OVERTAKE Subaru Wheel Spacers: Sizes, Bolt Patterns, and How to Pick Yours
If your wheels sit a little too far inside the fender, or you want a more aggressive stance, a set of wheel spacers is the simplest way to dial in the fit. OVERTAKE builds a full line of Subaru-specific spacers, and the range now covers everything from a subtle 3mm shim to a full 25mm of poke, in both 5x100 and 5x114.3, plus adapters that let a 5x100 car run 5x114.3 wheels. Every one of them is hub-centric to the factory 56.1mm Subaru bore, so they seat snug on the hub instead of leaning on the lugs to center the wheel. This guide walks the whole lineup: what each size is for, how to tell which bolt pattern you need, and which spacer fits your goals, whether you daily a VB WRX, autocross an older 5x100 car, or just want your wheels to sit right. Fitment spans WRX, STI, Forester, Impreza, Outback, Legacy, Crosstrek, Ascent, and the 5x100 BRZ family, depending on the part.
What Do Wheel Spacers Actually Do?
Wheel spacers push your wheels outward from the hub by a fixed amount. That does a few things at once. It widens your track for a more planted, aggressive look, it pulls the wheel face closer to flush with the fender, and it can buy clearance for a big brake kit or a wider tire. What spacers do not do is change your ride height or your suspension geometry beyond track width.
Think of a spacer as an offset adjustment you bolt on. A 20mm spacer on an 18x8.5 wheel with a +55 offset effectively brings you to a +35, a real step toward filling the arches without buying new wheels. You can also run different thicknesses front and rear to fine-tune the stance at each end of the car.
How to Pick the Right OVERTAKE Spacer
Two questions decide it. First, how much width do you want, a few millimeters to correct a sunken wheel or clear a caliper, or a bold step out for stance? Second, what is your bolt pattern, and do you want to keep it? Older Subarus, think 2002 to 2014 WRX and the BRZ family, run 5x100. The 2015 and newer WRX and the STI run 5x114.3. OVERTAKE covers both, and offers adapters if you want to switch. Here is how the line breaks down.
The Thin Slip-On Spacers: 3mm and 5mm (New)
The newest additions are thin slip-on spacers in 3mm and 5mm. These are the flush-fitment and clearance tools of the range. Slide them over the factory hub, reuse your existing wheel studs, and bolt the wheel back on. They are drilled for both 5x114.3 and 5x100 in a single pair, so one part covers either pattern, which is handy if you run more than one set of wheels. Machined from 6061 aluminum with an anodized finish, hub-centric to the same 56.1mm bore as the rest of the line. Reach for these when a wheel sits a hair too deep, when you need a couple millimeters to clear a brake caliper, or when you want a clean flush look without committing to real poke.
The Forged Spacers: 20mm and 25mm
When you want genuine stance, the forged spacers are the heavy hitters. These are CNC-forged from 7075 aluminum, bolt on to the hub with their own Grade 12.9 bolts, and ride on studs finished with a Dacromet coating for heat and corrosion resistance. The back face has pry pockets machined in, which matter more than they sound: after a couple of Midwest winters, a screwdriver or pry bar in those pockets is how you break a corroded spacer free from the hub. Size and torque specs are laser-etched on the front face, so they travel with the part. The 20mm noticeably tucks the fender gap; the 25mm steps out further for real poke, and it gives extra clearance if your wheels have a flat back face rather than a recessed one. They come in 20mm and 25mm for 5x114.3 cars, and 20mm and 25mm for the older 5x100 platforms.
The Adapters: Run 5x114.3 Wheels on a 5x100 Subaru
If you have a 5x100 car and you want to run 5x114.3 wheels, say a set of STI or newer WRX wheels on an older chassis, the 20mm and 25mm adapters do both jobs at once. They add width and convert the bolt pattern from 5x100 at the hub to 5x114.3 at the wheel face. Same forged 7075 construction and Grade 12.9 hardware as the standard forged spacers. This is the part for the 2002 to 2014 WRX, the BRZ family, and the wider 5x100 Subaru lineup that wants into the much larger 5x114.3 wheel market.
Materials, and Why They Are Different Across the Line
You will notice the thin spacers are 6061 and the thick ones are forged 7075, and that is on purpose, because the two do different jobs. A 3mm or 5mm slip-on is a thin shim that sits between the hub and the wheel and reuses the factory studs to carry the load, so 6061 is the right, proven material for the job. A 20mm or 25mm spacer stands the wheel off the hub by a real distance and carries it on its own hardware, so the forged line steps up to 7075, which has higher tensile strength than the 6061 used in a lot of universal spacers. The forged pieces also move to Grade 12.9 bolts rather than the grade 10 hardware common on cheaper parts.
