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Thread: pro and cons of spacers

  1. #1
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    pro and cons of spacers

    hey guys im really gettin in to the pure jdm look . and i saw something that i thought was for soemthing else. i thought wheel spacers for the longest time were for wheels that dont fit on ur car.
    until recently i saw that they give the wide deep loook.
    wat do u guys think of wheel spacers on my lude with some mugen rims.

    i dont want to look rice i want to look very nice and clean. haas anyone used them i see alot of the japanese use them alot . i want to knw more about them .
    rhd restoration 2nd gen prelude



  2. #2
    LX User mephi's Avatar
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    Re: pro and cons of spacers

    They can be dangerous, especially the cast aluminum ones. Don't use those ones at all. There are also some legal issues regarding spacers that may cause you some problems depending on the state you are in.

    Just make sure you get billet aluminum spacers. They can handle the strain. Also make sure you don't skimp on wheel lugs. Get the strongest ones you can find.
    And you will know me by the cloud of smoke.

  3. #3
    3Geez Veteran Rendon LX-i's Avatar
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    Re: pro and cons of spacers

    spacers = ruin ball joints/wheel bearings


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  4. #4

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    Re: pro and cons of spacers

    IMO, the whole flush thing can be overrated. Mugen wheels are designed specifically for honda's with proper offset and sizing... Done ruin that by putting spacers in.

    If you feel you must put spacers in do as mephi said, don't use the cheap ones. Also, this is a must... get extended wheel studs and proper lug nuts, or the wheel spacers which bolt on, and then have their own studs.

    I would much rather just get wheels with proper offset and sizing for the look you are after then put spacers on... And spacers and poke/flush stance are not that big on Hondas in Japan, its only really big in the US/north america right now.

  5. #5
    3Geez Veteran lostforawhile's Avatar
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    Re: pro and cons of spacers

    suspensions are designed to handle a certain amount of load and this load is figured in based on the load center of the wheel and tire, when you move the wheel away from it's original load center you increase the load on the suspension to the point,where you can start to break things. think of it as a lever attached to a pivot on the end, if you put a load on that lever, the more you move away from it,the more force you can impart on that load, when you move the center of load away from the ball joints in a suspension, normal road bumps and potholes can increase the force enough on the ball joints to break them. this is an even bigger problem on double wishbone suspensions like ours, if you move the wheel outside it's load limits you can do a lot of damage. there were a lot of laws passed due the stupid craze of the reverse offset wheels and the "frogged" look, these did so much suspension damage that they were causing wrecks from the damage. broken ball joints, broken wheel bearings,broken struts and springs, broken tie rod ends etc.

  6. #6
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    Re: pro and cons of spacers

    blah blah blah, wheel spacers are fine. it all depends on the offset you need. Im not sure with our cars but u prob dont wanna do more then a 15+ spacer. U dont NEED new studs or new lugs, but it is reccomended. Hell on my fc i have spacers so i can fit the FD rims on it and its all the factory compontes(yes lugs and studs). Plenty of ppl do this, just as long as your offset isnt too crazy ull be fine. Give use specific numbers btw.

    And fyi i had +45 offset rims on the car and they were pretty damn close to being flush with the finder. And i got like 5-7 threads on the lugs with them and they help up fine to a hardcore mtn run so i wouldnt worry too much.

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  7. #7
    3Geez Veteran Civic Accord Honda's Avatar
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    Re: pro and cons of spacers

    you DO need new lugs because the stock lugs are barely long enough to tighting the oem wheels enough! and there week as fuck!!!!

    1988 Honda Accord LX-i Coupe 123k miles.

  8. #8
    3Geez Veteran Rendon LX-i's Avatar
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    Re: pro and cons of spacers

    TIM STFU......just get the right off set...mines looky sexy for the fact they stick out bout 1/8 of a inch or so....people say damn does that rub.....just get the right off set wheel.....wheel spacers is for homos.....i seen more people come in to get wheel bearing replaced...i tell then here is what you should get and your problem is solved...they come in saying thanks josh rides so much better...im like DUH....in my mind lol


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  9. #9

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    Re: pro and cons of spacers

    lol, if drift cars can run spacers in competition, running spacers on the street is just fine.

    You just have to make sure you have enough threads of engagement on the lug nuts if you're using sandwich spacers. If you're using bolt on spacers then you should be ok.

    If you ARE going to buy bolt-on spacers, don't cheap out as some of the studs they use can be crappy. Search any 240sx forum for bolt-on spacers and you will noticed that tons of people run them with no detriment.

    I don't run spacers and already ruined a 1yo wheel bearing, so I don't think it's really that much of a concern. Though I do agree with buying wheels that fit.

  10. #10
    3Geez Veteran Rendon LX-i's Avatar
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    Re: pro and cons of spacers

    I agree with alex...I just never liked em...good for a comp car but i think in the streets it risky you know.


