1st Generation Specific (1979-1985) 1979-1985 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections

Wheel Adapters

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Old Jan 10, 2008 | 07:04 PM
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Wheel Adapters

Are they worth it. Whats the biggest disadvantages.

Unsprung weight?

Puts them out farther?

Weak?
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Old Jan 10, 2008 | 08:51 PM
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I have heard varying opinions but I have been running them for years and love them. I got them at wheeladapters.com. The nice part is I can get wheels cheap off craigslist or whatever in any style. I converted to 4x114.5. I flared my fenders to allow wider tires but it isn't nessesary the adapters are 1.5" wide but honda wheels tend to come with bigger offsets in my experiance
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Old Jan 11, 2008 | 04:36 PM
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What did u pay for them? How big of wheels are u running?
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Old Jan 11, 2008 | 05:46 PM
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They are about 300. bucks as I remember. I am running 15s
Attached Thumbnails Wheel Adapters-bmw_rx7_007.jpg  
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Old Jan 12, 2008 | 03:20 PM
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I have a set myself and have no issues with them on the stock port 12a,I dont think they would break too easy anyway,I run the "phone dial" FC 4 lug rims on my Gs and really like the fact they stick out further and let you run FWD offsets. Mine were $290.
Attached Thumbnails Wheel Adapters-tmpphpkefpgo.jpg   Wheel Adapters-tmpphpdmii41.jpg  
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Old Jan 12, 2008 | 03:26 PM
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I ran wheel adapters on my Turbo FB for about 4 years without any problems. I ordered mine for the 4x100 bolt pattern, and +35 offset. That way I could run about any tuner wheel out there. The company I purchased mine from was Excaliber wheels. At that time I paid about $250 for them.
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Old Jan 12, 2008 | 09:12 PM
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Wow, alot of people talk about adapters, but i had no idea there was anybody actually running them.
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Old Jan 12, 2008 | 09:57 PM
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Right here.
Adapters and spacers arent all bad,but there are cheap ones out there and there are also people that install them wrong and/or dont understand the concept of re-torquing lug nuts.

I only run them out of neccesity, since my old-school Selectmaz front brake kit was only availible in 4x110MM back in 01'.I run the adaptors in the front to convert to 114.3MM and to push my 17" Advans out to the proper width.I use Grade 8 ARP studs in all the holes and have had no issues in 7+ years.Checked my wheel bearings recently and they are perfect after almost 50K miles.The extreme negative offset of my wheels reduces leverage on the bearings, despite the spacer pushing the hub/wheel interface out so far.

In the back I use high quality German made H&R slip on spacers, over ARP studs, to push the rear Advans out a little more.Even the 9" wide rear wheels have mostly negative offset which surprised me but I wasnt complaining since they are such rare wheels here in the States.





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Old Jan 12, 2008 | 10:17 PM
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Wow, I love that front brake setup up front on the car, Steve. First time I've seen an actual side shot of the car, nice.

I always assumed that spacers had a negative affect on wheel bearings and axle-to-rim strength but shows what I know.
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Old Jan 12, 2008 | 11:38 PM
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They can if you go too far out or use cheap materials/fasteners.Same can be said of wheels by themselves.If you run something with too much deep dish, it puts the stress too far out from the bearings.

The brakes are nice,nothing special nowadays since there are lots of TII conversion kits availible.Back then,these were the only thing out there.
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Old Jan 12, 2008 | 11:50 PM
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I was going to run a massive spacer in the front, ended up being something like 2.5" in order to run the old front 17x10's I had. But I said screw it, a spacer that large is a safety issue IMO and extremely hard on the bearings. So I just had my rims made to fit from CCW. Honestly if you can get away without using spacers do it. Use them as a last resort.
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Old Jan 13, 2008 | 12:22 PM
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Thanks for all the imput. so how far out do they put the wheel?
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Old Jan 13, 2008 | 12:35 PM
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IIRC, spacers are no more than 3/4" to 1" in width, not counting the studs. Most people compensate for this by changing the offset on the rims to give them a flush look.
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Old Jan 13, 2008 | 12:46 PM
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I just wanna make sure it wont stick outside the fender. And that the car can still be lowered. Without have a wide body kit.
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Old Jan 13, 2008 | 01:55 PM
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Like I said, if you get rims with the proper backspacing, they'll still fit just right. Now, if you're going to use rims that do not have the proper backspacing, then they will, more than likely, stick out.
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Old Jan 13, 2008 | 02:01 PM
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how big is to big
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Old Jan 13, 2008 | 03:22 PM
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Go to www.tirerack.com or www.discounttiredirect.com and look up how to measure for backspacing, offset, etc. This'll help you with figuring out what you can use.
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