Across the entire line, the constant is the hub-centric 56.1mm Subaru bore. That snug, Subaru-specific fit is what keeps the wheel centered on the hub, and it is the main thing separating a purpose-built spacer from a cheap universal one.
Fitment
Confirm your exact year and model against the product page before ordering. Fitment varies by part.
New Slip-On Spacers (3mm and 5mm)
- Subaru WRX - 2002 through 2026
- Subaru STI - 2004 through 2021
- Subaru Forester - 1998 through 2026
- Subaru Impreza - 1993 through 2026
- Subaru Outback - 2000 through 2026
- Subaru Legacy - 1991 through 2025
- Subaru Crosstrek - 2013 through 2026
- Subaru Ascent - 2019 through 2026
Forged Spacers, 5x114.3 (20mm and 25mm)
- Subaru WRX - 2015 through 2026
- Subaru STI - 2005 through 2021
- Subaru Forester - 2019 through 2026
- Subaru Impreza - 2024 through 2026
- Subaru Outback - 2015 through 2026
- Subaru Legacy - 2015 through 2026
- Subaru Crosstrek - 2024 through 2026
- Subaru Ascent - 2019 through 2026
Forged Spacers and Adapters, 5x100 (20mm and 25mm)
- Subaru WRX - 2002 through 2014
- Subaru STI - 2004
- Subaru BRZ - 2012 through 2026
- Subaru Forester - 1998 through 2018
- Subaru Impreza - 1993 through 2023
- Subaru Outback - 2000 through 2014
- Subaru Legacy - 1989 through 2014
- Subaru Crosstrek - 2013 through 2023
- Subaru Baja - 2003 through 2006
- Subaru Tribeca - 2006 through 2014
Which OVERTAKE Spacer Is Right for You?
- If you daily your Subaru and just want the wheels to sit flush, start with the 3mm or 5mm slip-on. Small, reversible, and it reuses your factory studs.
- If you are clearing a big brake kit or a wider tire, the thin slip-on spacers usually do it, or step up to a forged 20mm if you need more room.
- If you want real stance and track width, the forged 20mm or 25mm in your bolt pattern. Go 25mm if your wheels have a flat back face or you want maximum poke.
- If you have an older 5x100 car and want to run 5x114.3 wheels, the adapters widen the track and open up the entire 5x114.3 wheel catalog in one step.
Installation Notes
The thin slip-on spacers go on the simplest way: slide over the hub, put the wheel back on your factory studs, and torque the wheels to factory spec. The forged spacers and adapters bolt to the hub first with their included hardware, snugged in a star pattern and then torqued down, before the wheel goes back on and gets torqued to spec. In both cases the hub-centric bore seats the spacer on the Subaru hub for a centered, vibration-free fit, and on the forged pieces the pry pockets on the back face make removal easy down the road. On the forged spacers the torque spec is laser-etched right on the face, so you are not hunting for it later.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my Subaru is 5x100 or 5x114.3?
As a general rule, older Subarus like the 2002 to 2014 WRX and the BRZ family use a 5x100 bolt pattern, while the 2015 and newer WRX and the 2005 to 2021 STI use 5x114.3. The surest way is to check your current wheel or the fitment list on the product page for your exact year and model before ordering.
What does hub-centric mean, and why does it matter?
Hub-centric means the spacer is machined to sit snug on your Subaru's 56.1mm hub, so the hub carries the job of centering the wheel. Cheap universal spacers often lean on the lug hardware to center everything, which can let vibration creep in. Every OVERTAKE spacer is bored to the factory 56.1mm size.
Will spacers change my ride height or require an alignment?
No, spacers do not change ride height. They widen track width rather than alter suspension geometry, so a routine spacer install does not by itself call for an alignment. If you are making other suspension changes at the same time, handle the alignment as part of that work.
What is the difference between the 6061 and 7075 spacers?
The thin 3mm and 5mm slip-on spacers are 6061 aluminum and reuse your factory studs, which suits their job as a thin shim. The 20mm and 25mm forged spacers and adapters are 7075 aluminum with Grade 12.9 hardware, because at that thickness the spacer carries the wheel on its own bolts and the higher-strength forged construction earns its place.
Can I run different spacer sizes front and rear?
Yes. Mixing sizes, for example a thinner spacer up front and a thicker one in the rear, is a common way to fine-tune stance at each end of the car. Just keep left and right matched on the same axle.
Ready to Dial In Your Fitment?
Whatever look you are after, there is an OVERTAKE spacer sized for it. Browse the complete wheel spacer collection, pick your size and bolt pattern, and get your fitment sorted.