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  11. #11

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    Re: pro and cons of spacers

    Quote Originally Posted by lostforawhile View Post
    suspensions are designed to handle a certain amount of load and this load is figured in based on the load center of the wheel and tire, when you move the wheel away from it's original load center you increase the load on the suspension to the point,where you can start to break things. think of it as a lever attached to a pivot on the end, if you put a load on that lever, the more you move away from it,the more force you can impart on that load, when you move the center of load away from the ball joints in a suspension, normal road bumps and potholes can increase the force enough on the ball joints to break them. this is an even bigger problem on double wishbone suspensions like ours, if you move the wheel outside it's load limits you can do a lot of damage. there were a lot of laws passed due the stupid craze of the reverse offset wheels and the "frogged" look, these did so much suspension damage that they were causing wrecks from the damage. broken ball joints, broken wheel bearings,broken struts and springs, broken tie rod ends etc.
    Absolutely!

    Quote Originally Posted by Tdurr View Post
    blah blah blah, wheel spacers are fine. it all depends on the offset you need. Im not sure with our cars but u prob dont wanna do more then a 15+ spacer. U dont NEED new studs or new lugs, but it is reccomended. Hell on my fc i have spacers so i can fit the FD rims on it and its all the factory compontes(yes lugs and studs). Plenty of ppl do this, just as long as your offset isnt too crazy ull be fine. Give use specific numbers btw.

    And fyi i had +45 offset rims on the car and they were pretty damn close to being flush with the finder. And i got like 5-7 threads on the lugs with them and they help up fine to a hardcore mtn run so i wouldnt worry too much.
    I agree!

    Quote Originally Posted by Civic Accord Honda View Post
    you DO need new lugs because the stock lugs are barely long enough to tighting the oem wheels enough! and there week as fuck!!!!
    What?!

    Quote Originally Posted by Rendon LX-i View Post
    TIM STFU......just get the right off set...mines looky sexy for the fact they stick out bout 1/8 of a inch or so....people say damn does that rub.....just get the right off set wheel.....wheel spacers is for homos.....i seen more people come in to get wheel bearing replaced...i tell then here is what you should get and your problem is solved...they come in saying thanks josh rides so much better...im like DUH....in my mind lol
    Wheel spacers may, on occasion, be used by heterosexual couples. They did a study.

    Quote Originally Posted by 86AccordLxi View Post
    lol, if drift cars can run spacers in competition, running spacers on the street is just fine.

    You just have to make sure you have enough threads of engagement on the lug nuts if you're using sandwich spacers. If you're using bolt on spacers then you should be ok.

    If you ARE going to buy bolt-on spacers, don't cheap out as some of the studs they use can be crappy. Search any 240sx forum for bolt-on spacers and you will noticed that tons of people run them with no detriment.

    I don't run spacers and already ruined a 1yo wheel bearing, so I don't think it's really that much of a concern. Though I do agree with buying wheels that fit.
    Sounds like someone understands that for every change, there is an effect/consequence. The more people understand simple things, the better the world will be!
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  12. #12
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    Re: pro and cons of spacers

    Quote Originally Posted by guyhatesmycar View Post



    What?!

    on my civic anyway i cant remember on the 3gee since it had closed end lugs and i ran steelies the last year i had it but when i put my accord LX-i wheels on my civic i could see more then half way inside the damn lug!

    1988 Honda Accord LX-i Coupe 123k miles.

  13. #13
    3Geez Veteran russiankid's Avatar
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    Re: pro and cons of spacers

    Lug nuts don't increase length,CAH. He would need to get extended studs if indeed he needed more thread.
    Sam


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  14. #14
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    Re: pro and cons of spacers

    dude i decided not to go with them
    rhd restoration 2nd gen prelude

  15. #15
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    Re: pro and cons of spacers

    since it was brought up, wanted to point out the issues with lug studs reaching 20 years in use, replace them!! they start to fail from metal fatigue, most often when changing tires, but pot holes and damaged roads can cause the same issues. they don't last forever, they take a lot of abuse especially on the front of front wheel drive cars. everytime you brake or accelerate they stretch or bend a little bit,not much,but if they are original, after 20 years or more that really adds up, when i priced new ones doing my suspension work, the parts store here wanted 3 bucks per chinese made stud. I got a much better deal from summit on the ARP studs, Summit has them,jegs has them, and a lot of other places, nothing special about the size, most hondas have the same size lugs. According to the package these had over 35000 psi tensile strength, which is way more then stock ever was, plus they have a tapered end,which lines up the lug nut, and helps prevent crossthreading. Cheap insurance guys, they came to less then buying them locally,i had a handling charge,but i had other stuff with it like ball joints, so it wasn't bad.

  16. #16
    3Geez Veteran Rendon LX-i's Avatar
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    Re: pro and cons of spacers

    True...mine broke everything i retorqued them.....so i said fuck it replaced all of em. easy to. i didnt do it with out taking the hub out...i just took out the sheild and grinded down the stud and a blow hammer and when right in....alot of anti sieze and good


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  17. #17
    3Geez Veteran A18A's Avatar
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    Re: pro and cons of spacers

    just use washers, lol jk

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