Please keep in mind I searched and did not find a clear answer. So, is it ok to use spacers or no? How is a spacer different than a wheel with the same offset? Ok, Here's the dealio. I have a buddy with some OZ F1 cups. They are a 18x8 with 42 offset. I can get them for free basically an they are already sandblasted and in perfect condition. I am guesing they will require at least 5mm (I still have to test fit them) spacers to fit so my question is 2 fold.

1) With a wheel at this weight (23-24 lbs.) could a spacer be safely used to clear the brembos? What are the actual reprocussions for using them? Anyone who tracks their car experience the bearing fairlure? Any other failures due to spacers?

2) I know places like tirerack and H&R offer spacers but is there somewhere that does custom spacers (hubcentric, custom thickness, etc) ? That way I know they will fit like a glove.

Looking for mostly road use with 2-3 track events a year.

thanks,
Leon

 

Street, I use 5mm in front and 3mm in back. For RR with my SSR's I use 15mm in the front and 5mm in back... No problems with spacers

 

Roundpro,
Thanks for the awesomely quick response. I see you have a 3mm spacer for the rear. H&R only makes 5mm , 15mm, or 25mm spacers. So where did you pick up your spacers and studs?

 

Got my 3mm when I ordered my SSR's from the tire rack. IMO go with the 5mm front and back and you should be set.

 

the difference in using a spacer and going with a proper offset wheel can be dramatic.....a spacer will take up threads on the lug, where a wheel with the right hub and offset will not.

A 5mm spacer, if that's all you honestly need, is not the end of the world, but it will reduce the amount of threads your lugs have.

H&R sell the hubcentric ones in a variety of offsets...for a 5mm spacer, this is overkill, but for larger, hubcentric is best. Personally, if it were anything larger than 10mm, I would not feel safe doing it..had too many issues, even with the hubcentric ones, to feel comfortable (studs snapping on the new spacer). What you spend on spacers, longer studs, new lugs and the labor to do it all 9studs are not a fun job), you are often about 50% to the way of a proper fitting set of wheels - have to ask what is worth it to you for those "free" wheels

 

Thanks for the info everyone. We'll see what happens. If I can get away with just 5mm spacers I may do it. Otherwise I probably won't.

 

I have two 5mm H&R spacers, new in the box. I will sell them to you for 20% less than tire rack price.

PM me if you are interested.

Stephen

 

Large spacers puts the weight of the vehicle off of the hub and onto the studs. Not to mention reduced thread pitch.

I don't know how strong the Evo's stock studs are but I can only imagine that heavy racing or even spirited driving will put massive stress on those studs and combined with heat will snap those things like tooth picks.

 

I believe that the 5mil spacer set comes with new studs.

SF

 

Stephen,
I will keep you mind. I will be test fitting the wheels this weekend and I will have a much better idea if I am actually going to go through with using spacers or not.

 

I just ordered some 17x9.5 wheels from Robi which have a 44 offset. His solution is to use a 6mm rear spacer and a 20mm front. This gives offsets of 38 rear and 24 front.

I ordered spacers from Summit Racing. The fronts are Eibachs with hub centric bores. The rears are simple shim spacers. Here's some part numbers and prices for you.

EIB-904150021 15mm front spacer, 5x114.3, 67.1 bore 12x1.5 studs. This spacer bolts to the hub with new bolts and has separate studs for your wheels. Will produce a 27 front offset in your application. ~$130

EIB-905100051 10mm front spacer, 5x114.3, 67.1 bore, includes longer studs. This will produce a 32mm front offset for you.

MRG-2370 5x4.5" 7/32 thick = 5.7mm. This will give you a 36mm rear offset. You probably won't need new studs. Should give you a good 7-8 turns on the lug nuts. $10.88

Hope this helps.

 

I'm with Eric, playing similiar games as him. Some info:

Spacers are not always going to increase the cantilever load on the hub/studs, it depends on the wheel offset. If you use them to move out wheels with a stock offset, then yes the load is moved out. If you use spacers to fit a wider wheel and / or a non-stock offset, the relation ship of the wheel's contact surface center to the hub geometry will ideally remain unchanged (or you are growing wider both out of and into the wheel well).

You can use 3 mm spacers (or less) without longer studs. H&R recommends longer studs (and inlcudes them) with any spacer 5 mm and up. Replacing studs is not hard (I did mine in 10 min per hub). However, if you want pure bolt on, use Eibach instead of H&R - they will bolt on to existing studs and have new studs for the wheel integrated into the spacer. Keep in mind you may want to change wheels back to stock (e.g. for winter), and longer studs can be too long for the stock wheels / lugs (unless you keep the spacer on).

Hubcentric is important, you don't want the wheel to rest the load on the bolts, you want it on the hub. The bolts are only meant to support sideways loads, making sure the wheel doesn't come off the hub. Gorilla makes hubcentric rings (adapters) in just about any size. You can order them through summit racing.

Lastly, if you want a "fits like a glove" custom solution, got to http://wheeladapter.com/ - they will make whatever you want at a very good price, and about a week turn around time. You can get hubcentric on both the hub side and wheel side for the same price as off-the-shelf H&R spacers.

Lastly, spacers are always "hit & miss" - you won't really know what fits until you try it. One way to avoid wasting money is to buy a bunch of washers, jack up the car and start stacking them between the wheel and the hub. Unless you run out of stud length, this is the best way to determine what spacers you need. You can gently rest the car on the wheel to see what the fender gap looks like, but let the car's weight still rest on the jack or you may push you studs sideways, making them come loose and then you won't be able to get the wheel off.

When testing the spacing, look for clearance on the fender, the strut (behind the wheel) and the brakes (especially in the front). Also make sure nothing touches at full steering deflection (not just straight).

I've been playing with this a lot lately - so if you have questions, ask away .

 

I was thinking of just adding spacers to the rear set to make them stick out more than the fronts and give it a more agressive look. My question to the suspension /tire gurus is...."Is it safe to do rears only" Remember I don not track this car at all, its daioly driven and show only car...

 

There's nothing unsafe about doing the rear only, although you will increase the Evo's tendency to understeer (which for a show car you may not carew about). If you use spacers large than 3mm, make sure you use longer studs or a spacer that comes with built in studs.

 

Where's a good source for longer studs? Robi says that he runs a 6mm spacer with the stock studs without any problems. Personally, I'd be more comfortable with longer studs. I know the thread is 12x1.5. Are there specific specs for the knurled part of the stud?