Anyone used spacers on winter wheels to give staggered look?

[Jezzer]

I have a 13 plate e70 30d m sport & have just fitted a genuine set of BMW style 177 alloys with Conti m&s 255/55r18 winter tyres in preparation for a trip to the Alps skiing at Easter.

The usual wheels are staggered 19's where as the winters are all the same which is fine but they don't fill out the rear arches & look at bit pants.

So has anyone fitted 30mm spacers to try & get the same look?

I've seen some billet aluminium sets with extended bolts but just a little nervous in case it causes an issue

Cheers

[sid10]

Try the insurance first as some won't insure you with spacers !
If no problem  the best spacers are ones that bolt to the hub with their own bolts , then your bolts hold the wheels on , much safer as the longer ones can snap . I have used h&r spacers in the past until the insurance made me change back .

[X5Sport]

Winter setup is designed to run non-staggered.  As Sid says, check with your insurers before you change.  It counts as a mod, and 30mm is a significant shift.

I have the same on my X6, but just live with it as safety is more important than looks IMHO.

[AwB]

I acquired a set of 30mm H&M spacers for this very reason, but this winter never got cold enough in SE UK to warrant moving to winter wheels.

I got them as I worked out they were needed to get the front and back winter wheels to run in line (177 style, all 255/55R18), otherwise the rear wheels would run further under the car than the fronts, but I'm now thinking the logic might have been flawed.

Potentially really silly question, but does anyone know whether the hub-to-hub distance is the same on the front and rear axle on cars designed for a staggered setup?  I ask this because my summer 333M wheels have different offsets on the front and back, and I assume the outside of the rims are set to run in parallel (otherwise parking would be impossible, right?!)

[stevee]

I use spacers on my fronts with winter wheels. Run without issue for the last couple of seasons.

[sid10]

There has just been an article in the news about invalidated insurance due to modifications eg spacers , it states that it is now law to tell the insurance ! I had them on mine and they were going to cancel the policy NFU so I took them off .
  Alternative is to run staggered wheels and pay the extra for the rear tyres , mine has been through 6" of snow and plenty of slush and never got stuck or tail happy !

[X5Sport]

Correct, any modification away from the 'as built' standard has to be passed to your insurers.  It just sn't worth taking a chance any longer as they are looking for any excuse not to pay. 

To be fair, underwriters need to know what they are in the hook for so you can't blame them for being more careful.