My new 18inch wheels rub

BangkokDean

BangkokDean

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Well yesterday I finally got around to installing my mew 18 inch wheels.
18x8 front 4 inch back spacing 255/45/18 and rear and 18x9 5.5 inch back spacing 285/40/18. The rears fit great but my fronts rub the frame and sway bar big time. I am thinking about adding longer wheel studs and a 1/2 inch spacer on the front.

Does anyone have some ideas about spacing the fronts out 1/2 inch?
 
Most spacers are at least the thickness of a lugnut + some material to clamp onto. Maybe 1" thick?

I suppose the spacers that don't use the lug nuts to attach to the hub (the ones that are clamped between the wheel and hub), would be OK if they were hubcentric on both sides?
 
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All the 'spacers' I have ever seen are cast, and as such not to be trusted, I seen several applications of that shit shatter, and take out lug nutz.....

a wheel ADAPTER is what you want, so you have ten lug nutz to get to the rotor, that way your wheel is ON there, has to be about a inch or so thick,

I just put an extra bolt/nut on each snub block on the lower arms and called it a day, never missed the steering radius reduction, as it's still tighter than my '87 vette was....255/50/17 in front....on '89 vette rims, with 2.5" adapter....

:friends:
 
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Yes, but they're actually 5/8" that I had milled from some 1" studs I had laying around
I used ARP studs that were for IIRC a 60s Impala
 
5/8" is the thinnest safe adapter but it has some funky nuts that use a special tool - regular lug nuts would be too thick.

Didn't I send you a 1" adapter a few years ago?

Why not limit the steering?
 
MYBAD79 said:
5/8" is the thinnest safe adapter but it has some funky nuts that use a special tool - regular lug nuts would be too thick.

Didn't I send you a 1" adapter a few years ago?

Why not limit the steering?
Click to expand...

Yes and I still have it but 1 inch I think is too much and the tire might hit the fender, but I could try it first.

If I used a 1/2 inch spacer I would use a billet one not cast with longer studs.

I have located the spacers at summit but I really don't know that studs I would need as there are many on there web site.



 
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Surprisingly, I actually agree with a worthwhile post from GENE. The difference between adapters and spacers is epic. I've been running 3" adapters on my car for over 10 years, including quite a bit of track time with no problems. Those shitty cast spacers I've seen, I wouldn't trust on a wheelbarrow.
I haven't seen the 1/2 spacers you mentioned from Summit. You want to post a link?
My take on it is you need to contact your wheel manufacturer and find out if those wheels are hub-centric or lug-centric. If hub-centric, any spacer/adapter had better have the lip to locate the wheel. FWIW, I think your car would actually look a little better if you moved the wheels out that 5/8". It's a fine line on looks, I know. I personally like the wheels exactly at the edge of the body line.
 
clutchdust said:
Surprisingly, I actually agree with a worthwhile post from GENE. The difference between adapters and spacers is epic. I've been running 3" adapters on my car for over 10 years, including quite a bit of track time with no problems. Those shitty cast spacers I've seen, I wouldn't trust on a wheelbarrow.
I haven't seen the 1/2 spacers you mentioned from Summit. You want to post a link?
My take on it is you need to contact your wheel manufacturer and find out if those wheels are hub-centric or lug-centric. If hub-centric, any spacer/adapter had better have the lip to locate the wheel. FWIW, I think your car would actually look a little better if you moved the wheels out that 5/8". It's a fine line on looks, I know. I personally like the wheels exactly at the edge of the body line.
Click to expand...

MAN, you bring back evil memories from some 25 years ago, I suppose all my cars were lug centric with conical lug nutz, then I went to put '79 F body wheels the honeycomb?/basketweave? pattern in 15x8 on to my '70 Lemans/GTO, and so the proper lug nutz were like a washer of certain diameter was part of the nut, like a skirt, and so it went into a recessed portion of the wheel, and so that is what center the wheel...not knowing this, I went ape shit trying to get the wheels to 'balance'....road vibes were driving me krazy.....SO finally Ron Johnson of Potomac Pontiac told me WTF was going on, one trip to Carlisle show and bought 25 of the 'special nutz'....

:waxer::bonkers::yahoo:
 
mrvette said:
MAN, you bring back evil memories from some 25 years ago, I suppose all my cars were lug centric with conical lug nutz, then I went to put '79 F body wheels the honeycomb?/basketweave? pattern in 15x8 on to my '70 Lemans/GTO, and so the proper lug nutz were like a washer of certain diameter was part of the nut, like a skirt, and so it went into a recessed portion of the wheel, and so that is what center the wheel...not knowing this, I went ape shit trying to get the wheels to 'balance'....road vibes were driving me krazy.....SO finally Ron Johnson of Potomac Pontiac told me WTF was going on, one trip to Carlisle show and bought 25 of the 'special nutz'....

:waxer::bonkers::yahoo:
Click to expand...

GENE, interestingly, those nuts you're talking about were only used on two GM vehicles. The Pontiacs with the wheels you're talking about, and the aluminum wheeled c3.
 
clutchdust said:
mrvette said:
MAN, you bring back evil memories from some 25 years ago, I suppose all my cars were lug centric with conical lug nutz, then I went to put '79 F body wheels the honeycomb?/basketweave? pattern in 15x8 on to my '70 Lemans/GTO, and so the proper lug nutz were like a washer of certain diameter was part of the nut, like a skirt, and so it went into a recessed portion of the wheel, and so that is what center the wheel...not knowing this, I went ape shit trying to get the wheels to 'balance'....road vibes were driving me krazy.....SO finally Ron Johnson of Potomac Pontiac told me WTF was going on, one trip to Carlisle show and bought 25 of the 'special nutz'....

