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SPASM versus PASM and Spacer width

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Old 11-26-2016, 06:00 PM
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911sanantone
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Default SPASM versus PASM and Spacer width

Happy holidays to all.
I have researched some of the threads on spacers in preparation for a purchase and I hope that someone can provide an answer to the following question.
Does SPASM (compared to PASM) result in the wheel sitting diiferently from the lip of the wheel well? If so, is it more flush or further away? If so, why?
I have a 50th anniversary with SPASM. Originally thought that 7mm front/15 mm rear would but based on posts, this is probably too aggressive. Now considering 5mm front/5mm. rear or 5mm front/8mm rear. Thoughts?
Thanks for any help.
Old 11-26-2016, 06:20 PM
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Hurricane
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My car's original build was with 5mm OEM spacers, front and back. I also have SPASM w/PDCC. SPASM lowers the car 10mm from PASM equipped cars. Very happy with the 5mm spacers.





Old 11-26-2016, 07:52 PM
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StormRune
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I also have SPASM/PDCC with OEM 5mm spacers. Just for grins, I went out and measured the inset of outermost edge of the tire in the wheel wheel. Laying a straight edge level across the fender lip, I measure that my front tires are inset ⅛" at the top edge and the back tires are ¼" inset. So I agree with Hurricane that those are great, at least for me. I've received multiple compliments on the stance of the car as well.

Using that as a baseline, IF I wanted my tires nearly 100% flush at the top, a 7mm spacer in front and a 10mm in the rear would leave both tucked in just 1mm . Also note that this depends upon your camber to some degree as well, since that tucks the top of the tire in some. Since my car has PDCC and the car rolls less, I actually have a little more modest rear camber than some. -1.0 degree front and -1.4 degrees rear.

The best way to decide is to measure how far the outer edge of your tire is from the fender by laying a straight edge across the fender and measuring the distance from that to the tire. That will give you the maximum you'd need to be completely flush. I prefer the small inset myself I currently have myself.

Here, I took a sample photo of the front for you. I'm holding the level against the front and rear edge of the fender gently. In the photo you see the little mold nibs sticking out from the tire and touching the level. The photo shows the ⅛" gap on the front. I measured it but I didn't show that because I didn't have enough hands to hold the camera and the ruler at the same time.

Old 11-26-2016, 08:16 PM
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Drifting
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I guess the OEM 5mm spacers are no longer an option on the 991.2 compared to the 991.1?

I checked the configurator and OEM spacers are not an option for the 991.2. I don't know if Porsche adjusted this themselves as part of the .2 refresh, or they don't want spacers on .2 cars that have rear wheel steering so it's no longer an option for any .2 cars?
Old 11-26-2016, 10:52 PM
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911sanantone
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Thanks, StormRune. I will measure it tomorrow.
Do you think that there is a difference between SPASM and PASM?
If so, it may be the camber ?
I see that you live in Austin. I hope that you are a Spurs fan.
Thanks again.
Old 11-27-2016, 09:10 AM
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StormRune
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I would doubt there is much of a difference in the outward inset of the top of the tire between PASM and SPASM since the camber adjustment is independent of the ride height. In my mind it's possible that a PDCC car would need less camber due to reduced body roll so the tires stay flatter to the surface anyway, but I don't know if Porsche using the same settings for PDCC and non-PDCC cars with the same suspension. The alignment report I have doesn't mention PDCC in the car description, only SPASM, so I'd guess it is only SPASM that is making a difference in the recommended camber.

On 911 models it doesn't seem possible to get a single definitive listing of the alignment settings for a car and that actually makes sense. I've asked the service guys about this and they say they don't have a single listing anywhere. They enter your VIN into their alignment computer and based upon your model and options the computer spits back out the settings specific to your car. The readings I gave earlier were on the modest side of the recommended range for my car and feels balanced at the limits that way with my P-zeros. (Recommended camber range for my car was -1.3 to -0.8 degrees front, -1.9 to -1.4 degrees rear).

I'm afraid I don't really keep up with sports, but others in my family do and are Spurs fans and I'm happy to go with the flow on that and support our local teams!

