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View Full Version : What are wheel spacer's for?



Hachiman
04-15-2003, 09:46 AM
Sorry. New to all of this.

fishboy
04-15-2003, 09:55 AM
besides making the rims sit super flush with the fenders they also give a slightly wider wheelbase to improve handling and performance.:)

chunky
04-15-2003, 12:24 PM
Originally posted by fishboy
besides making the rims sit super flush with the fenders they also give a slightly wider wheelbase to improve handling and performance.:)

wheelbase = distance from center of front wheel hub to center of rear wheel hub

track = distance from centerline of left wheel to centerline of right wheel.

spacers give you a wider track. By widening the track of the car, you lower the roll center of the car giving you better handling through the turns.

Most often though people buy spacers to help alleviate problems with rubbing on the inside fender or to create clearance between the back of the wheel and the brake rotor.

SHAKEnBAKE
04-15-2003, 12:24 PM
Has anyone use it? I'm considering puttin the on after I got lowered.

hamlet9634
04-15-2003, 12:41 PM
spacers are a bit of a tradeoff. Though they do give the car a wider track, they decrease the amount of thread each lugnut has to grip on a the end of the spindle. This is usually not a major issue, but with very thich spacers and hard driving, you do run a small risk of damage to the spindle, etc.. though i've personally never actually heard of this happening. You can correct for this by buying longer bolts, but that's a bit of a hassle.

The better way to go.. in terms of getting the wheels to fit the way you want, is to buy a set of wheels that has the offset you want from the outset, instead of adding extra parts.

I know from firsthand experience that 16x7.5 wheels with a 32 offset will fit on a lowered EP (mine's about 2inches lowered) WITHOUT any rubbing and without having to roll the fenders. Most wheel companies sell offsets 40 or higher, so you have to shop around a bit, but they are available.

fishboy
04-15-2003, 02:06 PM
yeah, "track" that's what i meant.:D

SinisterCivicSi
04-15-2003, 06:47 PM
yeah i heard spacers will f! your stuff up. if you like the look and dont care about the long term, go for it.

FailureToStop
04-15-2003, 08:19 PM
Hamlet,

What tires are you running?

ALCT
04-15-2003, 08:29 PM
Originally posted by Hachiman
Sorry. New to all of this.

Hub rings serve no purpose after installation, their entire job is to hold your wheel perfectly centered while the lug nuts are being installed.

The hub rings sole responsibility is to take up the space between the center bore of the wheel and the hub of the car. For example: the center bore of all 4x100mm and 5x100mm wheels is 64mm. However, the hub diameter of the Honda is 56.1mm. Therefore to take up the space between 64mm and 56.1mm a hub ring is used.

:)

SinisterCivicSi
04-16-2003, 03:15 AM
hub rings and spacers are two totally different things.

hamlet9634
04-16-2003, 07:50 AM
hub rings are COMPLETELY different from spacers :)

I'm running 205/45/16 tires. The overall diameter is about an inch less than stock, so my speedometer is off. I don't really care about the speedo, though, and smaller overall diameter gives improved turning and acceleration with a loss in straight-line stability and a lower top speed.

SiR Medic
04-16-2003, 08:33 AM
Spacers = unsprung weight increase = BAD


Get yerself some wheels with proper offset.

Hachiman
04-16-2003, 10:04 AM
Originally posted by hamlet9634
spacers are a bit of a tradeoff. Though they do give the car a wider track, they decrease the amount of thread each lugnut has to grip on a the end of the spindle. This is usually not a major issue, but with very thich spacers and hard driving, you do run a small risk of damage to the spindle, etc.. though i've personally never actually heard of this happening. You can correct for this by buying longer bolts, but that's a bit of a hassle.

The better way to go.. in terms of getting the wheels to fit the way you want, is to buy a set of wheels that has the offset you want from the outset, instead of adding extra parts.

I know from firsthand experience that 16x7.5 wheels with a 32 offset will fit on a lowered EP (mine's about 2inches lowered) WITHOUT any rubbing and without having to roll the fenders. Most wheel companies sell offsets 40 or higher, so you have to shop around a bit, but they are available.

That's what I've been told. Just get Rims with the correct offset.

Hachiman
04-16-2003, 10:05 AM
Thanks for all the infor guys!!

SinisterCivicSi
04-16-2003, 07:45 PM
16's shouldnt affect your speedometer.....i have been told you can go up to 2-3 sizes before the speedometer is off....at least thats what it was for the 93 civic i had. if your stock is 15.....then the 16's arent going to change, now if your going 18 + then its gonna be off.

hamlet9634
04-16-2003, 08:58 PM
Originally posted by SinisterCivicSi
16's shouldnt affect your speedometer.....i have been told you can go up to 2-3 sizes before the speedometer is off....at least thats what it was for the 93 civic i had. if your stock is 15.....then the 16's arent going to change, now if your going 18 + then its gonna be off.


no, that's completely wrong. It isn't the size of the wheel that you have to look at, it's the overall diameter of the wheel/tire combination.

205/50/16 has nearly identical overall diameter to 195/60/15, which is stock, so speedo is not affected. 205/45/16, though, is about an inch smaller overall diameter, so your speedo is off roughly 6%. 215/45/16, though, would be almost identical to stock.. so speedo would be normal.

I think 205/45/17 is close to stock in overall diameter, but I'm not sure.

You can't just look at wheel size, you have to look at overall diameter including tires.

SinisterCivicSi
04-17-2003, 02:58 AM
hmmmmmm........and i got that info off a website too........they sounded like they knew their shit.

oh you know what, i just went to the site....sorry - i am a crackhead - they did state next to the "tire" size under the 17 in. catagory regarding the loss in accuracy of the speedometer.
guess i should double check my info before rattlin off on the keyboard. hee heee
MY MISTAKE! :rolleyes:

2k3vbpEP
05-04-2003, 12:27 PM
actually 215/45R17 is the closest to stock diameter in a 17". I plan on getting wheels after I get my Teins so I will check this out and see if they rub.