intuition tells me that the stock rims on the rx-8 (which are absolutely beautiful) would look great if they looked a little wider - thus the need for spacers...

however, sources tell me that spacers are "bad" for the car... as time passes, i hear that the wheels will start to wobble and rattle? can anyone verify that statement?

also - for thos that have spacers, what do you guys think?

 

spacers are ok if you drive around like a granny. other than that, they could cause damage to your hubs/rotors. you'll get un-wanted vibrations too.

 

that's EXACTLY the answer i was looking for. i'm young, you're young (i've spoken to you before), and with the roads in b-more... those vibrations are gonna make my wheels FLY off...

thanks danomite, you're dy-Nooo-Mite... haha.. sorry, i coulldn't help it.

 

no problem

 

run a different offset wheel..

 

i love the stock rims.. and i dont' want to invest in a wheel when i love this look. i wish it had a lip though...

actually, have you guys seen the new 35th anniversary wheels for the 350z? they look a LOT like ours.. but nicer... wayy nicer... the little things make it soo nice.. check them out

 

Yeah, I saw an anniv. 350 the other day and the first thing I noticed was how the wheels looked like cooler version of the rx8 wheels.

 

i've never seen those wheels in person... but from magazine, they're hot. i would love to get those - plus they're staggered as well...

 

I was running with a 6.5mm (1/4") spacer on my car before I went with the new rims & they worked fine. I think small spacers are OK, but if you push it out like some of these 20mm+ spacers then you are putting more pressure on the hubs & rotors. I do agree with you that the stock RX8 rims were sexy (I had chromed mine) but they needed to either be pushed out more, or could have been 8.5" to start off with from the factory.

 

SCC just had a nice article on "how to fix the Z" by reverting to a standard configuration (same size front/rear) vs the stock staggered setup.

http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/pr.../0404scc_350z/

 

I could be wrong, but I believe it's your wheel bearing that will die an early death... unless you change the offset.

 

fanman..i was thingking about going with the maxdatrix spacers....they said it might vibrate when going over 100mph. So would you reccomend me getting these?

 

Xdeedubbx,

Never had any vibration from them. The added spacing was so mild it drove like bone stock. That's where I got mine from.

 

Thanks for the info... did you notice any performance differences?

 

Actually, the bearings can't tell the difference between a wheel with +55 offset plus 10mm spacer and the same wheel with an offset of +45mm. The effect is the same.
Just make sure to get spacers that keep the wheels 100% centered on their axis, because otherwise you'll get strong vibrations even at lower speeds.
For the sake of helping your 8 maintain it's good manners I would recommend NOT using spacers in the front and only moderate (10-15mm) spacers in the back, though.