones. When that’s the case, the wheel can rub the inside of the wheel well. To counter that, you can install wheel spacers, which offset the tire so that it doesn’t rub on the inside. Other scenarios when you might need a wheel spacer is when installing bigger brakes, or when you want to change the bolt pattern so you can install some rims that would otherwise not fit in your Accord.
Other than that, a lot of Accord owners install wheel spacers just for looks. Even with the stock rims, the Accord looks much better with wheel spacers, because the wheel will be pushed outward and the vehicle will get a better stance. This often results in better handling and stability. On the other hand, we must note that wheel spacers change the geometry of the suspension of your Accord and can put more strain on the components.
Honda Accord Fuse Box Diagram.
What kind of wheel spacers to buy for the Accord?
Wheel spacers can introduce vibrations on the steering wheel and to combat that, we recommend going with hubcentric wheel spacers. These will put less strain on the suspension and also limit the vibrations. They also take the weight of the vehicle on themselves – standard wheel spacers put the weight of the vehicle on the bolts.
The bigger problem when choosing wheel spacers for the Accord can be determining the width of the spacers. Depending on the stock rims, or the new rims you want to install on your vehicle, you need different width of wheel spacers. Imagine the tires touching the body of your Accord – you certainly wouldn’t want that.
If you stay on your stock wheels, it’s always best to start with smaller wheel spacers and try to see if the tire would touch the body. If you’re installing new rims, you must first see how offset inboard are the new rims. If they’re 10mm offset inward, you need a 10mm wheel spacer to put them in line with the stock ones. If you want a wider stance, it’s best to start with 15mm and so on.
How to install wheel spacers on Honda Accord?
Installing wheel spacers on your Accord is as easy as changing a tire. However, you must do that in a garage and have a jack and jack stands on hand. Then, just follow these simple steps:
- Loosen the lug nuts on the wheel before you jack up the vehicle. Use the parking brake so the vehicle doesn’t move
- Jack up the side of the vehicle that you work on. Use jack stands for better safety
- Completely unscrew the lug nuts and then remove the wheel
- Install the wheel spacers directly on the hub
- *Optional: use anti-seize on the wheel studs
- Tighten the lug nuts of the wheel spacer with a torque wrench (79 ft-lb)
- Put the wheel back on the hub, lower the vehicle and tighten the lug nuts with a torque wrench (79 ft-lb)
- Drive several miles so you can be sure that the spacers are a good fit and the tires don’t rub on the body
Appearance: Spacing the Honda Accord wheels out to optimize the stance and more striking look.
Clearance: Many custom-built Honda Accord wheels fail to provide enough of spacing to line up with big brake kits.
Correction: The offset of the Honda Accord wheel system appears to be too high, leading to the wheels installed too far inside. This might prompt the tire to rub on the inside Honda Accord wheel well, or other parts. Wheel spacers adjust the offset thing.
Handling: by forcing your Honda Accord wheels further apart, this light adjustment can elaborate the Honda Accord ride with more horizontal stamina and improved cornering.
