When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
My dealership recommended to torque to 118ft-lb with spacers. Does this sound correct? Everything Im seeing out there is 96 ft lb. thanks you for the advice.
Very nice. However I'd like to point out that the Adaptec ones have a very similar center hub design, include the countersunk slot for holding them down with the philips screw on the hub, and cost less than half as much ($70 for the pair of 7mm, but you should also buy the appropriate galvanized bolts - they are also reasonably priced). The finish doesn't seem to be quite as polished, but then you never really see them.
Here is a photo of the inside and outside I took before installing the 7mm ones on my car:
My dealership recommended to torque to 118ft-lb with spacers. Does this sound correct? Everything Im seeing out there is 96 ft lb. thanks you for the advice.
That sounds about right...apparently the update was in a service bulletin several years ago. I've been using 110 as the number I thought I remembered seeing.
Also be sure to use anti-seize paste on the threads as the manual recommends, it also helps you get a more proper torque reading since the official torque was calculated with its lubricating effect taken into account.
Stormrune...thanks for the info. I got em torqued to 118. Frustrated though because i have vibration at about 55mph which i know i didn't have before. I cleaned the discs, made sure there was nothing in the way and mounted the spacers and wheels. Followed the "STAR" torque procedure...I don't think the rear spacers would cause vibration would they?
I know you don't think it was there before, but maybe it was and the change just called you to be looking for it? Sorry to hear it has become a hard-to-find problem, I know those are really frustrating.
If you feel the vibration primarily in the steering wheel then I tend to think it is a front wheel. If it is present in the car in general then its more likely a rear. Sometimes if the vibration is enough others can see it to help identify which wheel. Consider driving on the freeway at the vibration speed and have someone get in the other lane and watch the wheels, then swap lanes are look again.
If there is some misalignment related to the spacer, I'd think you could see it if you jacked up the wheel and spin it by hand and carefully watch the rim edge. Of course, that only helps on the front unless you have a full lift.
I just ordered the RSS 7mm spacers from SharkWerks as they ensured me they were hubcentric. What year is yours and which wheels are you running?
2009 C2S with the wheels in my avatar...whatever confusing name Porsche calls them.
If your 7mm spacers look like the adaptec pic that stormrune posted, with the hub centric lip to hang the wheel on...then yes, they must have changed the design. HOWEVER, if you receive a flat disc for your 7mm spacer...then you will play hell getting them to work without vibration. There isn't enough of the hubcentric ring on the actual vehicle hub left exposed to properly center the wheel. Even the rear RSS spacers that did have the hubcentric ring were very snug to the wheel, but sloppy on the vehicle side hub...so again, they were impossible to get right. I tried a few times, there is a thread here.
Bottom line... there is no way in hell running spacers is worth the absolutely unsafe feeling I had running the non hub centric spacers. If you want to do them, get the adaptec and do it right. OR just get new wheels. I just went without, but recently ordered wheels and springs. Wheels with the proper offsets.
Stormrune...thanks for the info. I got em torqued to 118. Frustrated though because i have vibration at about 55mph which i know i didn't have before. I cleaned the discs, made sure there was nothing in the way and mounted the spacers and wheels. Followed the "STAR" torque procedure...I don't think the rear spacers would cause vibration would they?
It's not the torque or anything else, it's the spacers. You'll never get them centered and working properly. Either get the Adaptec spacers or just don't use them. I fooled with them at length.
Remove your center wheel caps up front when installing your wheels. Visually check for gaps between the wheel and the hub. Like others have said, if your front spacers are flat, without the 3-split lips, you will have centering problems.
THANK YOU ALL for your feedback...here's the FINAL verdict as most of you have already posted. I just got back from the Porsche Dealership and even they said...without the "lips" on the front 7mm spacers...there's no way we're gonna get this right. I even had them balance all 4 wheels AGAIN! and that didn't do a thing. We the front spacers off left the 15MM on the rear......drove the car and it was SOLID as ROCK! 80mph....not even a slight movement on the wheel. So it is IN FACT THE SPACERS from GMP i bought that don't have the hub lips. I asked them if i can return them or if they'd send me different ones and I'd return these and they said...NO it would cost me $100 bucks for the 7mm with the hub lips. So I'm running 15mm on rears and nothing in the front for now. I really wish GMP would have said or at least give people a heads up on the difficulty of trying to get these spacers to work...Live and learn! I paid $250 bucks for 2 spacers
For whay it's worth...yesterday GMP Performance called me and they were very accomodating. The gentlemen, who seemed to be the main person there wanted to make sure that i was pleased with their service and more importantly that i get the spacers that work correctly. So they're going to send me some new spacers that have the lips on them in order for the hub to fit onto and no more vibration...i thought that was very cool of them to do this. it's hard to find good customer service nowadays, and these guys really do care.
For whay it's worth...yesterday GMP Performance called me and they were very accomodating. The gentlemen, who seemed to be the main person there wanted to make sure that i was pleased with their service and more importantly that i get the spacers that work correctly. So they're going to send me some new spacers that have the lips on them in order for the hub to fit onto and no more vibration...i thought that was very cool of them to do this. it's hard to find good customer service nowadays, and these guys really do care.
What year is your car?
I bought mine from sharkwerks and they were equally surprised they didn't work...and were equally concerned and accommodating regarding the return and ultimately figuring out what happened, even cc'd me on an email to RSS for some questions. My car is an 09 997.2 so I'm wondering if something is not slightly different on the newer car hubs...like the ears are slightly shorter or something causing the problem.
Not picking on any of these vendors but I find it very odd that they dont know that if they sell you spacers that arent hub centric, that you will get a vibration. Some more, some less but there will definitely be a vibration. Our cars with a more sensitive suspension being stiffer, just exaggerates it more compared to other hubcentric cars, like BMW, Merc, Audi..but even with them, it happens too.
I learned the hardway a long time ago, buying wheels that looked great but were replica and the hubcenter was not 100% sized correctly so for example, the car would be 72.56 but the wheel was 72.60 and that tiny difference would be felt via a vibration. What I found out is when the wheel is hubcentric, the diameter is cut for a snug fit which we all know makes them sometimes even hard to get off the car. When they arent exact, like the 72.60 I mentioned, then those are not actually cut to 72.60, just as close as possible. I bought a set of wheels and measured the diameter of the hub in all 4 wheels and each one was slightly different, leaving just enough room to cause vibration. This was on an Audi, had the same problem on a BMW before that.
I went off base but if you happened to buy the flat spacers and dont have vibration, then you are just lucky or your spacers are narrower and some of the hub center is protruding through to center the wheel. After more than 50 cars in my life and way too many sets of wheels/tires, I cant tell you how many times I kicked myself for making a bad decision from hubcentric issues. It used to be correctable with hub rings but even those had challenges, sometimes plastic and those wore down or broke. Metal even eventually broke. Havent seen hub rings in a long time, are they still out there?
Porsche 911 GT3 Artisan Edition Pays Homage to Japanese Culture
Slideshow: Porsche has created a Japan-only 911 GT3 Artisan Edition that blends track-ready hardware with design cues inspired by traditional Japanese craftsmanship.
Porsche Reveals Coupe Variant of the Electric Cayenne With a Fresh Look
Slideshow: Porsche's latest electric Cayenne Coupe blends dramatic styling with supercar acceleration, turning the brand's midsize SUV into a 1,139-horsepower flagship.