which one is better? bolt on adaptors do not require longer studs but at least 20mm and up
i need some spacers for my OEM track Rays but not sure if i should go with flat 15mm spacer (longer studs needed) or 20mm adaptor up front and my car is slammed with coilovers
please help
thx

 

I went with the H&R wheel spacers. 15mm front and 20mm rear when you run the track wheels fits real well.

Changing the studs took me about 1 hour, I had to do it anyway since I snapped one front one, and all the others where pretty tweaked. It's not a bad idea to replace these about once a year if you track a lot. Also having longer studs makes it much easier to get the wheels on and off quickly.

The H&R spacers are pretty light, and hubcentric... I am pretty sure the adapter style will add a little more weight. HTH

 

I've been trying to learn about wheel spacers/adapters because I'm interested myself.

If I understand correctly, spacers do not have built-in studs. To be safe when using spacers, you should always replace the original wheel studs with longer ones to make up for the difference. Adapters have their own studs sticking out of the spacer piece and then the adapter is secured to the wheel using the original hub. In other words, there are two sets of studs per wheel in a sort of daisy chain fashion.

I've found conflicting suggestions about the whole spacers versus adapters thing. To me it just seems like a spacer would always be safer so long as you have the proper length of studs. Stacking studs just doesn't seem safe to me as there is the opportunity for imbalances to be compounded. Adapters just look like a way to save on installation effort and it is safer than using a spacer with studs that are too short.

I've also read that spacers/adapters should be hub- and wheel-centric. As far as I can tell, this means that there is a lip on the inside and outside of the spacer/adapter that fits with tight tolerances against the hub and wheel, respectively. This centers the wheel and spacer/adapter for good balance. I think you also need to make sure that your wheels fit tightly with the spacer wheel-side lip, otherwise you won't get a good centering effect. It’s not clear to me if the Rays track wheels would fit tightly with a hub/wheel-centric spacer of any specific manufacturer.

A lot of wheels are stud-centric. This is where the studs do the centering of the wheel since a stud-centric wheel has those beveled stud bolt holes that force the wheel to center as you tighten in a star pattern. However, from what I’ve read it sounds like you can have a hub/wheel/stud-centric spacer. If the machining of the spacer is of a high enough quality and built to exacting tolerances, then the stud self-centering will not work against the wheel-centric lip.

My hesitation to get spacers has to do with diminished wheel bearing life and potentially not being covered by my car insurance (especially, if my wheel fails causing an accident). Also, I think spacers might throw off alignment a little bit. The further out the wheels, the more leverage against the springs. This will cause the car to drop a tiny bit and possibly the need for beefier springs/shocks. A drop will throw off camber.

That said, I’ve found several examples of racing sanctioning bodies allowing wheel spacers in competitions. They just make you use open-ended stud bolts so they can see that you have enough thread engaged. So they can’t be all that bad, can they?

Sorry for the rambling post!

--
Jeff

 

The H&R spacers are hub-centric and "wheel-centric" as long as you buy them for the 350z. The wheels on the track model and touring have the same inside diameter hole, I use both with these spacers and they are a nice tight fit.

I checked alignment in the front after adding 15mm spacers and camber/toe did not change, at least not enough for the laser to notice... didn't check the rear. HTH

 

Thanks for the info. Sounds like H&R are a very good option for spacers. How heavy do you think they are? Also, did you need to roll your fenders for the 15mm spacers? And was this with or without a drop?

I checked your website and saw that you have coilovers but it also looks like you aren't using track model wheels anymore. Or maybe you're using all three sets of wheels interchangeably?

Thanks,
Jeff

 

I have many sets of wheels... the track wheels are still my favorites and you do not need to roll the fenders with the 15mm front and 20mm rear setup. My car is very low, almost too low to drive but that actually helps because it increases the negative camber in the rear.

 

thanks guys
hey 03Z33 how about 20mm in the front?do you think it will fit with the drop? and btw do you have to use open end lugs for the longer studs ?

 

20mm in front should fit fine with stock 225/45/18 tires, I run 245/40/18 or 265/35/18 so I went with the 15mm to be safe. 245/40 should work with the 20mm and may look more aggressive. All this is considering you have the stock touring or track front 18x8.0 et 30 wheel.

I run the long Nismo lug nuts (black 6 corner harder to steel wheels), bought them at Performance Nissan www.mynismo.com

I am not a big fan of lightweight aluminum lugs since I change wheels so often they tend to wear out quick... the nismo are just as strong as stock just longer and look better

 

I have Track wheels and I would like to get spacers as well, but how long do the new studs have to be if I go with the 15mm front and 20mm rear spacers? Also, where could I get them?

 

The 350Z specific H&R Spacers include the correct length spacer. I believe they are about 70mm for 15mm and 75mm for 20mm spacer.

You could also buy Nismo lugs from Performance Nissan which come in 50mm and 60mm. Stock is ~43mm front and 46mm rear if I remember correct.

 

Does anyone know if use of a 5mm spacer would require longer studs?

 

5mm should not require longer studs with stock wheels.

Some aftermarket wheels have thicker pads which take up more of the stud requiring you to check for enough turns (at least 5) with any spacer.

8mm or more requires longer studs with any wheel.

 

we have adapters available for 20mm or higher spacers...

http://www.performancenissanparts.co...oducts_id=1824

 

Fred custom made mines - 25mm spacers, hubcentric, extended studs, billet alum. Good $hit!!!!

http://www.wheeladapter.com/

 

Our wheel adapters are $125 for 25mm w/ studs and nuts...

 

You should check out H&R I know they make spacers and adaptors.

 

we used to sell the H&R Wheel spacers and adapters... they never ended up releaseing the 25mm to the distributers in the states...

but, the 5 / 15 / 20 mm came with hub bolts that didnt match the knurl of the factory hub bolts so wouldnt stay in the wheel hub securely...

 

Here is a picture of a S13 25mm wheel adapter we made...

 

Jason, do you have KS13 4 to 5 lug conversion adapters? (to run 5 lug wheels on a 4 lug car)

 

Can have them made no problem... Would be cheeper then switching over to the 5 lug hubs which we do sell as well...