i have heard mixed things about using wheel spacers when getting new rims. i have heard that they aren't safe because you are using 10 bolts instead of 5 and the wheel is away from the rotor and all that. So what is the real deal with spacers? are they recommended? and safe? any body ever had any problems?

 

there are some members that use adapters and are happy w/ them, do a search and you'll find a ton of info. I ended up just getting wheels w/ the correct backspacing & offset which eliminates the need for adapters.

 

I'm using spacers for my rims...

They can withstand the beating from my 170 HP Factory Rating LO3 TBI.....

But they are safe and can withstand quite a bit, they aren't cheapo kinda stuff, they are VERY VERY strong......

 

how do you know what the correct back spacing and offset is?

 

i've got spacers too. and like what was said, they aren't cheap pieces. i've had mine almost 2 years now, without any problems. however, i dont think i'm going to keep them when my current set of tires go out. the rears only take a 1.25" spacer, and those seem fine, but hte fronts take a 2.25" which seems to me that it would be impossible for it not to exert an extra strain. but overall, i've been extremely pleased with how they've performed, not one problem. i've even heard of cars turning some fast 1/4's with them. it's mostly me being self-conscious about my car that i'm going to switch them.

-Pat

 

They should be fine for daily driving, or even spirited driving. When you start getting into hard 1/4 launches or roadracing at high speeds then strength might be a question. I've never owned a set myself so I dont know how much they can/cant take. Lets just say I wouldnt trust drifting my Camaro with spacers. Direct bolt on fit is the best. But sometimes you sacrafice strength for style. Its really up to you.

 

If billet adapters are available for your rims, I use them instead of spacers. Check out www.skulte.com for more info on the billet adapters.

 

http://www.poorformance.net/tech/tiremath/tiremath.html

i made this up a while ago....hope it helps

 

i have 1.75 spacers all the way around... no problems, i just took em off a couple weeks ago to put the stock rims back on, they look fine everything looks good

 

do you have spacers or adapters?

adapters are what you really want...they are just an extension of your setup. while you shouldn't through a serious amount of power at them and not expect problems you should be fine!

they wouldn't be around and people wouldn't use adapters if they weren't safe.

spacers on the other hand is a different story....while most have luck they scare me too.

 

1991 Z-28: where did you get your rims? Are they 17's?? How wide are they, etc? I really like them, look good! I got 17" snypers and I wanted chrome and now that i see your rims...i'm jealous!! Thanks in advance

 

when you say you shouldn't go real fast, how fast is real fast? I will occasionally be taking my car to the track and hope to run about 12's? is this ok?

 

while i think 12's would probably be ok....i wouldn't attempt it. the main reason though would also depend on the tires (drag radial or street tire).

the reason is for obvious traction reasons. i'm sure people do it, but i would just use a stock rim with a dr or other tire than trying to use an adapter....just to be safe. people do it though.

see on the streets it wouldn't really matter how much because anyone with power that can truly break an adapter probably won't hook up on the street (street tires of course) so there isn't the worry like a well prepped track.


it's up to you to spend 200 or so for some rear tires or chance breaking your car and wrecking something.

 

its 2000 chrome vette rims, 17 in front 18 in back, 275 tires in back 245 in front

 

i wouldnt be buying drag radials or slicks or anything, i would be running on street tires, im not real concerned about traction, im not giong to be doing anything crazy

 

actually, on second thought i would put the stock wheels back on anyway i think if i went to the track

 

A good set of billet adapters are very safe. Redraif has run them for a couple years with no issues, just be sure to put plenty of antiseize on the bolts if they're two piece adapters and torque them properly. Id get rims that don't need them if you can, but thats due to cost/complexity, not any safety issue.

 

I have 4th gen rims on my car with really big spacers. at First i was a little worried about the strength but they hold up fine.. heres a pic of the rim.

 

I've been running them on my car, but my car hasn't been running.
I've got an extra pair of 2.25" bolt on adaptors if anyone needs a pair for thier fronts. I had them on my rears for a while until I got my 4th gen rear, didn't look bad at all either,

 

I'm running custom 1" 6061 aluminum adapters on all 4 corners. A full weekend of drag racing and then an 800 mile drive to school, no problems at all. Im going to try slicks this summer and see how they hold up.

 

I'm running them on my car. From what I've heard there not terrible, I've heard they were bad on wheel bearings. Then about 1-2 of having these wheels, the wheel bearings needed replacing. But since I didn't replaced the wheel bearings since I owned the car, can't be sure of what caused it.

I also think there is someone on this board that had a problem at the track with a set, something about a wheel releasing from the spacer.

 

now im confused, ive got american racing torque thrust 2's for my car that came from a guy with a 1998 trans am. My car is an 87 GTA. the wheels are 17's, 10.5 in the back and 9.5 in the front for width. So what exactly do the spacers do and why do I need them?

 

spacers are used when the offest of a new rim is deeper than the stock rim. maybe this picture will help...BTW this is a view from the top of the tire/rim

 

your TT2's prolly have the same offset as your original rim therefore you dont need spacers.

 

alright, so will i need adapters then since they came off a 98?

 

u might need adapters im not sure if they have the same bolt pattern or not. so i dont know...

 

4th Gens are the same bolt pattern, but if the wheels fit a 4th gen properly, they're not going to fit properly on a 3rd gen. You'll need some good billet spacers...check with Skulte, I think they sell them. Salesco also has them.

 

Yes you will need spacers. The adaptors used for wheels from a 4th gen will have the same bolt patten as a 3rd gen, but you need them because of the differant offset (like pic above). If you are getting wheels like REDRAIF she needed the adaptors for offset and bolt patern. Or do what I did (will alot of info help from zepher) put in a rear end from a 4rth gen, then you only need spacers in the front. I got my front adapotrs frm www.skulte.com . If you tell them what car you have and what wheels your getting, they will let you know the correct size adaptor to get.

Oh ya, I havent had any problems with my adaptors.

 

here are my 2.5" adaptors for the front



adaptors on the wheel



and the wheels on the car

 

Yep I would recommend what Jaw has. Mine are more complex due to lug pattern issues, but as long as they are billet aluminum, you should be in good shape. I got mine thru www.salesco.com They really took care of me. Quality spacers! They even figured out teh offset based on the rims I was gettting. the stance was a touch wider then stock, but its just the way I like them...Check the pics of my set up here...

www.cardomain.com/id/redraif
go to page 18.

Here is a direct link adapters

I have not added all the text yet, but it has pics of the adapters as they went on...

Here is my stance:

 

i know this thread is kinda old but, im going to go to the dealer to have them mount the rims/tires because they have to put the tires on the rims anyway, so should i just have them buy spacers for me and put them on or should i buy them and have them put the spacers on? thanks

 

use adapters..........not spacers, and understand that most shops won't put them on for you as to legality issues.

better make sure you know what your getting.

aircraft aluminum for the adapter itself and at least a #8 grade or #10 grade titanium stud.

good luck with it.

 

Loke kandied said, they probabally wont put the wheels on your car if you have adaptors, and if you tell them you are getting adaptors they will say it is a bad idea. You will have to bring your 4 wheels up there and have the tires put on then bring them home and pu the wheels/tire on your car.

 

Be sure to put plenty of antiseize on the studs (threads and under the head if they're two piece)...its a total PITA to get them off later otherwise.

 

lately ive been looking at some z06 17x9.5's and i was wondering if i should run 2's or 2.25's all the way around or 2/2.25's in the front and 1.5/1.25's in the rear..any input would be great.