Wheel spacers: A safety concern?

I recently had a local tire shop repair a puncture on a tire, along with a tire rotation. Upon arrival, I was informed they could not reinstall the Rogue Engineering 10mm spacers I had previously mounted in the rear. When asked why, they responded with (in summary), "The lugbolts have a higher risk to unloosen when using wheel spacers. If wheel spacers are required, you must use wheel spacers that bolt onto your hub. We cannot re-mount these spacers for you."

Fortunately, I keep on hand my spare set of OEM lugbolts and had them set my spacers and extended lugbolts aside so they could finish mounting my rear wheels.

I'm planning to remount the RE 10mm spacers in my rear and it's purely for asthetic appeal presenting an image a wider track. Should I be concerned with safety issues using wheel spacers?

I've got to call BS.....Rogue Engineering sells these extended lug bolts with thier spacers.I highly doubt they would be doing this if there was a saftey concern. I also run these spacers on my car for the same reason you do and I check my lug bolt torque often and they have never been loose.

I had a 4Runner which saw occasional off-road use and it was recommended to fit a 'proper' rim for this application, no hubcentrics or spacers, due to increased 'abuse'.. I stay away from wheel spacers/hubcentrics because I buy a rim for 'performance' and function as well as aesthetics. I push my car hard sometimes and I feel much more comfortable w/o them. Is this a valid concern? Please feel free to speak up!!

If you feel more comfortable without them then thats great but I would challenge anyone to prove that these are unsafe. I have seen spacers on SCCA race cars so obviously they can handle the stresses applied to these parts.Those guys push thier cars harder than I ever could on the street.Also with five lug bolts torqued to 87 ft/lbs holding everything together these spacers might as well be welded on.Just my opinions here but feel free to prove me wrong..

Originally Posted by elite53

If you feel more comfortable without them then thats great but I would challenge anyone to prove that these are unsafe. I have seen spacers on SCCA race cars so obviously they can handle the stresses applied to these parts.Those guys push thier cars harder than I ever could on the street.Also with five lug bolts torqued to 87 ft/lbs holding everything together these spacers might as well be welded on.Just my opinions here but feel free to prove me wrong..

cool, thanks! I'm sure there is a right way and a wrong way for everything.. my only (second-hand) experience was wrt a friend who snaped his wheel off at the lugs while he was 4wheelin'.. now that i think about it i don't think he replaced his lugs w longer ones, hence the carnage.. but its much simpler w our cars to use appropriate bolts for the app.