Wheel Spacers 101

Trips

Here is a good thread.

Anyone have a setup of 15mm spacers in front and 20 rear?

There are two types

Type 1. Requires you to replace the studs for longer ones some prefer this method but does require more work

Example:



Type 2. Require you to only remove the wheel to bolt the spacer to the existing studs and reuse the original lugs to tighten the wheels to the spacer.
This the easiest way to go.

There is a cost different between the two options

Example



Now the only thing left is to decide on how big of a spacer one uses?


Most will go with

15mm front 20mm rear
20mm front 20mm rear
20mm front 25mm rear

to Answer your Question

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AviatorTim

Thanks. That was a very helpful video. He mentions one reason you would want to add spacers is to accomdate larger brake calipers. I noticed the three front rims Nissan offers come with 43, 47 and 40 offsets. I assume that's to accomdate the larger calipers on the front brakes. Does anyone no exactly how much offset is needed to accomodate the 370Z front brakes (non-sport edition)?

Also what if a wheel has more offset than the factory wheel? For example, if I replace the rear factory 18x9 +15 with a 18x9.5 +35. I believe that will increase the scrub radius. What effect is that going to have on tire wear, performance, etc?

maniac

Before you flame me: I searched for an hour and can't find a straight answer!

So please, somebody answer this:

Will version 2 bolt-on 15 mm and 20mm spacers work with Factory 18" wheels?

If yes, do I use 15mm on the front or the back?

Does anyone hav experience with factory 18" wheels and bolt-on version 2 spacer combination?

Thanks!

Jordo!

Okay... I don't know the exact answer, but I can tell you that the stud replacement is a sure fire thing -- it WILL be able to fit. With bolt on it's a bit hit or miss depending on your wheels.

I would just ask the seller -- if they get it wrong, you will be returning them, so they have an incentive to shoot you straight before buying...

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maniac

Does any one have a picture (or take and post one) of the back of the stock 18" wheels? I would like to see if there are recesses where the studs could fit for a flush installation of v2 bolt-on spacers.

Thanks!

AviatorTim

Turns out this was a dumb question. I will correct myself with info I learned in another thread for the benefit of anyone reading this thread who doesn't know this.

Offset has nothing to do with brake clearance. Brake clearance is simply a function of wheel design. If you have a wheel that doesn't clear your brake calipers, adding a spacer will always increase brake clearance.

Having said that, here's a question....
Someone told me adding spacers can cause wheel bearing failure. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

joshs09slvrZ

Great post Triple's! Are there any benefits from spacers. Obviously they give you a wider stance which will provide better handling, but anything significant?

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Trips

Other than what you've mentioned No? Besides the better looking stance since the wheels won't be as sunk in the fender wells.

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didymus

Better handling? Why?

joshs09slvrZ

I want!

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RoadsterFun

Any difference in quality between H & R, Ichira, or Eibach? Or other recommendations? I'm going with 15mm in front and 20mm in the back with the stud replacement style of spacer...

MarksZ34

For the ney-sayers that are so worried about spacers causing undo wheel bearing wear, I don't understand your argument for the 370z.

All we are doing using spacers with sport wheels or any aftermarket wheels is duplicating the way a Nismo looks by pushing the wheel mounting point outward to dupe the Nismo's deeper wheel offsets to make the wheels flush with the fenders. This essentially puts the Sport wheel/tire combo in the same place since there is no difference in the mounting points for all 370Zs regardless of model. This means the centers of the wheels are the same as the Nismo so this means Nissan designed it to work with Base/Sport/Nismo sets of offsets and their different loads of the wheel centerlines.

joshs09slvrZ

Damn...$100 per spacer...yikes. How do you choose between getting spacers that require stud replacements or not?

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Stillen Gen3 CAI|Berk HFC and CBE|UpRev|15mm H&R front spacers|20mm Ichiba rear spacers|Stillen front and rear sway bars|Yokohama S. Drives|Swift springs|JDM Blinking Fog|8000k HIDs|9% window tinting, 47% on full windshield

Trips

If you're tracking most opt to go with the ver 1 stud replacement style

For non track most opt to use ver 2 that bolt on

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Driftomodachi

I wouldn't replace studs for track. Track duty sees more torsional stress on the lengthened studs which can stretch or break the studs and cause the wheel to come loose or fall off.

Bolt on spacers are torqued down on the wheel and on the spacer so there is no torsional stress on the studs.

Tell me if I'm wrong

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