:waxer::bonkers::yahoo:
Click to expand...

GENE, interestingly, those nuts you're talking about were only used on two GM vehicles. The Pontiacs with the wheels you're talking about, and the aluminum wheeled c3.
Click to expand...

Methinks U R rite.....but my '72 had the steel wheels and so took 'normal' lug nutz.....never an issue for ME.....but that shit drove me krazy ......

like the door on a simple chebby pickup here today....a lousey switch and shit, but no door power door locks, too boot some jerk shoved a POS into the pass side lock, so the legit key will not go into the lock.....lovely....

some daze it don't pay to get outta bed.....old economics term from my college daze yet....50 years ago.....

they used the term in econ/marketing called 'Marginal Propensity' referring to the change in inclination of price point to sell a given product.....

but a classmate referred to it as a high MPPO......


Marginal Propensity to get PISSED OFF!!!!!!!



:rofl::clobbered:
 
I would look into extending the steering stops if it only occurs at max steering lock as someone else mentioned. I lost some steering lock when I went with VBower control arms that didn't have the bend in them like stock. Got used to it in a few days.
 
clutchdust said:
Surprisingly, I actually agree with a worthwhile post from GENE. The difference between adapters and spacers is epic. I've been running 3" adapters on my car for over 10 years, including quite a bit of track time with no problems. Those shitty cast spacers I've seen, I wouldn't trust on a wheelbarrow.
I haven't seen the 1/2 spacers you mentioned from Summit. You want to post a link?
My take on it is you need to contact your wheel manufacturer and find out if those wheels are hub-centric or lug-centric. If hub-centric, any spacer/adapter had better have the lip to locate the wheel. FWIW, I think your car would actually look a little better if you moved the wheels out that 5/8". It's a fine line on looks, I know. I personally like the wheels exactly at the edge of the body line.
Click to expand...

I just located these spacers that are a little over 1/2 inch (15mm) they come with replacement short studs.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/eib-904150272/overview/
I will see what happens this week with the 1 inch spacers I have here first.
Thanks
 
MYBAD79 said:
5/8" is the thinnest safe adapter but it has some funky nuts that use a special tool - regular lug nuts would be too thick.

Didn't I send you a 1" adapter a few years ago?

Why not limit the steering?
Click to expand...

I cut the adapter in half, and made it into a spacer. The benefit is the adapter is tightly machined to the correct bolt spacing and hub centric so there is no way the spacer is moving and allowing your bolts to shear off.

wasn't me who got a 1" spacer. I bought these as thick adapters and milled them down then used extra long lug bolts from ARP
 
SuperBuickGuy said:
MYBAD79 said:
5/8" is the thinnest safe adapter but it has some funky nuts that use a special tool - regular lug nuts would be too thick.

Didn't I send you a 1" adapter a few years ago?

Why not limit the steering?
Click to expand...

I cut the adapter in half, and made it into a spacer. The benefit is the adapter is tightly machined to the correct bolt spacing and hub centric so there is no way the spacer is moving and allowing your bolts to shear off.

wasn't me who got a 1" spacer. I bought these as thick adapters and milled them down then used extra long lug bolts from ARP
Click to expand...

Nope, wasn't you, .....it was Dean.... :)
 
BangkokDean said:
I just located these spacers that are a little over 1/2 inch (15mm) they come with replacement short studs.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/eib-904150272/overview/
I will see what happens this week with the 1 inch spacers I have here first.
Thanks
Click to expand...

Remember back then (whenever I sent you the adapters) we discussed how the fonts need to be tapered in the ID to fit the C3's hub ???
Those 15mm adapters will need the same taper on the ID
 
one more thing my new wheels are lug-centric and the 1 inch spacers are hub-centric if that make a difference?
 
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BangkokDean said:
one more thing my new wheels are lug-centric and the 1 inch spacers are hub-centric if that make a difference?
Click to expand...

IF the adaptor/spacer is made of like the above link says, 'aircraft quality aluminum'....then it should be fine long as it's truly hub centric from spacer to steel, then you can be lug centric on the wheels, no sweat....I assume the longer studs have snug support from the adapter, they be fine then...still rather see a interleaved ten bolts to steel setup, like a adapter is done, I note that Eibach/Summit calls them spacers, where clearly they are what VBP calls adapters.....:bonkers::waxer:
 
MYBAD79 said:
BangkokDean said:
I just located these spacers that are a little over 1/2 inch (15mm) they come with replacement short studs.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/eib-904150272/overview/
I will see what happens this week with the 1 inch spacers I have here first.
Thanks
Click to expand...

Remember back then (whenever I sent you the adapters) we discussed how the fonts need to be tapered in the ID to fit the C3's hub ???
Those 15mm adapters will need the same taper on the ID
Click to expand...

OK, the 1 inch adapters worked just great, thanks for reminding me as I had forgot I had them. Now I need to have the front end aligned,it now pulls slightly to the right when I let go of the wheel.

Plus today I noticed that when I shift gears and release the clutch there is a clunking sound???? Its always something....:lol:
 
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