Wheel Spacers 101

kenchan · 04-24-2015, 01:29 PM

at stock height 20 on front pokes a little bit especially when you look at the car from the side/rear.

i hated that look and decided to get the nismo wheels for the perfect fit for base.

Bonzo · 04-24-2015, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenchan

at stock height 20 on front pokes a little bit especially when you look at the car from the side/rear.

i hated that look and decided to get the nismo wheels for the perfect fit for base.

Maybe I should clarify. When looking straight down from the top, I am referencing the fender and how it lines up with the top outer edge of the tire. Not the bottom (near the ground) outer edge of the tire.

- 20 on the front does not poke past the fender, it is flush.
- 20 on the back does poke about 1/4".

I don't think you can properly judge poke from the front or rear really because of the shape of the fender and the camber in back. Using that, the stock wheels are flush (because the bottom of the tires are flush with the top of the fender). I know when you look at the car this is how you see it, but trying to describe the amount of poke from that vantage point is not going to be consistent because it changes as you go up or down the tire.

It would appear you prefer a light inset, so I think your idea of 15 on front and 10 on back would do that exactly. That's why, since I would prefer flush, the 20 front and 15 back would be my ultimate preference. Same as you, just 5 mm (0.2249718785") more to make it flush.

I am having this work done for me, so the whole stud replacement option would probably be as much as having my brakes done. Waste of money in my opinion. If I were doing it all myself it might be a different thing. I will live with the 20 on back even though 15 would look slightly better.

And by the way, Nismo wheels are good looking wheels, but the sport wheels are GREAT looking wheels.

Bonzo · 04-30-2015, 09:00 AM

Here are some sequential pictures of the front wheel looking straight down on the rim.

It starts from farther out then moves closer to the vehicle for a more vertical picture.

NOTE: You will see that my wheel was slightly turned while taking these pictures so they aren't perfect. But I think if you can visualize a little you can see that the wheel/tire would be exactly flush with the rim if it were turned straight.

Bonzo · 04-30-2015, 09:01 AM

Here are some sequential pictures of the back. You will see that in the end there is about 1/4" poke.

Zipper 104 · 05-23-2015, 10:37 PM

I have a 2013 Sport 370 with the latest Sport wheels. The 19" 'Swirl' ones.
I had them off today while doing toe bolts and lockout bolts.
I specifically looked at the backs (insides) of my wheels today because I couldn't find a definitive answer here regarding whether or not one can FOR SURE get 20 mm BOLT-ON spacers on the front of a car with the latest Sport wheels.
As I see it, if the mounting nuts holding the spacer to the hub sit flush to the face of the spacer (that is, don't stick out beyond the outboard face of the spacer) there is a TON of room to accomodate a stud that sticks out well past the face of the spacer, and (and further, I'm speculating a bit here) likely even plenty of room even if the mounting lug nut does too. I didn't take a picture, but there is a pretty decent size, deep cutout between the wheel mounting holes. I'm now going to try H&R bolt-ons all around now. 20 mm on the front, either 20s or 25s on the rear.
I will update this with how this turns out.
I know there are some people who say they've not had a problem, but about an equal number who state you cannot. I need to find out for myself.

104

Zipper 104 · 06-06-2015, 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bonzo

Here are some sequential pictures of the back. You will see that in the end there is about 1/4" poke.

Today I did a test install of one 20mm spacer on the left rear of my Z to see if I would run 20s or 25s. The plan was not to get too fancy because they were coming right back off again. We dropped the car back on the ground, and I drove it back and forth a few times, braking at each end to get the car to settle.
I took some pics but they were on a BB and were so atrocious I haven't posted them. My pics look JUST like these. There is no way I could go to 25s on the rear. I bought one pair of 20s, now I'll get a second pair.

With reference to my above post;
There were absolutely NO issues with the spacer mounting lugs extending past the face of the spacer, so cutout room on the wheel is of no consequence. (the stock studs did though) The room is there, it's not needed, at least not for the lugs. I will still have to look at the front wheels again.

104

Mr.Zbody · 09-09-2015, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasChuck

Lots of good info and opinions here. So.. my 2 cents.... H&R bolt on (not the loose stud one) worked great on my 2012 (red also) with 18" stock, 20mm front/25mm rear. When I got ready to trade I removed them, and used them on my new 2014 w/19" Rays, Sports Pkg, with no issues at all.
Go to H&R website and enter your car information. Be sure to read the notes (click on) to be sure of fit or call their 1-800 #. The 20/25s look great and fit perfectly. Sorry I don't have the part #s anymore.
I didn't know anything about all this either at first, but it's not hard.
Cheers,
Chuck

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bonzo

So I finally took the plunge on this yesterday. Here's my story.

