Why wouldn't handling be better with spacers?
 

I would think with spacers that you would have a wider wheel base and therefor handling would be better.
Right?

George

You mean wider track, not wider wheel base:)

Yes, I'd agree that a wider track coupled with a lower center of gravity will give nice handling and stick through the turns (given sticky tires of course).

Yes, thats what I mean .... For some reason I remember someone saying handling wasn't as good with spacers. Maybe I'm wrong.

It changes your scrub radius and spring rate (at the wheel), too.

-Max

It is also very hard on your wheel bearings and wheel studs. You need to get longer studs, that are stronger than stock as well. It is MUCH better to get wider tires with proper offsets, than to use spacers. Anything more 1/4" thick is not recommended for racing or any hard driving, as your wheel could fall off. Chances are, that won't happen, but most of us, won't take that chance.

just because it alters the suspension geometry. In general, they will give you better handling, but like someone else suggested, it best to just get wheels with the offset you're looking for..

read here for some info http://home1.gte.net/macross/offsetFAQ.html

and a post from somewhere else.

"I've seen nationally competitive, track record holding cars with front wheel spacers over 1" thick, with terrible scrub radius, that held track records and title wins for years...with no ill effect.
What you do by running wheel spacers, is increase the static and cornering loads on the wheels bearings, as you are creating more torque on the bearings from spacing your wheels farther out towards the fenders, HOWEVER if you could literally prove that you are abusing your wheel bearings to the point of failure on today's modern designed suspensions, then your car was poorly designed from the factory.

(think about it..... how much freaking force are you exerting just from auto-xing at BB with R compound tires ?!!! hahahaha

Don't worry about it Mase....I'm supposed to run 40mm offsets on my street car, and run a 19mm hubcentric spacer on a 35mm offset rim, for effective offset of 16mm. I've never had a problem yet, and that's still on my original OEM Nissan wheel bearings.

What you are changing is the track of the car, and the scrub radius of the tire...which will in effect make a car that scrubs off speed (more friction in a turn) than a car with proper offsets, but like I said, I didnt' see it slow down Collin Jackson too much in his untouchable GT4 Datsun 510 that literally owned track records at Seattle,Portland, Sears Point, Laguna Seca, Willow Springs etc. etc. for year.

It WILL wear your tires out faster, and give them uneven wear, but that's at the extreme instance.
"

Don't get me wrong, most choices are about choosing the best of many less than perfect alternatives. I just wanted to point out some effects that it had, so that you'd be in a better position to make a choice.

Also, I can see how spacers would be hard on the wheel studs, but I don't see how a spacer or a wheel with an equivalent offset is any different to the bearing. The wheel stud thing might be enough to dissuade you from using spacers, but the load on the bearing would seem to be the same whether you acheived the widened track with spacers or wheel offset. Weld the spacer to the wheel and it will give you a wheel with a different offset. The load on the bearing from either one will be the same -- it depends only on where the tires end up (how wide the track is).

Having a wider track reduces load transfer.

-Max

I always imagine it being hard on the bearings for the same reason the scrub radius is so large. When I picture the spindle I see the wheel trying to bend the spindle within the bearing. With the tire sticking way out the bearing is no longer aligned with the contact patch and there is now leverage against the bearing through the spindle.

Not that this doesn't happen in cornering anyway and not that I have ever seen a wheel bearing actually fail, but it must surely shorten their life. I do agree that what I would absolutely most worry about is the studs. I don't like the idea of really long studs going through a spacer more than say 3/8" thick.

Widening the track by getting a wider rim with the proper offset you will barely be putting any more stress on the bearings because the wheel studs stay the same length. The only extra stress added to the bearings is a result of the car being able to transfer more weight to that tire before sliding. So technically, adding stiffer springs, anti-sway bars, or shocks will all be adding pressure load onto your wheel bearings.

Adding Spacers will require you to lengthen your wheel studs, or get spacers with built in studs. Either way you are changing where the sheer load is being placed on the studs in relationship to the bearings. The leverage point is pressed further away from the bearing, which adds more load.

If you think you can add spacers and not get longer studs, then be VERY careful. Remember the strength of a bolt lies in the shank and not the threads. If the sheer force is acting on the threads and not the shank then your studs could snap and you will wind up losing a wheel.

Widening the track with wheel offset or spacers applies an equivalent load on the bearings. If the wheel was a rigid body, the load would be exactly the same. Because the wheel does have some give, I can see that the load would be slightly different, and less of a problem if wheel offset was the widening method, but there is the same kind of variability between different wheel designs. Consider that a wheel with 5" of backspacing would be no different than a wheel with 6" of backspacing with a 1" spacer from the bearing's perspective. The additional load of holding the wheel to the hub is all on the studs, and has zero effect on the bearing load assuming the wheel or wheel+spacer is held tightly to the hub. The load is applied to the tire, and transferred to the bearing through the wheel, studs, and hub. If the tire is in the same place, the load on the bearing will be the same (ignoring wheel or wheel+spacer stiffness).

Increasing the track places more load on the bearings, but the load is the same if you use a spacer or wheels with a different offset.

The spacers put big loads on the wheel studs, which would not be an issue with wheels of a different offset.

-Max