asu174

iTrader: (11)

I just installed 5/16" wheel spacers, but I had a question. I bought the ones that go behind the wheel, not the H&R ones.

My question is, how do I know that they are centered? There was quite a bit of play because the damn holes are gigantic. Does it really matter? They look like these:


Please don't answer if you are just guessing. This is important.

2kSeattleMax

U are screwed. There isn't a way to center the pep-boy variety. The HR are hub centric....I made the same mistake and ended up buying HRs.

asu174

iTrader: (11)

So what is going to be screwed up? And I'm going to have to replace the whole hub to install H&Rs, right?

HitManSE

iTrader: (1)

No u wont have to replace it. U basically have to remove the caliper assembley. After that u have to punch out one stud at a time, then u slap the spacers on and put in 1 stud at a time (the 1z that come with the kit) after the longer studs are in place u have to pull em into place (needs a special tool, im sure u know some1 who has this ) After that, u repeat this on each corner til all 4 are done.

Donkey®

iTrader: (3)

If you are using those spacers for your rear wheels, that is fine. You need hubcentric spacers for the front. H & R comes with the longer studs. Not a hard install...just a hammer and some elbow grease.

asu174

iTrader: (11)

Am I going to screw up my car with these? I actually won't mind the 11mm ones when they get here. Those should be sufficient. But I don't wanna kill my car. What do you think?

Maybe I should use some superglue to center them on the hub and then put the wheel on? I know it sounds ghetto, but it would be the only way to perfectly center them.

HitManSE

iTrader: (1)

Once again Andy this is up to you. The superglue thing will hold it in place but just enough for yout to slap it on. I personally dont like the idea of having a plate between my wheels and studs. Have you gave any though to the fact that the studs are gonna be shorter now once u do this. In other words its gonna be harder to get the studs on and they will have less to grip onto. I personally dont do anything halfway. If im gonna do something I do it right, so if it was my car I would not use those. Will it work, yeah it probably will but I dont want to be driving and giving thought about it wondering if its 100% safe were I know the H&Rs would be due to how they are installed rather then slapped on. Im not telling you this for my benefit, just giving you my honest opinion on what I think of those.

asu174

iTrader: (11)

Yeah, I realized that the studs are shorter and it scares me a little, but I am good about rotating tires and checking torque. I just hope that my center caps clear the lugs on my RH's.

I'll give it a shot. If they loosen up in the slightest after a week or so, they're coming off.

HitManSE

iTrader: (1)

As u know, ur choice and best of luck with em. Hopefully they wont loosen but if for some reason u start to hear a loud clunkin noise, dont give urself another second to think about pulling over just pull over. Ive almost had my wheel fall off be4 and it sucks (kinda my fault ) GoodLuck.

Axel

iTrader: (3)

1) H&R spacers come with longer studs (the length of the studs depends on the thickness of the spacer). That requires that you knock out the existing studs and replace them with the H&R ones. Word of caution though, the H&R spacers don't grip extremely well. I've had 3 come loose on me and it's a b|tch to take the lug nuts off once the stud is turning.
2) You don't need to do anything special with H&R spacers. They are put on just like the ones you have. The main difference though is that the holes for the studs are perfectly placed so that there's no freeplay. No special work or changes required. You just slap them on.

I consider the ones you have (i.e. the picture) "universal" spacers. They're made to fit multiple cars instead of having a specific spacer for your car. Not recommended cause they're impossible to center properly and therefore are not hubcentric.

I don't recommend spacers but sometimes they're needed to clear things like bigger than stock calipers if your wheel doesn't have enough offset. Also, H&R spacers are extremely light weight and come from Germany. They're good. I just don't think anyone should be using spacers on regular cars (i.e. not used for racing) unless they absolutely need them.

SG01MaxSE

So... let's say you install them, and they aren't perfectly centered. Is the car going to drive like the rear wheels are out of balance (vibration and what-not)?

Axel

iTrader: (3)

Yes, it'll vibrate. The less centered, the more vibrations. Very annoying. I used to own a pair like the ones shown while I was waiting for my H&Rs. Annoying to install (you have to tighten the lug nuts just enough to hold the spacer in place but not too much to be able to reposition the spacer properly (as properly as one can, using your eyesight and fingers trying to feel each side) and then tighten the lug nuts properly. It's not worth it in my eyes.

HitManSE

iTrader: (1)

As axel pointed out, its just worth it in my eyes either. Hes pointed out many of their flaws and looks like he's also dealth with these spacers. I just dont like the idea of them, just not 100% safe IMO. I dont want to e driving down the road thinking if my wheels are ok or are they gonna come loose, im sure u and others feel the same.

Boznian

Hey, I wanted to buy the H&R spacers for a while now but I didn't know if they would be safe. You mentioned something about not using them unless you need them. Do you have H&R spacers, is it simple to install them and what is your opinion about me gettin' a set. I have a '99 SE stock rims w/ AGX's and H&R's.

Axel

iTrader: (3)

The reason I said you shouldn't use them unless you need them is
1) The H&R provided studs don't grab on the wheel hub as well has stock OEM studs (smaller/thinner grooves to grab on and the grooves aren't as long (about half the length)). I don't know why H&R did this, huge flaw in my eyes. As I mentioned in my prior post, I've had three studs come loose (the last one being 2 days ago) and it's a b|tch to get lug nuts off when the studs turn with the lug nut.
2) Even though the H&Rs are hubcentric and made of great quality and very light weight, they're still not as good as the wheel directly on the wheel hub.

H&R spacers are probably the best spacers out there aside from maybe custom made ones (and even then, custom made ones aren't always high quality), however, they're still not as good as no spacers at all.

The only reason you should be using spacers are:
1) You need to clear something because your offset on your wheel isn't big enough (such as a caliper or something. In my case, my summer wheels have enough offset to clear my calipers, however, my winter wheels don't. I therefore have 5 mm spacers on the front and 15 mm spacers on the back to take into account the extra thickness of the 13" vented rotor. This difference in size (5mm front, 15mm rear)allows the wheels to be flush since I haven't touched the rear rotors.
2) For racing purposes because a wider track allows for better handling and in racing where every one thousands of a second counts, it can be worth it (For example: I race in Solo-1 and I've been 5 hundredth of a second off a BMW 328is which shows how any extra help can work wonders).

If you don't meet one of those two reasons, I strongly recommend you not use spacers. It's not worth it for simple looks. Just get wheels with a larger offset. (Yes, more expensive, but easier and safer).

However, the final decision is yours.

Again, I'm not saying spacers are bad. I'm saying they're usually not worth it (unless you meet one of those two reasons mentioned above) and a vehicle without spacers is better than one with spacers.

Just my two cents...

Lordrandall

iTrader: (4)

FYI www.crowautomotive.com makes some really nice spacers, and they are cheaper than H&R. If you order thicker spacers, you can also get them with studs built in.

Anything under 27mm make sure you have room in the back of your weels for the OEM studs to fit in.