Wheel spacers?

[rjrandalls]

Looking to "fill out" my 911SC's wheel wells with a slightly wider stance. Have standard fenders and Fuchs. What size spacers can I use without danger of rubbing? Should spacers be on rears only or front as well.
Any advice would be appreciated.

[80-911SC]

most here don't like spacers ... they won't pass tech at most events ...

except for the factory spacers ..

But if you must a few pictures would help .. or at least the numeric info off the back of your Fuchs ... and the amount of "space you are trying to fill ....

[Joe Bob]

Spacers OK in most cases as long as there are enuff turns on the lug nuts. Most racers use open headed nuts. Stud should be flush or extend past.

[gamin]

I have 21mm H&R spacers on the rear only on the 88 Carrera. Fills things out very nicely. Stock wheels all around.

[Oh Haha]

Unless you have wider than factory flares installed on the front you would probably be better off not using any spacers but that's up to you.

I believe 21mm spacers are the widest you can go without having to install longer wheel studs on either end of the car.


If you have 8 inch rear wheels the 21mm spacers do a great job of moving the wheel/tire combo outboard for a wider stance.

Your ride height might be the factor regarding any rubbing. Post some ppics and we might be able to help even more.

[Grady Clay]

The best solution (abet a ‘bit’ more cost) is to buy two 8x16 rear wheels, moving your current 7x16 rears to the front.
Not only will this ‘fill out’ the fender opening but add a subtle ‘wide wheel’ look and support the (standard) tires better.
To ‘fill out’ even more, you can use wider tires on the wider rims.

Some searching will find a lot of examples of this.


There are more disadvantages of simply adding spacers and moving the center of the tire contact patch outboard.
Most significant is in the front due to caster and bump-steer effects.
Even in the rear, the more cantilevered forces increase the stress on the rear wheel bearing.
A lot of engineering has gone into the correct placement of the contact patch in relation to the movement of the suspension and steering.

Best,
Grady

[nineball]

21mm spacers, stock sc, 7" fuchs

no spacer



spacer



no spacer



spacer

[mclmk8d]

Originally Posted by Grady Clay

The best solution (abet a ‘bit’ more cost) is to buy two 8x16 rear wheels, moving your current 7x16 rears to the front.
Not only will this ‘fill out’ the fender opening but add a subtle ‘wide wheel’ look and support the (standard) tires better.
To ‘fill out’ even more, you can use wider tires on the wider rims.

Some searching will find a lot of examples of this.


There are more disadvantages of simply adding spacers and moving the center of the tire contact patch outboard.
Most significant is in the front due to caster and bump-steer effects.
Even in the rear, the more cantilevered forces increase the stress on the rear wheel bearing.
A lot of engineering has gone into the correct placement of the contact patch in relation to the movement of the suspension and steering.

Best,
Grady

+1...my car has 7x8/16s and they fill out the wheel wells nicely. 205/55-16s in front, 225/50-16s in the rear.

[Schloer2]

Originally Posted by Oh Haha

Unless you have wider than factory flares installed on the front you would probably be better off not using any spacers but that's up to you.

I believe 21mm spacers are the widest you can go without having to install longer wheel studs on either end of the car.


If you have 8 inch rear wheels the 21mm spacers do a great job of moving the wheel/tire combo outboard for a wider stance.

Your ride height might be the factor regarding any rubbing. Post some ppics and we might be able to help even more.

This is an old post, but can anyone confirm that 21mm spacers can be installed without having to install longer wheel studs? I am just looking to push the 16x7 fuchs out to better fill the rear wheel well.

[Clint Lando]

I like stock.

[Johner]

You could just measure how much stud protrudes on the stock setup and subtract 21mm to see if you're happy with the remaining thread engagement. My open wheel nuts are 20mm deep so I'd want about 41mm protruding without spacers to be happy not to put in longer studs.

[Schloer2]

Originally Posted by Johner

You could just measure how much stud protrudes on the stock setup and subtract 21mm to see if you're happy with the remaining thread engagement. My open wheel nuts are 20mm deep so I'd want about 41mm protruding without spacers to be happy not to put in longer studs.

Thanks Johner - I should have thought to check that before asking - if my memory serves correctly my open lug nuts sit just past flush with the end of the lug stud so there is no way I have enough stud length to support 21mm spacers. Looks like I need to decide between replacing studs or using wheel adapters.