As to your original question in your first post, I think you'll find that your estimation to use 5 and 8mm will be fine and would give you about ⅛" inset at the top all around.

I ended up adding the 5mm OEMs since I was content to use a factory setup and the longer factory bolts that come with those. If you are considering aftermarket solutions that don't come with longer bolts and the extra cost isn't a problem, I recommend considering the 5mm-longer titanium bolts being offered by our sponsor World Motorsports. I had those on my previous 911 and they are a work of art in themselves. On my current wheels I decided to stick with the blackened bolts instead.
Old 11-27-2016, 03:10 PM
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911sanantone
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Thanks for the detailed reply.
The titanium bolts are attractive but like you, I am going to stick with black bolts. Considering purchase from ECS.

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Old 11-27-2016, 04:17 PM
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StormRune
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Those are a nice choice! I see they have a pretty good sale price on them too. They have both the screws to mount them to the rotor so they won't fall out when the wheel comes off, matching bolts, and more importantly they have the hub-centric lip. Did you decide on your spacer width?
Old 11-27-2016, 08:19 PM
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mdrobc1213
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I have SPASM and went with 5mm up front and 12 mm at the rear. Works nicely. Here are some shots of spacers, front and also rear installed.
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Old 11-27-2016, 08:52 PM
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911sanantone
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StormRune, per your suggested technique, I measured 10 mm. in the front and 8 mm in the rear to be flush. Based on this, I am considering 8mm/8mm, 5mm/5mm or 5mm/8mm.
I think that 8mm/8mm makes the most sense (flush-near flush look and it maintains the same front/rear axle track set-up.
Other than the 5mm/5mm options, the others are of different that what others have used. I want it to be flush or close to it without any poke. Thoughts/suggestions.
Old 11-27-2016, 11:02 PM
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StormRune
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It sounds like with your 8/8 idea your front would only but 1mm out more than mine... you'd be 2mm inset and I'm 3mm inset. I have no problem with tire scrub and hopefully that 1mm extra wouldn't be the magic number to hit the wheel well. I know bring the rear flush is popular too so that certainly sounds reasonable.

It looks like mdrobc1213's solution worked well for him, the photos look great, but like I mentioned earlier the specific offsets for each car depend upon both the camber and the tire you have mounted (as well as the wheel width but we'll assume that is the same). I know on my last 911 the MPSS tires I mounted had more of a curb-guard lip jutting out from the tire than my prior Bridgestones and ended up causing me to reduce my rear spacers a little on that car's rear since I didn't like them jutting out, which they didn't do before the new tires.

Ultimately I'd think 8mm/8mm would work fine for you, and 5mm/8mm would without a question be safe, unless someone else here has suggestions otherwise given the amount of inset you've measured.
Old 11-27-2016, 11:10 PM
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77tony
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Had 7mm up front and 15mm out back on previously owned 50th..thought it was perfect IMHO.
posts 96 & 97: https://rennlist.com/forums/991/842093-g-g-5.html T
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Old 11-28-2016, 12:13 AM
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911sanantone
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77Tony. The side shot that you attached looks great. Do you have some shots from the back or front. I think that I remember seeing these in a previous post and I remember thinking that there was a little wheel poke and therefore it looked too aggressive for me. I appreciate you taking the time to reply with the above picture. Thanks.
Old 11-30-2016, 10:37 PM
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bright_medal
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I've personally tried several different setups all by ECS Tuning. Here are my thoughts:

5mm front, 8mm rear (PASM height): This setup was fine, but not very flush at all

5mm front, 8mm rear (lowered by ~15mm on Techart Springs): Lowering the car accentuated the gap, and made it look bad.

8mm front, 15mm rear (lowered by ~15mm on Techart Springs): Better, but the front still looked like they were sitting far too tucked into the wheel well

8mm front, 15mm rear (still lowered, but now with 305 Pzero tires in the rear): Now the rear protruded ever so slightly from rear wheel arch

10mm front, 12mm rear: Looks just right..

In general, regardless of ride height or tire setup, I'm pretty sure that 5mm or 8mm is not sufficient, and you're no where near having rubbing. Good luck on finding the setup that works for you!



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