Wheel Spacers - Where, How Much, Worth It, Implications?

[pu-11-me]

I will be the first to admit that my wheel offset sucks hairy pirate testicles.....

I would like to chuck on some spacers to perhaps achieve a stance on the vehicle i'm happy with. I love the wheels and am not keen to buy a new set with the right offset. I would only replace them with the same style wheels anyway and I can't justify the 2k it'll cost me to do it.

So my questions are -

Where do I buy proper hub-centric spacers?
How much are they?
Is it worth doing it or a waste of time?
What are the implications of using spacers on wheels?

I'm expecting Tim or Joel to come in and have a rant at me about this

Cheers

 

[matchtheclown]

I'm pretty sure they are not technically legal hey.

It's just a ring of steel that sits between your hub and the wheel held in place by the wheel nuts... sound dodgey to me!

I have NFI about out your way but all the big wheel shops do them in sydney.

Just go to the biggest barn on your main street which has wheels for sale mate

 

[minik1971]

I guess it all depends on how thick a spacer you need. If you go too big you might need longer studs and also I guess the thicker then the less safe they would be becuase it would have to put more pressure on the studs as the thickness increases. Although someone will probably tell me I am wrong.

 

[bradc]

If they bolt onto the hub and then the wheel bolts onto them they are fine to use in NZ, obviously not sure about the rules over there. The main problem is that that kind need to be quite thick, about 15mm is the smallest I've seen.

The slip on 3-10mm ones are fairly dangerous

 

[Mac Dog]

Not worth it. They're not legal and they can have implications on insurance if you have an accident. I do believe there are long term issues with the wheel hub/nuts etc.

IMHO, if you want to fill out your guards sell your rims and buy one's with the right width and offset.

 

[ygoslo]

No rant from me, I run 25mm bolt ons on the Silvia. Beter to have spacers and good offset than no spacers and sunken wheels...

I do prefer bolt ons, however I ran 5-7mm slip ons on my old Silvia (RIP :'( - see my blog) for 18 months or so with no issues, and even ran piggybacked slip ons on my FTO on the track twice with no issues. Spacers also won't hurt your wheel bearings. That's an urban myth.

How wide are you looking at going? If you run 15 or 20mm bolt ons you'll have issues with the studs protruding past the spacer. If you don't have recessed bits on the back of your wheels you'll need to grind the studs back a bit. Again, this is no problem, but a bit of a stuff around.

Both ISC and Just Jap sell spacers, they're the best ones I can think of off the top of my head.

Don't worry too much about the legality of them. Paint them black and no one will ever see them, and all they do is make the car handle better so an insurance company is going to have a hard time proving that they caused an accident if you have one. Like I've said before - everything we do to our cars is illegal. Anyone who is running an 8" rim on a VR4 in Vic (maybe other states too) is breaking the law, for instance.

Just make sure you do the nuts up good!

 

[Mac Dog]

^^^ I retract my previous statements of us dating! LOL!

 

[ygoslo]

Fickle!

 

[SLY-031]

As per Tim's comments, you would only run in to issues when running a large slip on spacer. The smallest hub-centric bolt on items available will be 15-20mm, which I could only assume is too much for your application.

A 5mm slip on is not likely to cause any issues as there should be enough thread on the stud. If you go to thick in slip-on units, as mentioned above, you will have minimal purchase on the stud with the nut.

Can we see some photos of your car? How large are you thinking of going?

EDIT: I ran 35mm bolt on units on the rear of my R31 drift car for over two years. Not once did I have an issues with a wheel bearing, sheering a stud or anything else. The car also had a minispool, so there was more than enough force on the bearings etc.

 

[snickells]

I will be the first to admit that my wheel offset sucks hairy pirate testicles.....

You said pirate!

/sing

"Yar, Har, Fiddle-d-dee, being a pirate is all right with me!"

 

[pu-11-me]

Offset

So what would you guys recommend I be looking for? The wheels are an estimated 7.5 wide +40 running 215/45R17's

 

[ygoslo]

You could get away with 20mm spacers if you roll the guards, the wheels would then sit 1mm further in than mine. From the pic it looks like the tyres bulge out a little, so you might want to use a 15mm front & 20mm rear if you don't want to do guard work. But 20mm all round, or 20mm front & 25mm rear, would get my vote.

 

[SiliconAngel]

Yea 5mm extra on the rears is highly recommended - I'm thinking of getting 5mm slip-ons on the rear for exactly this reason.

How wide are you looking at going? If you run 15 or 20mm bolt ons you'll have issues with the studs protruding past the spacer. If you don't have recessed bits on the back of your wheels you'll need to grind the studs back a bit.

Or you could drill corresponding depressions into the back of the wheel. Would you prefer to mod the wheels slightly, or the car? If you change the depth of the studs its a bit of a pain to get them out to replace them. Just make sure you get the wheels balanced if you drill them, of course.

 

[pu-11-me]

Cheers for the responses guys.... I'm probably looking for 15 front 20 rear at this stage.

The tyres (deceptively) have mild stretch so hopefully that'll be enough to keep them inside the guars with those spacers.

Anyone have an idea on what sort of money these guys want for these things?

 

[ygoslo]

Just Jap do them for $139 a pair. That's about as cheap as you'll find.

 

[AKKO]

Been looking at these recently to improve fitment of my Evo rims if I decide to add wheel arch flares (also have coilovers on the way).
http://ozvr4.com/forums/showthread.php?6391-Hubcentric-wheel-spacers

Fitment is spot on at the moment, any guesses as to what size spacer might be required afterwards (example pics HERE)?

 

[unclepaulie]

probs 10mm bolt on, i dunno, up to you

 

[bradc]

I'd probably leave the fronts as they are as you won't be able to get a bolt on spacer on there without going a bit mexican. You will be able to get one on the rear though.

 

[steveP]

probs 10mm bolt on, i dunno, up to you

15mm is the minimum bolt on size.

 

[unclepaulie]

lol well 15 it is