Spacers

OXO · Post by **OXO** » Tue 17 Sep, 2013 07:52

I want to get some spacers to make the rear arches look more filled. I like the spacers which bolt to the hubs and don't need longer wheel bolts.

But what thickness is good? The Z has Msport suspension btw..

Brian H · Post by **Brian H** » Tue 17 Sep, 2013 09:07

Hi OXO,

What are you wheel size/offset ?

My wheels are 17" 8.5 et41 and I have 15mm spacers on my car, it looks like this: -

My Spacers are the ones that use the longer bolts.

OXO · Post by **OXO** » Tue 17 Sep, 2013 09:11

They are 16s, I don't know the offset, but they are the style 55s originally supplied when the car was new.

Boysie · Post by **Boysie** » Tue 17 Sep, 2013 09:28

I have toyed with idea on my ///M
Its 15cm wider at the already
I have annoyingly kerbed twice in 12 years, at the rear parking, ludicrously high jagged kerbs

Any wider at the rear, I'll get a ticket for being to far from the kerb lol
I'm still thinking about though, the car looks mean, even meaner cant be bad thing

Frank.A · Post by **Frank.A** » Tue 17 Sep, 2013 10:08

I had type 64 on my Zed originally,which I believe have the same offset as type 55.I had 20mm steel HC spacers which are the optimum to bolt to the hubs and then use your original wheel bolts to refit wheels.I am considering using these 20mm spacers wwith my current type 18s.

OXO · Post by **OXO** » Tue 17 Sep, 2013 10:40

Thanks Frank. Where do these type spacers come from?

Frank.A · Post by **Frank.A** » Tue 17 Sep, 2013 14:41

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-Hubcentri ... #vi-ilComp

These on Ebay are a good price but the listing seems confused.It states 20mm in the header but further on in the description states 15mm and then 20mm.It states for E36 but if you put your Z3 details in the compatability boxes states no fit..
Best to check with the seller.There are others.
They are the same make as mine but the picture is for illustration only.

Mine look as in the following listing but are much dearer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20MM-Hubcentr ... 43be024395

gas guzzler · Post by **gas guzzler** » Tue 17 Sep, 2013 15:14

I have a 2.8 with 16" alloys and putting spacers on is one of the first things I did as I didn't like the way the car looked. However I've since heard that spacers aren't that safe, not to sure how true that is. I used 20mm spacers, looks so much better. Pretty sure the link below is the company I used

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-X-20MM-HUBC ... 27cb6141d0

Andy

TR4man · Post by **TR4man** » Tue 17 Sep, 2013 18:38

gas guzzler wrote: However I've since heard that spacers aren't that safe, not to sure how true that is.
Andy

Interesting that you state that.

If you use a 20mm spacer and the standard length wheel bolts, then surely these wheel bolts are not penetrating the hub by at least 20mm?

If you must use spacers, then you must used longer wheel bolts to compensate for the spacer thickness?

I know what to mean though about filling the arches, my Zed is a "wide body" and aesthetically the wheels and tyres don't look wide enough.

Regards

Peter

Mugs · Post by **Mugs** » Tue 17 Sep, 2013 19:43

there are spacers that have 10 holes (5 through and 5 tapped)that bolt directly to your hub then you use your original bolts that screw into the tapped holes in the spacers.
I have always used longer bolts / studs (depending on the fixing type) so the spacer is sandwiched between the wheel and the hub and the wheel is still directly bolted to the hub. I don't trust the ones I described above as you have to rely on the spacers holding the wheel firm then holding the whole lot to the hub.

Boysie · Post by **Boysie** » Tue 17 Sep, 2013 23:04

Mugs wrote:I have always used longer bolts / studs (depending on the fixing type) so the spacer is sandwiched between the wheel and the hub and the wheel is still directly bolted to the hub. I don't trust the ones I described above as you have to rely on the spacers holding the wheel firm then holding the whole lot to the hub.

There is somebody I think on here? selling some of them in the last couple of days

OXO · Post by **OXO** » Wed 18 Sep, 2013 07:02

Mugs wrote:there are spacers that have 10 holes (5 through and 5 tapped)that bolt directly to your hub then you use your original bolts that screw into the tapped holes in the spacers.
I have always used longer bolts / studs (depending on the fixing type) so the spacer is sandwiched between the wheel and the hub and the wheel is still directly bolted to the hub. I don't trust the ones I described above as you have to rely on the spacers holding the wheel firm then holding the whole lot to the hub.

Actually, I would trust the ones with two sets of short bolts. This is because the lever arm on long bolts going through spacers is longer, so wheel loads can stress the long bolts more. The long bolts also have thread all the way up which is in a plain hole in the spacer and this is not how bolts are supposed to be used ( actually, they are screws, not bolts. Bolts have an unthreaded section on the shank for exactly this reason)

Bazza1 · Post by **Bazza1** » Wed 18 Sep, 2013 12:11

I have 16inch wheels on my Z with spacers off 20mm (rear) 1998 wide arch model with the two set off bolts method
feels very safe more than pleased with the look with the spacers would reccomend.

Bazza

Frank.A · Post by **Frank.A** » Wed 18 Sep, 2013 13:52

Spacers bolted to hubs and wheels bolted to spacers is the proper engineering method for 15mm and above.These aren't really spacers,more hub extensions.

Mugs · Post by **Mugs** » Wed 18 Sep, 2013 17:59

my problem is that I bought a car with 20mm hub extensions on it and due to them being ally the tapped holes had starting stripping so they came straight off.

i'm not sure if they were just cheap ones and better ones may have hardened inserts but it just scared me.

OXO · Post by **OXO** » Wed 18 Sep, 2013 19:39

Ally?

Noo, must be steel.

woozzle · Post by **woozzle** » Wed 18 Sep, 2013 21:59

Bazza1 wrote:I have 16inch wheels on my Z with spacers off 20mm (rear) 1998 wide arch model with the two set off bolts method
feels very safe more than pleased with the look with the spacers would reccomend.

Bazza

do you have a photo with this set up. thanks

Jonttt · Post by **Jonttt** » Wed 18 Sep, 2013 23:43

If the wheels are already on your car you don't need to know the offset to work out what spacer you need, just measure yourself from the face of the wheel to the arch. You car is not that low so there seems plenty of clearance so you should not have to worry about catching the front arch liner. The rear looks as if your could go more than 20mm but personally I would never go more than 30mm.

Don't copy what someone else has done unless you know they are exactly the same wheel in terms of width and offset.

TPI are a good make at reasonable prices. Anything to do with wheels I would avoid the cheap part less than £40 for a set of 2.

Bazza1 · Post by **Bazza1** » Thu 19 Sep, 2013 09:12

Hi, Wozzle sorry can't post pic's (don't know why) I have Ally spacer's and will check them now? can only presume that if Ally threads are being stripped they have been over tightened
at some time

Bazza

OXO · Post by **OXO** » Thu 19 Sep, 2013 09:55

Jonttt wrote:TPI are a good make at reasonable prices. Anything to do with wheels I would avoid the cheap part less than £40 for a set of 2.

They are mag alloy. I wouldn't put them on my car. Steel only for me.

zroadster.net

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