So how soon will my wheels fall off?

[Kid Vette]

I decided to put some spacers between the wheels and hubs. The AR wheels I'm running have -6mm offset and stock Vette wheels have -12mm. The wheels clear everything without spacers but wanted to push the wheels out to fill up the wheel wells a little better. I got the spacers from Motorsport Tech and was very pleased. They look good and they held the diameters to pretty close tolerances. They cost $140 for a set of 4 and took about a week and a half to get them. The spacers are 6mm thick and are hub and wheel centric. I'll let the pictures tell the story.



I bought a set of ET lug nuts from Jegs so I will have the same thread engagement.



So I know spacers are supposed to be bad, but I'm thinking this is probably better than the setup I had where there was clearance on the hub and the lug nuts were the only thing locating the wheel.

 

[JeffP1167]

I think you are confusing "bad" for wheel adapters. You know the things that bolt to your hubs then the rim bolts to another set of studs?

GM used spacers like these on 82-84 firebirds for some reason. I had them on my 82 trans am and they were about 4mm thick, never had a problem with them.

this is probably what you have heard mentioned as bad, what you have will be fine for a very very long time.

 

[mrvette]

Kid, long as you have nearly zero lateral play, the spacer holding the wheel snug on the hub, you be fine with your setup, if you wanted to be paranoid you could TIG the spacer to the wheel, but that will toast any finish on the wheel, I think you good to go....


Jeff, the wheel adapter you show just flat don't look good to me, too much with trying to make it universal for import/Ford/Mopar, I suspect I don't trust that one worth a damn.....however the same theory is fine and proven on my car with '89 wheels on my '72, the adapters are 2.5" thick and made for the job by VBP back when, 250 bux was for all 4 of them....I have just the one identical pattern on my setup.....I think the aluminum is too far drilled out on that one you show there, nervous as a whore in church over that one....Why are you showing it with ordinary nutz over the lug studs, those don't look like lug nutz to me???

:crutches::friends:

 

[MYBAD79]

I've been using hubcentric spacers for years on numerous cars, never had a problem..... but I've always installed better quality studs and if needed longer ones.... on the Vette I'd go with 1/2" ARP studs

 

[mrvette]

I've been using hubcentric spacers for years on numerous cars, never had a problem..... but I've always installed better quality studs and if needed longer ones.... on the Vette I'd go with 1/2" ARP studs

Yeh, I hear you my adapters came with 1/2" studs, but stock 7/16 is what holds the adapter on the hub.....but then again I don't run 1000 hp and sticky Mickey's either.....

:smash::2nd:

 

[redvetracr]

5/8 worth of spacers on my vintage racer for 11yrs with no problems.

 

[Kid Vette]

OK I guess I'll rest easy. :noworry: If/when I rebuild the TAs I'll install some longer 1/2" ARP studs all the way around.

By the way the hub diameter is 2.78" and the wheel ID is 3.27".

 

[mrvette]

Those look pretty high quality. I used some cheap ones for a while on a 10" steel rim on the front. I went to remove the wheel after just a few months and 3 of the studs broke clean off with maybe 20 ft/lbs torque.

You could check torque them after every couple of months driving

I distinctly remember walking up to a car on the lift a buddy was working on, and seeing one of them cheep Mr. Gasket cast spacers all shattered with a couple broken studs, tire on the ground....ever since then, I see them on a shelf I mention to the parts clerks about them being shit, but still on the racks even today, I surprised no one has lawyered up on their asses by now....

:crap:

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

Those look pretty high quality. I used some cheap ones for a while on a 10" steel rim on the front. I went to remove the wheel after just a few months and 3 of the studs broke clean off with maybe 20 ft/lbs torque.

You could check torque them after every couple of months driving

I distinctly remember walking up to a car on the lift a buddy was working on, and seeing one of them cheep Mr. Gasket cast spacers all shattered with a couple broken studs, tire on the ground....ever since then, I see them on a shelf I mention to the parts clerks about them being shit, but still on the racks even today, I surprised no one has lawyered up on their asses by now....

:crap:

every case must pass the bag test....


don't know the bag test? It's a fact pattern that are so stupid that you want to put a plastic bag over the survivor's head

 

[Sam Cogley]

I think you are confusing "bad" for wheel adapters. You know the things that bolt to your hubs then the rim bolts to another set of studs?

GM used spacers like these on 82-84 firebirds for some reason. I had them on my 82 trans am and they were about 4mm thick, never had a problem with them.

this is probably what you have heard mentioned as bad, what you have will be fine for a very very long time.

I've always heard that the bolt-on adapters are OK, but spacers are generally frowned upon. That said, with lug nuts that maintain proper contact with the hub and a spacer made of quality materials, I can't see why it would be a problem. Especially if the studs are upgraded to 1/2" ARPs. The stock studs are a bit undersized anyway, IMHO.