crenfro

iTrader: (2)

Okay I just picked up some cheap 18's, got the whole set rims, tires, lugnuts for $350. Pretty sweet deal.

I have no idea the specs on the wheels besides they're 18's...

My question is, I know I need some spacers, but don't know what size, because I did the old method of taking a ruler and measuring from tire to fender, and my rear is like 1.5 inches. Is that normal??? Everyone I see is running like mm's and I need over an inch? Or am I just not getting something here.

Thanks guys.

Sorry pics are bad but they're the only ones I have since the new wheels I put on.

scENFORCER

You should return the wheels and spend that money on maintenance. Looks like your car could sure use it.

..but yea it looks like you'll need quite a large spacer to make those sit flush, maybe even bigger than 1". Its alsmost at the point that even at $350 the wheels arent worth it if they severely dont fit the car, in which this case they dont. Seems like they wheels were just haphazardly thrown on there just to have "cool wheels".

Sorry to burst your bubble, but I am a huge proponent of doing it right or not doing it at all. You can find a proper fitting set of Varrstoens for a few hundred bucks more (since you're going to spend $100 on spacers now anyways).

crenfro

iTrader: (2)

Lol, I never said I had the cleanest car ever, I bought it for $700 and am getting ready to put quite a bit of money into it. It's just a fun side project I have. I have bigger and better plans and the only reason I jumped on these wheels is to get rid of the stock 16's.

I was just asking opinions of some of you experts and I was never claiming they were "cool wheels" or that my car was perfect, but thanks for the advice!

Ali SC3

iTrader: (10)

I made the same mistake with my first set of wheels, I bought wheels that were 19x7.5" all the way around with a weak offset. car looked like it was riding on bicycle tires in the rear, rode like that for a year before I learned better thanks to the forum. the spacer require to make those look good is not a great idea as it will also change the handling of the vehicle, looks like you are talking at least a 25mm out back and likely at least a 15mm up front, and I don't think that will do it actually just get you closer. you will want the hubcentric kind that are "adapters" with their own sets of lugs, or else you will have to change out your wheel studs for the longer kind and use an older kind of regular spacer. this setup costs like $200 i imagine for the proper adapters. I have done it onc before running spacers for wheels that don't "fit" on their own, but probably wont ever again its not worth the risk and it doesn't look as good as getting the right wheels.

Btw the wheels should have the width and offsets listed on the back somewhere. they all do.

basically you bought wheels for a smaller car, they aren't wide enough and the offset isn't big enough, both of which make it look sunken. Our cars work best with wider wheels in the back actually, thats why people are able to get it close to the fender without spacers its not easy it actually takes quite a bit of planning. Our back fenders can fit huge wheels with deep offsets which is why those look off.

My honest recommendation no joke is to flip those wheels get your 350 back and not bother with the spacers, good spacers that will correct that will cost around $200 and then you still have wheels that are way to skinny and wont look as good from the rear. for around 4-500 you can likely get wheels that are staggered with better offsets like most of the RWD nissan wheels like the 350z, 370z, g35 forged wheels (very popular they are super light), will all have decent width and good offsets and bolt on. My personal favorite which I am running are supra TT wheels which look good and are a tiny bit sunken but are wide enough to look good all around. these would be worth getting the spacer for likely.

If you like aftermarket you can also get wheels like XXR that are staggered which are a good entry level wheel, look very similar to those except they come in "supra" fitment which will fit well on our cars. anything with supra fitment especially staggered is going to look good. anything with 350z" or "G35" fitment is going to be a little more agressive on offsets than the supra stuff (will stick out further, sometimes too far and you need to pull fender). so keep those in mind. The aftermarket stuff for the 350 can be quite aggressive, but the oem 350/g35 stuff fits quite nicely.
look in the 8-8.5" width for the front, and something in the 9-10" for the rear. offsets will depend on the exact width but pay attention to the car it came off of will help. anyting on a supra lookg good on ours, 350z it will be more aggressive in offset but look good as well with some fender rolling/trimming/etc.. just depends how far you want to go.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

Why is that? I've seen it mentioned several times and haven't been able to get an answer to it. Wouldn't adding a big spacer be identical to having a wheel with lower offset? From a handling standpoint, isn't all that matters how far the tire is out from the suspension? Integrity of the components is obviously a different matter with spacers vs a wheel designed to push the tire out further, but I don't see what the impact on handling would be.

