I've heard that wheel spacers are not recommended for the Z. Can anyone with knowledge shatter some light?

 

Please do because I was wondering the same thing. I tried a search but got too many mixed opinions. WE CAN HANDLE THE TRUTH!!!!!!!

 

i dont but you can put spacers on

 

Their is absolutely nothing wrong with putting spacers on your car..... i track/drift/daily drive with them...

i just make sure they are torqued to spec and cruize..

- j

 

Simple explanation is that they are hard on wheel bearings, but that would go for any car. I believe the wrong wheel offset does the same thing, though. It would have to be pretty far off factory, I would think.

 

I call BS on spacers being bad for the car. Sounds like an urban myth.

You should be good as long as:
1. you keep the hubcentric setup
2. You replace the studs with longer ones.

Why BS? Do you ever hear anyone stating that certain offsets wear the wheel bearings? So is a +30 (factory offset) OK? And then +22 or +15 is bad for the car? I have never heard that. Spacers simply change your effective offset and if installed correctly should not hurt the car. [/thread]

 

they are mostly for looks or to make a wrong offset wheel fit the z. if done right there should be no problems.

 

Wheels that stick out further put more stress on the hub and bearings. It will premature wear them.

 

Ive known guys with +12 offset 19X9.5" front Volks who constantly break wheel studs. Running a spacer will certainly put similar added stress on the hub. Id love to run a small spacer out back, but for as hard as I drive my car Id be one of the few to have issues with studs/hubs/bearings, etc.

 

Yep, it's the same effect as running a lower offset wheel.

I believe that the whole "hubcentric" requirement is overstated, and basically repeated due to advertising, as well. It's the same as running an aftermarket wheel with no hub rings and I have never personally seen failure due to not running one.

 

May not be failure, but I will promise you will get vibs, and those vibs put more stress on the components.

 

And you will contunue to read pro and con opinions forever.

 

+1

 

my car had 19" HP design wheels on it when i bought the car, and i have not had them off yet to really inspect them. the front wheel comes out to be in line with the front fenders, but that is not the case in the rear. the rear wheel sits in the well maybe less than an inch from the bodywork. on a stock set-up where does the rear wheel sit? is it flush with the rear fender, or is it slightly in the well?

 

can stock studs be used for a simple size like +25 8.5 wheel? this shouldnt put any unnecessary stress correct?

 

Who you gonna call:




May want to call them.

 

I have had rear 1" spacers on my gtfour for several years and never had a bearing or anything go out back there. Hubcentric H&R trac spacers. I know quite a few others who never had issues with them as well.

 

OK, Fine... Theoretically, a more aggressive offset will increase the load on wheel bearing and that can lead to increased heat, premature breakdown of lubricants, and possible premature wear of the bearings.

But the key is - by how much? Wheel bearings do not last forever - true.

There are more factors to wearing wheel bearings than changing the offset slightly - we are talking an inch or less normally here, not inches. So do you only get 95% of the life expectancy of your wheel bearings?

So the only important question is "Does increased offset _significatly_ reduce wheel bearing life?".

Other things that can possibly reduce wheel bearing life (Avoid these if you care):

- Increased rim width
- Increased tire width
- Stickier tire compound
- Braking (creates heat, reduces bearing lubrication life)
- Bumpy roads
- Aggressive driving
- increased Spring rate
- Increased Damping rate
- larger Sway bars
- Driver weight
- Passenger weight
- Stereo component weight for those that upgrade the stereo
- manufacturing tolerances in mechanicals and lubrication
- and the list goes on


Put 'Em on... Look good... Go drive your car...

 

In what situations are they breaking studs? During track/autocross events, or when removing/tightening/torquing the lug nuts? If the latter, do you know if they only daily driver their cars, or do they track/autocross as well?

 

I cannot imagine how the minimal width of a 10-15mm spacer (only a fraction of an inch) would place enough additional stress on the Z’s suspension causing damage (unless of course, there was a poor mount or uneven spacer resulting in a “wobble”).

With this said, I also wonder why anyone would install a spacer instead of mounting a wheel with the desired offset (but, I’m sure someone will tell me).

--Spike