Can I install wheel spacers on a Chevrolet Corvette C8 E-Ray?

Yes, you can install wheel spacers on a C8 E-Ray, but you need to be careful with your selection. The E-Ray has standard Carbon Ceramic Brakes (CCBs) and a unique factory wheel design that complicates fitment compared to a standard Stingray.

Difficulty: Easy Safety Warning: Never use slip-on spacers without installing longer, extended wheel studs. Running slip-ons on factory studs reduces lug nut thread engagement to unsafe levels ¹¹.

Here is what you need to know about spacing out the wheels on an E-Ray:

The Wheel Pocket Issue

If you use bolt-on style spacers (the kind that bolt to your hub and have a second set of studs for the wheel), the factory studs will stick out past the face of the spacer. The back of the wheel needs hollow "pockets" to swallow those protruding studs so the wheel can sit flush.

Paragon Performance, a major C8 aftermarket supplier, officially warns that their standard C8 spacers will not work on the E-Ray because the factory E-Ray wheels have smaller pockets than the Stingray or Z06. If the studs bottom out in those pockets, the wheel won't sit flush against the hub, which is highly dangerous ².

If you run into this clearance issue, standard practice on the C8 platform is to use a cut-off wheel or grinder to shave down the unthreaded "nose" of the factory wheel studs just enough for the wheel to clear ⁷.

What Owners Are Doing

Despite the warnings, owners are successfully running spacers on this platform by sourcing the right parts:

• Vette Pro: They manufacture a spacer kit verified to clear the E-Ray's CCBs. Owners generally agree that adding these to the rear makes a tasteful difference in stance, while the front wheels on the E-Ray already sit flush enough from the factory ².
• Sizing: A 20mm spacer on the rear is considered the sweet spot for a flush fitment, while 20mm on the front is generally viewed as too aggressive ².
• Owner Workarounds: At least one owner has reported successfully mounting spacers on their E-Ray so that they sit dead flush on the rotor, torquing both the spacer and the wheel to 140 ft-lbs, and testing the setup flawlessly up to 150 mph ².

Note on Torque: While 140 ft-lbs is what that specific owner reported using, I highly recommend checking your E-Ray's factory owner's manual to verify the exact GM lug nut torque spec before tightening anything down. The general installation procedure is to clean the hub mating surfaces thoroughly with a wire brush, seat the spacer, torque the supplied nuts in a star pattern, and then repeat the process for the wheel.

The Alternative

If you want a wider stance without grinding studs or worrying about spacer safety, the cleanest route is to buy aftermarket wheels built with custom offsets for the E-Ray. Companies like MRR Forged Wheels manufacture E-Ray specific wheels designed to sit completely flush with the fenders without requiring any spacers at all ⁵.