Since everyone on here seems to have differing opinions it was hard to know what size to get. I decided that using 10 or 15's was not something I wanted to tackle or pay for (since you have to remove the brakes and the hub and swap out studs) . So it was either 20 or 25. Since you can't return them after putting them on, and they cost $150, I decided to eat a little freight and only order 2. I had both of them put on the same side of the car so I could see what 20 looked like up front and in back.

Here's what I've determined based on what I have on my car, with stock tires and sport wheels, stock camber alignment. All observations are from looking straight down from the top of the outside fender.

FRONT
15 would be about 1/4" inset
20 is flush
25 would poke about 1/4"

BACK
15 would be flush
20 pokes about 1/4"
25 would poke about 1/2"

I am not a fan of poke. Poke to me reminds me of 2 things, 4 x 4 trucks (which look good with poke), and ricers with Honda Civics with ridiculously offset wheels (which looks stupid). I prefer flush. Knowing this, I LOVE the 20's on the front. They are perfectly flush. BUT, 20's on the back are slightly too much. I would prefer 15's better. Anyone liking the 25's on back likes poke. So if you want flush, 20 front and 15 back is the way to go.

So I had a big decision to make; do I buy 2 more 15's for the back and go through the hassle and cost, or do I just stick with 20's even though they poke slightly. I decided to just stay with 20's. I'm 95% happy with that look. It's not perfect for me, but I just don't want to screw with the other kind, or pay for it.

Pictures up next. (Just uploaded the pics. For some reason they are now darker and not as clear as they are as originals. Sorry)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zipper 104

Today I did a test install of one 20mm spacer on the left rear of my Z to see if I would run 20s or 25s. The plan was not to get too fancy because they were coming right back off again. We dropped the car back on the ground, and I drove it back and forth a few times, braking at each end to get the car to settle.
I took some pics but they were on a BB and were so atrocious I haven't posted them. My pics look JUST like these. There is no way I could go to 25s on the rear. I bought one pair of 20s, now I'll get a second pair.

With reference to my above post;
There were absolutely NO issues with the spacer mounting lugs extending past the face of the spacer, so cutout room on the wheel is of no consequence. (the stock studs did though) The room is there, it's not needed, at least not for the lugs. I will still have to look at the front wheels again.

104

So just to clarify before I buy spacers you all were able to directly use bolt on 20mm spacers on fronts and rears of sport package setup with no clearance issues?

/Angelo350Z/ · 09-09-2015, 09:51 AM

Just go 20/25 or 25 all around. I have 20/25 on mine with Swift springs and the fronts aren't as flushed with the fenders as the rear.

05-23-2015, 10:37 PM	#5 (permalink)
Zipper 104 Enthusiast Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Canada's Wet Coast Posts: 480 Drives: '13 PW/Frost/Spt/AT Rep Power: 12	OK....newer Sport wheels and spacers I have a 2013 Sport 370 with the latest Sport wheels. The 19" 'Swirl' ones. I had them off today while doing toe bolts and lockout bolts. I specifically looked at the backs (insides) of my wheels today because I couldn't find a definitive answer here regarding whether or not one can FOR SURE get 20 mm BOLT-ON spacers on the front of a car with the latest Sport wheels. As I see it, if the mounting nuts holding the spacer to the hub sit flush to the face of the spacer (that is, don't stick out beyond the outboard face of the spacer) there is a TON of room to accomodate a stud that sticks out well past the face of the spacer, and (and further, I'm speculating a bit here) likely even plenty of room even if the mounting lug nut does too. I didn't take a picture, but there is a pretty decent size, deep cutout between the wheel mounting holes. I'm now going to try H&R bolt-ons all around now. 20 mm on the front, either 20s or 25s on the rear. I will update this with how this turns out. I know there are some people who say they've not had a problem, but about an equal number who state you cannot. I need to find out for myself. 104

09-09-2015, 09:51 AM	#8 (permalink)
/Angelo350Z/ A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Germany Posts: 2,230 Drives: Z34 \| MK7 \| F82 Rep Power: 3662	Just go 20/25 or 25 all around. I have 20/25 on mine with Swift springs and the fronts aren't as flushed with the fenders as the rear. Mr.Zbody likes this. __________________ 2013 MB NISSAN 370Z SPORT

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04-24-2015, 01:29 PM	#1 (permalink)
kenchan A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: N/A Posts: 76,801 Drives: N/A Rep Power: 141522	at stock height 20 on front pokes a little bit especially when you look at the car from the side/rear. i hated that look and decided to get the nismo wheels for the perfect fit for base.