Question about spacers

[shakalaka]

So I've been looking into getting some spacers for my Z. But to be honest I have no idea where to begin when it comes to what brand or size I should be going with.

The thing is that I have aftermarket rims for the car and the stock one's that I use in winter. So I would like to get some that fit well on both the sets. The stock rims sit way inside the wheel well for my liking, so the spacers should fix that problem. The aftermarket one's sit nicely but I wouldn't mind if they stick further out. The car is on stock height, so I don't think I will need to roll the fenders or anything although I am not too sure.

I am going to attach some pictures of the car with both the aftermarket rims and the stock rims, so that you guys can have an idea about what I am talking about. And possibly be able to make some recommendation as to the size of spacers I should be looking at.

Thanks.

[Modelexis]

if you're adding spacers, I would suggest first you upgrade all four corners to extended ARP studs with appropriate length to accommodate a spacer application without creating extra strain on studs that weren't designed to work with spacers.

[Cos]

^^ or depending on how far he goes out, the kind I got came with new studs.

H&R makes spacers. I bought mine off eBay but mine are for trucks.

[shakalaka]

That's the thing though, I am not exactly sure how much width I should be going. Because as I said, I would want my OEM wheels to sit right at the wheel well. So obviously I would need to get spacers that are wide enough to do that. But I don't know if the same set of spacers would work with my aftermarket rims as they sit just outside the wheel well as it. I wouldn't mind if they extend further out even more, as I've seen on certain cars but not sure how much. And what all the studs stuff is. And if they come with spacers or have to be bought separately. Also read something about hub-centric one's are recommended. None of this makes much sense to me. I thought it was as simple as getting whatever size you want and slipping them behind your wheels and bolting your wheels back on.

[Cos]

Okay so if you go .5" or 1" what happens is that you put more stress on the end of the stud as the weight of the wheel is put .5 or 1" out. Now if you buy 2" spacers (like mine) they bolt up as of it was it's own rim, and then the spacer actually has it's own studs that the rim bolts too. These don't add anymore stress to the studs then a wheel with higher offset would have.

Now to see what size you want just go and get a tape measure and see. Just remember when you push the front wheels out they could grab because you are increasing the turning radius size.

As for hub centric? 99% of cars use the hub to center the wheel. That is hub centric. Lug centric means the rim is centered on the hub using the lugs. If 350's are hub centric you want hub centric spacers.




As for if your stock rims will work, if your aftermarket rims have a different offset your spacers will affect those differently than the aftermarket rims

[shakalaka]

Ok that makes it a lot more clearer. Thanks.

So obviously the aftermarket rims and tires are much wider than my stock one's. Do you mean that one set of spacers won't work for both then?

Or do you mean that say for example 30mm spacers will push my stock rear rims, right to the wheel well and the same spacer will push the aftermarket one's way further out of the wheel well? Cause this is what I have been thinking.

Is there any way to check what is the appropriate size for the front wheels, because obviously I don't want the wheels to grab while turning and stuff.

And last but not the least, when I am shopping for spacers, some sets will come with the extended studs and some won't? Did I get that right? And I should be looking at the one's that come with the extended studs?

Thanks a ton.

[Modelexis]

take a ruler and measure out how much further out you want them, then look at the distance in mm and use that to order spacers.
Do the same at full turning lock to see if they will be a problem.

You cannot add spacers and expect no rubbing issues, it's like lowering your car and expecting to not scrape on big dips.

Here's how this goofball did it:

[Cos]

1.) yes that is exactly what I mean about your stock rims and aftermarket.

2.) as for checking the fronts I would just see what the biggest offset it is you can run with that tire size. I didn't think about that until I tried to out my spacers on. I need smaller tires now.

3.) if you get ones that come with supplemental studs and you only go 1" say. You will have to cut your stock studs down to fit. In that case I would swap for stronger arp studs as suggested above.

On iPhone if grammar sucks and I missed anything.

[shakalaka]

Great, thanks a lot for all the help. Sounds like something I would be interested in doing, although I am just worried about the rubbing issues. Although I thought I wouldn't have to worry about that because my car is at stock height and I don't plan to lower it.

And that cutting the stock studs business sounds complicated. I am guessing the only way is to get it professionally installed. Cause they can worry about all the cutting and stuff. Although I think it would still be cheaper for me to buy the spacers online from somewhere, so just have to find out the right size I need I guess.

