Quick question im interested in running spacers this summer until i have enough to buy new wheels. Are spacers safe ?? I keep hearing people saying they are and others say they are not. So whats the deal ??

 

I did quite a bit of research, talked to guys in my fathers Miata club that run them, read a bunch of threads on some vintage racing forums, etc. I honestly could not find a single bad experience with them. I read a lot of **** talking on them but never from anyone who actually used them. The only problem I could see is the actual studs on some cheap spacers failing but even the generic ones I have seen used grade 8 hardware so I can't see them ever coming undone unless they were installed incorrectly by not torquing them properly.


I ran them on the last statewide meet and the car handled perfect. I honestly have nothing but good things to say about my experience with them. I am rolling on stockers right now since I sold my Volks and my new rims won't be in until tomorrow and I wish I had my 25mm spacers back to run with these stockers.

 

^ yea from what ive heard and read. The only negative thing about them are the studs. And the amount of "stress" they put on them. Ill do a bit more research but if you havent had any issues using them ill probably grab 2 pairs for summer then. thanks

 

They are being put to good use.

 

Yeah I don't see the grade 8 studs breaking, I would think the wheel would break first. I also never found any stories of that happening and the vintage guys used to run them all the time.

Good to hear!!

 

+1 on spacers being safe to use. i have been running my 15mm bolt-on ichiba's for almost a year now with no problems. just make sure they are hub-centric & that you torque them down properly. it's a good idea to check them every once in awhile too.

 

So at the beginning of this thread you were saying you kinda wished you went with 20MM spacers instead of 25MM. Do you still feel that way? 20MM all the way around or just 20MM in the back?

 

^ I would like to know too. Also have you noticed any loss in handling ?

 

I think that the 25mm spacers are perfect if you're trying to have as flush a look as possible with the stock wheels. And as far as handling goes I haven't really noticed any difference, im no expert but I really dont think it affects the car. About a month after I put them on I was driving through some very hilly and twisting roads and the car seemed to handle just the same.

 

Thats exactly what im looking for. Flushnesss . Im running G35 rims for winter and they have an offset of +30 so they stick out a bit more than stocks. So i was thinking id really hate it when it comes time to put stockies back on cause they wont stick it out as much . Ill run spacers until next year when i have enough to buy my new rims

 

Do you like the stockies more than the G wheels? Im wanting to get G wheels and run some 5 or 10mm spacers on those, I like the style a lot more.

 

^ I get asked that alot. And to be honest its tough to say lol. I mean the g rims are nice cause of it offset. But the stock rims sexy too its just the offset isnt that great. Its tough to choose lol. I like both.

 

^ yea I totally understand that. They are both nice for stock wheels but im just kind of tired of the stock wheels, looking for a change for a while.

 

Go for it. Theres someone selling a set in the for sale section. Just do what i do use one for winter and use one for summer. When i get my new wheels im gonna use one of them for track . I got my winter rubber oem size so i can switch the rims and tires. Alot more money but the ability to swap the rims and tires gives alot of options.

clickyyy: https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-parts-sale-wanted-44/g35-oem-wheels-18x8-30-midpipe-211496/

 

Thanks for the link though I think i'm just going to check the G35 forums for a local set.

 

I never noticed any change in handling and i never regretted going 25mm. They were perfect. I just sold my Volks and so I am on stockers right now and let me tell you, it sucks. I'm so used to being flush that stock 8's just look silly to me.

My new rims will be in next week and I will be proper again

 

Alright sorry to bring back that issue of safety. But a guy at my work was planning on getting spacers installed but the mechanic highly discouraged it because of a few things we told me. Apparently, spacers require you to cut off your lug nuts. Because the stud from the car will stick out NOT allowing the rim to sit fliush against the spacer. And its posible for the spacer to crack. Ive also been researching a bit more as well and ive read on a few forums a few bad experiences. I REALLY want to flush out my stock rims but im worried as hell.

 

That's not correct, you don't have to cut you studs unless you going with a thinner spacer, like 10mm. A 25mm should allow the wheel to sit flush against the spacer even without cavities between the holes on the back of the wheel. With cavities (which the stock wheels have) you can go with 20mm, maybe even 15mm and still sit flush.

 

^ thats what i thought too. The 25 mm should be wide enough. I was told otherwise. There is so much wrong info out there . Even then it still worries me about their safety

 

That mechanic does not know what he is talking about and I would like you to link any bad experiences you found because I looked and talked to people everywhere for quite a while and really found no bad experiences other than idiots who stacked spacers or did not torque them properly.

You can buy hubcentric spacers that bolt (see my pics in this thread) on and you can buy spacers come with longer studs that replace your factory studs (like the Ichiba 10mm I will be running on my new wheels).

Like Apex8 said, if you are running a thin bolt on spacer then your factory stud will stick through more depending on how thin the spacer is. If whatever wheel you are running does not have room to cover the amount of stud sticking through then you would have to cut the factory studs. That is not recommended.

If you need to run thin spacers then just get the type that come with replacement grade 8 studs. I have never heard of these longer studs breaking and plenty of racers use the types on vintage race cars so I doubt the normal Joe driving on the street or in the canyons would ever have a problem.

My old spacers and many others are running around here on other cars working just fine.


Do you really think these studs need to be cut off?

 

^ 9krpm by no means am i trying to argue with you. And it looks like theyree working fine. Im just doing a bit of research and found some people having horrible experiences with spacers. Now it could possible be the spacers themselves that is the problem or it could very well be as you mentioned, people not torquing them on properly. But here is a link i found that scared the crap out of me:



http://forums.maxima.org/7th-generat...-not-safe.html

 

^ I would guess that he probably didn't torque them correctly. Who knows. I just took off my wheels the other day and checked all of my spacers and they were all still torqued to the correct amount and defiently no broken studs.

 

Thanks for the link. Not sure how I did not come accross that thread when i was researching. I am willing to bet though that he did not use a torque wrench. Those type of spacers bolt on exactly like a wheel would, I don't see how they could just come loose if torqued properly. The studs breaking was only because the wheel came loose. Too bad he did not take pics.

A few of the old guys in my fathers Miata club have been running them for years without issues.

 

^ Alright thanks for re assuring me. Come spring till ill order 2 pairs . Just cant stand the way the stockies tuck in lol.

 

I just got 25 mm spacers all around. Looks freaking awesome !!!

The only thing is im scared i didnt tighten the lug nuts that hold the spacers to the hub. The socket i used was deep enough but as i would tighten the lug nuts, it would get stuck with the lug nut inside the socket .

Im going to remove all wheels and retighten later lol.