2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992) 1986-1992 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections.

Issue about spacers?

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Old Aug 18, 2007 | 07:11 PM
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Wink Issue about spacers?

Can anyone tell me what is the benefit and non benefit having spacer for our FC?
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Old Aug 18, 2007 | 07:13 PM
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Originally Posted by CarzArKoo1
Can anyone tell me what is the benefit and non benefit having spacer for our FC?
If you put spacers in your brake calipers they won't touch the rotors anymore.

No... seriously... what the heck spacers are you talking about?
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Old Aug 18, 2007 | 07:15 PM
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or sorry, the spacer that pushes your wheel out more.
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Old Aug 18, 2007 | 07:19 PM
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I don't know really. The PO put them on my car (+25mm I believe) and I don't notice anything negatively effecting the car. I always heard they were a bad idea. I've heard horror stories. But I think as long as you get good quality ones and install them properly, you should be fine. And I believe they just improve looks and a little stability by increasing your track width.
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Old Aug 18, 2007 | 07:22 PM
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It depends on the thickness of the spacers. Anything thicker than a certain amount (sorry, I don't recall exactly), then you'll need longer studs to make sure your wheels/lugs have plenty of material to hold onto to prevent shearing off.
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Old Aug 18, 2007 | 07:29 PM
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thanks, more idea its good, i think i'm just putting the 10mm or 5mm.
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Old Aug 18, 2007 | 07:30 PM
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Anything longer than 5mm and longer studs should probably be used. Changing wheel offset by more than 5-10mm (which is effectively what the spacers accomplish) stresses the spindle and wheel bearings, making failures more common; it'll be wheel bearings that are the issue, never heard of a spindle breaking, more an issue of it being damaged by chewed up bearings.
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Old Aug 18, 2007 | 07:30 PM
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10mm i suppose, not 5mm
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Old Aug 18, 2007 | 07:41 PM
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Stress on the hub is an effect of the total combined offset, so a 30mm offset wheel with no spacer and a 50mm offset wheel with a 20mm spacer will be exactly the same.

Spacers are safe to use as long as there's sufficient thread engagement on the lugs. Plenty of racers use them with no problems. If they were really unsafe the sanctionning bodies would have banned their use.

Be careful going too far out, you may end up rubbing your tires on the fenders, which is bad.
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Old Aug 18, 2007 | 07:57 PM
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i see, thanks for some clarification, just say it all depends on the offset that you have on the wheel then decide what size of spacer you want.
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Old Aug 18, 2007 | 09:04 PM
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you're better off getting hub centric spacers like the ones H&R sells. They wont vibrate during high speeds because they bolt up to the hub
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Old Aug 18, 2007 | 11:14 PM
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Well that's just a conveniance thing with hubcentric. It just means you can finish torquing on the ground and the spacer will be centered which may help with vibrations. If it's a thick spacer, then having one with studs in it is good as you don't need to change to longer studs.
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Old Aug 20, 2007 | 01:06 AM
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anyone use it currently?
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Old Aug 20, 2007 | 01:40 AM
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I don't want to put another thread I was thinking does anyone put a rear upper strut bar on their FC. anything, any difference.
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Old Aug 20, 2007 | 11:01 AM
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Well, as far as spacers go, they aren't bad. I usually use the ones that come with lug nuts and bolts pressed into them. If they are to be used on a daily driver, you want to make sure they are still on tight after a few miles, just as you would check your lugs on your wheels. I had a friend whose wheel came off on the freeway because he never checked the spacer lugs.

As for an upper strut bar, I don't have one on my FC, but I've had them on other cars. It does make the cornering a lot tighter. I think it would help out with FC's because of the hatch.
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Old Aug 20, 2007 | 11:08 AM
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+1 for hubcentric spacers. I have regular spacers on my wife's BMW to get the wheels to clear the strut, and it is a MAJOR pain to line everything back up so that the balance stays true, and you have to do it EVERY TIME the wheel comes off. :P
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Old Aug 20, 2007 | 11:14 AM
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/\ ouch!
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Old Aug 20, 2007 | 11:16 AM
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I use 240SX H&R 25mm spacers in the rear with no problems...once installed. Its a pain to line up properly when you take off the wheel. I think Im going to JB-weld the spacer to the wheel and just get the wheel rebalanced afterwards. Itll be a whole lot less to mess with next time I take off the wheel.

Know that you will have to remove the wheel hub from the bearing to get the longer studs in.
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Old Aug 20, 2007 | 11:45 AM
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I don't remember if this was on the RX7 or another car, but on one of them there was a notch or a hole strategically placed so that you could rotate the rotor and tap the studs out one at a time without having to remove everything from the car.
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Old Aug 20, 2007 | 07:07 PM
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It's no big deal to take the front hubs off, but on the rear it is a much bigger deal. There is the notch in the rear, and it works for stock studs, but apparently not for the long ones.

Those stud in spacers are only really available if you need fairly thick spacers.

I've only used spacers on the track and I used some universal Mr. Gasket ones, worked fine, but they don't self center and there was some vibrations, although I'm sure rubber pickup on the race tires contributed to that, and the fact that I was topping out at 200km/h. Wasn't a big deal though, but would be annoying on the street.
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Old Aug 20, 2007 | 08:42 PM
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I'm using 20mm spacers to run the stock FD wheels, that's what they fo. 8" > 7"
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