Wheel Spacers
 

People... advice please....

Bought a set of 18" OZ Chronos Evos to fit MY03 STI... however on putting them on they touch the Brembo calipers (std)...

I'm thinking of putting in a spacer (already purchased from Ebay) but am worried that the bolts might be too short so only bought a 5mm spacer.

Surely I can't have been the only person to have his problem so my question is what do I do...? Would a 5mm spacer be sufficient or am I looking at something ore involved to change my wheels...

Any advice appreciated....:confused:

Had the same problem on my classic,and fitted a cheap multi stud pattern 5mm spacer off ebay. I now get bad steering wheel shake at 60+. I have just ordered a set of eibach pro spacers,which are machined for an exact stud pattern,and also come with the longer studs. Price was £49 delivered. I should be fitting them tomorrow,i'll let you know how i get on.

It would have been a little better if you knew the exact width of spacer needed first off:)

5mm spacers generally do not need longer studs as there is plenty of thread on the standard ones to safely tighten the nuts. As a rule of thumb, at least eight turns of the nut with the thread pitch used on these nuts is sufficient.

Your main problem is going to be imbalance of the spacers. As the second poster has said, spacers with machined holes meant for your hub stud spacing are the ideal. Universal spacers will not sit properly and give wheel wobble at speed.

I had to use a 10mm spacer on my car. I opted for the hubcentric type of spacer with longer wheel studs fitted so that the wheel spigot hole sits nicely on the spacer as it did on the original hub.

In summary, you should be fine as long as 5mm is enough to clear the caliper but pay the money and get some proper machined items. Mine were Eibach also, very good quality:)

By the way, I purchased cheap spacers initially. They are now in the bin

With 5mm spacers,i only had 7 turns of the nut,so changing the studs to be sure!

cheers for all your experiences people.... I've ordered a cheap universal 5mm spacer off ebay ?(tenner) so i'll give that a go. Once i know what exact spacer i need i'll order some quality ones.... Any recommendations as from where?

Hi, just an update as promised! I fitted the eibach spacers,and they have got rid of the judder,no shake at all. They are good quality,only problem is they supplied the wrong studs(1.5 pitch not 1.25),even thought they said 1.25 on the box.

Mit

Thanks Mit.... can I ask where you got tem from and how much? Did you fit spacers to all 4 wheels or just the front two?

Got them from Performance Car Parts / EBC Brakes / Eibach Lowering Springs / Koni Suspension Kits / Magnex Exhausts / Powertec Induction Kits - Euro Performance
Trouble is,their being realy poor with respect to getting the correct replacement studs. Rang them 3 times,sent emails,all i get is 'we;ll ring you later today' Rubbish!

Ah, same place I got mine from:)

You're right about the quality, I was mildly pleased considering the cost of some other makes of spacers was much greater.

Did you get the right studs?

i have been running 6mm on the rear of mine for the past 6 months and i can only get 4 full turns of the nut before its tight, had no issues so far...

4 turns!!:eek2: You sure like living dangerously!

I bought 20mm longer studs from a different shop and opted for just the spacers:)

I used a couple of old wheel nuts and a half inch drive socket to 'pull' the new stud through/knock the old ones out. Plenty of grease and a decent wheel nut brace had the job done in no time.

4 complete turns isn't a great deal to be honest. I guess normal daily driving with standard road tyres is fine for it, and as long as they are tight, I doubt you will have any troubles.

The type of wheel also determines useable stud length it seems, some wheels offer a good amount of thread whilst others with thicker material will offer less.

Quick question people... just played with some cheepo spacers and realised I need at least 10-12mm spacers on each front wheel.

I'm going to order some Eibach ones as recommended (from the place above) but can you confirm if I should be fitting these to all 4 wheels. The rear two don't actually need spacers as the calipers are a lot smaller but in the interests of safety/performance/balance.... should I be ordering two sets of pairs?

I'd rather not as it's £75ish a set so replies asap please....:thumb:

I went down the spacer route with zen and in turned into a nightmare in the end was forced to go the expensive route of new wheels and a big bill from RCM. Would never fit them again. Would they not sit off the spigot all the weight of the car will be on 5 short bolts

I will be getting longer bolts with the spacers so it won't be a half-arsed bolt on job. Also these spacers are specific to the Scoobie as opposed to some cheap universal ones

They should also be hubcentric,which means they'll have a new spigot that the wheel sits on,giving more strength

agree still not great tho

cheers.... My original question tho... All 4 or just front 2?

zen fitted just the front 2..... not saying thats the way to go but he is a pro ...

Thanks mate... I'll order just one set and have them fitted... If it's a big no no i'm sure someone will pipe up and let me know in due course... (please). Might get some new drilled/grooved front discs and pads fitted at the same time. Any recommendations? I'm keeping the standard STI Brembos for now.

It depends on what you want the car to handle like really, you will be widening the front track of the car by 10mm in total. But at the end of the day if you don't drive it with vengeance you will probably never notice, if you do there will certainly be a difference in it's character on the limit.
When you get you're suspension geometry set up they are setting everything up to be within mm tolerance, so i would imagine a 10mm difference on the front would be a nightmare.

hmmm... Interesting point.

To be fair, i still have my 17's which i was going to refurb and use as winter wheels. I may now use the 18's as show and general cruising wheels and (post refurb) use the 17's with some good tires for the more serious track stuff. It's a bit long winded but if it works... Brilliant. :)

Sounds like a plan.;)

i should have added, that my car is running a wide body kit, and is also running audi wheels with 15mm x 0.5mm thick hubcentric adapter rings made from stainless steel to push the spigot location further out, i can assure its engineered rather well, the adapter rings were made on 1 squillion pounds worth of nissan car manufacturing plant equipment late one nightshift, by an unamed source :D, they are complete one offs, and are fooken awesome :D :D

i knew you had this issue Micky but i didnt realise you got around it..... i'm guessing the car is ok on them if they are superb, does it handle ok?

i got to the point of considdering 'new age' impreza suspension on the rear of my wide arch classic.

its had a proper "badd ass" 4wd alignment to whiteline motorsport settings and its good


its a bit twitchy on crap camber roads etc etc, but you get used to it easy enough, feels well planted on fast corners to be honest :D

fat is best :D

wider track FTW!! :D

A wider track (within reason) has never really shown itself as a major problem on any car that I've tinkered with. In fact, it's improved turn in and mid corner grip quite well (205 running with wider 309 rear beam and front wishbones). Castor/camber settings should remain adjustable as ever on a road car.

Handling wise, on road tyres including the grippy ones, I doubt very much you'll really notice. The difference will start to show itself when dropping tenths of seconds off lap times.

I personally think that the theory of what a wider track can do to a cars handling comes into play more than what it actually 'felt'. From real life experience on and off track, the relatively small track widening of around 10mm or less is almost insignificant.

As mentioned, specific hubcentric spacers that support the wheel correctly are the only real way to go. Mine are machined quite well in the fact that when you remove a wheel, the spacer comes off with it still attached.

ahhhh but i am approx 40mm wider on my car ;)

and so is minty :D

Just ordered.... 40mm....:thumb: