wheel spacers on the front?

What do people feel about running 1/2" wheel spacers on the front end? I know the correct wheels are better, but I just wanted to see if it is safe or not. Thanks Nate

 

I wouldn,t do it.....

 

totally safe with the correct spacer and retaining hardware. i run porsche wheels on my vw using a billet adapter and it's fine. i've put at least 30,000 miles on this setup.

 

It's OK if it's Rambler. Outside of that NO! And as for you Beef stew.. There's no motor above your steering end.

 

I did alot of research on this before i bought the set off the internet for my car. i really dont see how having a good set of hub-centric spacers or whatever they are called are that big of a deal. i am talking about the spacers that a made of solid aluminum and have studs in them. to me a good quality set of these with good studs mounted to a wheel is no different then having the correct backspacing of the wheel. the only i would not use the junk ones that trasdapt used to make

to me these are no problem at all.

 

All I wanted to know. Ive decided to invest in a new set of rims, I just wanted to see what some people said to back up my decision. Thanks Nate

 

it's a fwd car so yeah the motor is over the steering end. but wtf does that have to do with anything?

 

I think it would be better , cheaper , and safer just to get the proper wheels to begin with.

 

I think he was trying to say that you have a LOT less weight over your front wheels than most rods and kustoms, therefore putting a lot less strain on any adapter you might be using.

 

Spacers,can be OK with good hardware,but rite rim offset design is always better.
Too many rods have screwed up offsets were wheel road contact is way outside kingpin incline point at ground making bad braking and steering.

 

Don't forget the braking forces these things would have to take up. I think the average brakes make 1000 hp.

 

About the only bad thing I've heard about them is that it can put a strain on the wheel bearings, since the weight centerline is being changed towards the outside. Can't be too bad, Boyd Coddington used them.

 

They will change the load on the bearings,

But the real sin is they will change the scrub radius of your suspension geometry - like Dana said - not good.

 

I've got 1/4 inch spacers on the front of my shoebox... I did a disc brake conversion, and was too cheap to buy new wheels....

guess I ought to break down and head to the junkyard.

 

i had 1/2 inch hub centric wheel spacers on my truck and i offroaded the hell outa that thing and my front wheels didnt come flying off. the only thing i heard about wheel spacers is that it wears out your bearings, but its the same as puting a larger offset wheel on i think.

 

It looks like you are on the right track by buying the new wheels. From what I've seen the good billet spacers cost close to what a lot of wheels do.
The thin spacers like Tobyjuarez has aren't an issue if you have long enough studs or the longer nuts if you run the alloy wheels that take the nuts with the shanks on them.

We used to sell a lot of those in the 70's to guys who had traded in their drum brake car for a disk brake car and kept the wheels to put on the newer car.

 

This got me think`n if your stock wheels are 6 inches wyde then you go to 8 inch wyde wheels and those 2 inches are gained on backspacing,then you use 1 inch hub centric spacers would that actually just counter balance the differance- as the now one inch backspacing will counter ballance the one in hubcentric spacer.Interested to here others views in this

 

Got proof?

Properly made and installed wheel spacers pose no danger. I have been just North of 220 in a twin-turbo long-tail Porsche 930, with wheel spacers on all four corners, on a high banked track, and the rears were over 3 inches.

I didn't die.

 

If they didnt break on your porsche than thats a great example of how they do work,Porsche`s can corner like a champ,super tight suspension and would pose a great deal of stress on those spacers....pretty much any drag car running skinnies in the front has wheel spacers....that could be 8 second cars w/ that set up.Im with ya gimpy buy good quality hubcentric spacers and you will be happy w/ the results.

 

A 1 inch wheel spacer versus buying a wheel with one more inch of backspacing puts the center of the tire in exactly the same place in relation to the bearing..No more strain one way or the other..

 

And, on that day, I believe we were running 850lb springs on the front and 1100lb springs on the rear. My kidneys still hurt.