Front wheel spacers on 86 951
01-23-2008, 03:27 AM
#1
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Front wheel spacers on 86 951
Ok I'm in a bit of a fix here. I purchased some aftermarket wheels for the 951 with the right offset only problem is the front wheel bearing cap is about 2mm larger than the hub AND it is about 5mm too far out to clear the wheel. In other words the bearing cap is too big (diameter) to stick through the hole in the wheel and even if it were small enough it would still stick out too far and I wouldnt be able to get the center cap on. In an effort to keep the wheels I'm looking at a 6.5mm spacer on the front to give me the clearance I need. Is anybody running a 6.5-8mm spacer up front? If so, did you have to use longer studs? Does anyone know the stock length of the studs? Maybe I should just ditch these wheels and go with a different set?
01-23-2008, 09:03 AM
#2
At the risk of starting a flame war, I can share the experience of having used many different wheel combinations on an early offset 85.5.
While spacers are generally safe when used with the right studs, etc...I've found them to have a negative effect on handling. Using a 16" Turbo Cup front from an '89 with appropriate spacer to accommodate the difference between 23.3 early offset and the 60 mm Cup wheel I turned by sweet handling racer into a pig. Went back to 15x8 Fuchs and sweet returned in spades. Don't know the science of it all, but extending the hub too far out past the imaginary point at which the strut center hits the pavement was baaaaaad voodoo for my early offset car.
While spacers are generally safe when used with the right studs, etc...I've found them to have a negative effect on handling. Using a 16" Turbo Cup front from an '89 with appropriate spacer to accommodate the difference between 23.3 early offset and the 60 mm Cup wheel I turned by sweet handling racer into a pig. Went back to 15x8 Fuchs and sweet returned in spades. Don't know the science of it all, but extending the hub too far out past the imaginary point at which the strut center hits the pavement was baaaaaad voodoo for my early offset car.
01-23-2008, 09:24 AM
#3
Quit Smokin'
Rennlist Member
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Kenisis wheels? ... I have a friend who had a similar issue. We took the dust caps off, and welded the seam on the inside. We then ground the lip of the dust cap down to nothing, and reinstalled using spacers sourced locally from Jegs. I don't recall how many threads were still available, but it was enough that we werent worried.
01-23-2008, 11:31 AM
#4
Rennlist Member
At the risk of starting a flame war, I can share the experience of having used many different wheel combinations on an early offset 85.5.
While spacers are generally safe when used with the right studs, etc...I've found them to have a negative effect on handling. Using a 16" Turbo Cup front from an '89 with appropriate spacer to accommodate the difference between 23.3 early offset and the 60 mm Cup wheel I turned by sweet handling racer into a pig. Went back to 15x8 Fuchs and sweet returned in spades. Don't know the science of it all, but extending the hub too far out past the imaginary point at which the strut center hits the pavement was baaaaaad voodoo for my early offset car.
While spacers are generally safe when used with the right studs, etc...I've found them to have a negative effect on handling. Using a 16" Turbo Cup front from an '89 with appropriate spacer to accommodate the difference between 23.3 early offset and the 60 mm Cup wheel I turned by sweet handling racer into a pig. Went back to 15x8 Fuchs and sweet returned in spades. Don't know the science of it all, but extending the hub too far out past the imaginary point at which the strut center hits the pavement was baaaaaad voodoo for my early offset car.
All the spacer does is effectively turn a 60 mm offset wheel into a 23 mm offset wheel. This alone should not affect suspension geometry or handling. Probably the extra weight of the cup wheels plus spacers vs. those lightweight fuchs is what made it handle worse.
