Has anyone used wheel spacers?

 

Yep.

My 18" Axis SE7ENS needed them in the front to clear the caliper.

Why?

 

I think I would like the wider stance for appearance and stability. I was just wondering what brands are available and have been tried. What brand did you use, and how do you like them? I think Eibach makes them.

 

is there any downside to using wheel spacers?

also, i imagine many people out there might think the oem wheels are too "tucked in" within the fender, if we're to use wheel spacers so that the stock wheels would be similar to rims with 7.5 inch or 8 inch width, what dimension of wheel spacers should we use?

 

Well, you could mess your steering geometry up quite a bit. Spacing your wheel outboard more will change your scrub radius, and effect stability under braking and acceleration. If you are just taking stock wheels and adding wheel spacers, my first thought would be: Bad Idea. Just my 2 cents.