[Shlade]

go with 1inch H&R spacers.

I just bought a set for my Mustang and it should sit flush with the fender well afterwards.

[msommers]

What's the offset and width of both sets?

If you're going to get spacers, I would suggest getting either extended studs but more so a spacer with the studs embedded in it.

[ercchry]

Originally posted by Shlade
go with 1inch H&R spacers.

I just bought a set for my Mustang and it should sit flush with the fender well afterwards.

what the hell does your mustang have to do with his Z???!!! how can you just throw out a random number like that and tell him it will work on his car?


this is fucking simple.... get TWO sets of spacers... ones with studs in them... NOT slip on's

where the fuck do you want your aftermarket wheels to sit? how much farther out? figure that out? okay get that size of spacer... its not rocket science.... for the stock ones? well you SHOULD know the widths and offsets of both sets of wheels... if you dont... well i cant help you.... that is your own issue.... do some math and figure out the difference between aftermarket wheels and oem... get that difference in width for your second set of spacers.... DONE

[Aaron@Tuner]

If you need some help with this OP, send me an email or a PM on Monday and I'll give you a hand.

[Shlade]

Originally posted by ercchry


what the hell does your mustang have to do with his Z???!!! how can you just throw out a random number like that and tell him it will work on his car?


this is fucking simple.... get TWO sets of spacers... ones with studs in them... NOT slip on's

where the fuck do you want your aftermarket wheels to sit? how much farther out? figure that out? okay get that size of spacer... its not rocket science.... for the stock ones? well you SHOULD know the widths and offsets of both sets of wheels... if you dont... well i cant help you.... that is your own issue.... do some math and figure out the difference between aftermarket wheels and oem... get that difference in width for your second set of spacers.... DONE

Whats up your ass bud?

1 inch is usually standard. From what I can see it looks like a 8-8.5 inch wide rim.

1 inch for the rear will work perfectly and make it sit flush.

I threw out that number because ive got a 8.5 inch wide rim. 1 inch spacer is perfect for the back.

[msommers]

Despite him being a dick about it, he's right.

Given that Shaka seems to want one set of spacers for two sets of wheels, it's gonna be tough to find one without knowing the specs to start with.

25mm or ~1" can be a pretty aggressive spacer depending on what you have already. Given the picture, I think a 25mm on the rear would push it out too far to be flush.

The stock Z wheels I'm willing to wager a more conservative offset and may benefit from a 25mm spacer. Again it's difficult to tell from the pictures.

In the end, I think for what Shaka wants, he's gonna end up with 2 sets of spacers. Or settle for something in the middle or pick one set of wheels to fit well.

One thing to consider is if you haven't lowered yet, are you planning on it and by how much.

[Modelexis]

Originally posted by shakalaka
I am guessing the only way is to get it professionally installed.

For you this is the best option, especially since most people have seen your other DIY skills (caliper paint).

[msommers]

Shoulda gone with the Brembo covers

[shakalaka]

I'll get the offsets of both the stock and the aftermarket tires tomo to give you guys a better idea.

I was also thinking that one set of spacers might not work with both the sets of tires. Considering one set will be good enough to push the stock one's so they fit flush with the fender. And at the same time the same set of spacers will push the aftermarket rims way further out considering they already sit flush with the finder and even a little out right now.

But what I am wondering is if that would look really odd? I've seen some cars with wheels that are way out of the fender area.

[ercchry]

Originally posted by Shlade


Whats up your ass bud?

1 inch is usually standard. From what I can see it looks like a 8-8.5 inch wide rim.

1 inch for the rear will work perfectly and make it sit flush.

I threw out that number because ive got a 8.5 inch wide rim. 1 inch spacer is perfect for the back.

im sorry i dont handle stupidity well... ALL CARS ARE DIFFERENT if you dont have a Z just dont even bother throwing out spacer widths it is POINTLESS

and to the comments about mexiflush looking weird... i dunno... you tell me




you would think at this point in time people would understand what it takes to fit a wheel properly... if you refuse to lower the car... just stop now

[eglove]

^ mm hmm

plus irregardless of the rims of a 350z and a mustang being 8 inches...the offsets will still be different, thus giving you a different spacer width.