3L4jzz31

iTrader: (2)

Using a spacer pushes the weight out further putting a greater stress on the factory studs primarily but it also changes the geometry of the suspension putting strain on additional suspension components . I'm not going to get in depth with it. But because of the changes to suspension geometry, this is the reason why people recommend that if you run a spacer that is be very small ~5mm. When you use a wheel w/ a lower offset the factory suspension geometry in reference to where the face of the wheel sits remains the same.

: Wider track = more understeer generally (for the front), when you use spacers your increase that wider track only, but when using a low offset wheel you compensate some by having a larger tire contact patch.

GRANYZ400

iTrader: (1)

I have run rear 25mm H&R spacers for over a year. It made my car handle better. Also, it changed the look dramatically. Never an issue. I highly recommend them if your calculations work out.

I like 25mm and above because you bolt them to your existing studs vs. having to press out the studs and extend.

My 0.02

3L4jzz31

iTrader: (2)

^ I should've specified more clearly that I was referring to the front in terms of the adverse handling effects.

Also forgot to mention if a spacer is used it's best to get a hubcentric spacer

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

I agree with what you said, except that you sort of ignored the main part of the question. The weight isn't out any further than a rim with low offset (pushed outward to the same point) would have it. Maybe there's a minute difference in where the center of the wheel's mass sits (bolted) relative to the hub, but I can't imagine that would be enough to be nearly as significant as the difference between weight balancing of various wheel designs.

As far as I can reason, the suspension geometry is going to be identical with a tire's outer lip being the same distance from the fender, whether it gets there from a lower offset wheel or a spacer. What you explained seems to be regarding the choice of whether to run a spacer or not, with the wheel choice being a constant. In that case, sure, adding the spacer changes the geometry.

3L4jzz31

iTrader: (2)

The weight IS further out with a spacer because hypothetically if your wheels are both the same width with only a difference in offset. Your first set of wheels w/ low offset have the face of the wheel sitting right on the hub compared to the one with spacers pushing the face further out thus pushing the majority of the weight of wheel further out. This DOES make a difference. Hence why people say that low mm spacers don't make much of a difference because the weight is pushed only slightly, yet the larger the spacer the more it's pushed further out.

MikeFoxx

iTrader: (8)

25.4mm equal 1 inch. Maybe you can find a shop that will help you test fit one. Maybe try 30 mm or 35 mm h&r spacers with built in studs.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

I see your point, but disagreement over the significance notwithstanding, that's a weight difference, not a geometry difference. Sure, weight affects geometry (physics, more precisely) at a fairly complicated level, but very few people take into account weight differences when deciding what offset wheel will look best on their car, so I see no reason why that should be brought into the discussion in terms of wheel spacers and geometry.

I would have to see some numbers of various spacer widths and correspondingly shrunken wheel offsets of identically designed wheels, as well as the resulting handling data, to be convinced otherwise.

3L4jzz31

iTrader: (2)

Leverage change caused by the spacer pushing that weight out further will cause a softer spring rate. Softer spring rate on our heavy cars would cause change in dynamic situations that may not be as noticeable sitting still. (I.e. the kingpin axis while "bouncing" could move further causing more scrub but this would not be noticed while the car was stationary as the kingpin axis is the same at that point)

And unfortunately the experiment you wish to see results for will probably never happen as it would take quite a large sum of money to put together for all those sets of wheels... but if you want to do it, I'd be more than glad to see the results!

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

That's exactly my point. The whole thing sounds like unsubstantiated theory. Rather than saying spacers will adversely affect handling, it would be more accurate to say that any wheel change will affect handling, and spacers may or may not impact it more than just a wheel change will. There are far too many variables to take into account, and people are only focusing on the variables related to spacers.

3L4jzz31

iTrader: (2)

Any wheel change will affect handling charactersistics yes, BUT spacers will do it with more additional effect than simply a lower offset wheel.

As i stated previously, the changes made will be under DYNAMIC conditions.

When the wheels have more leverage (from the center of your weight being pushed further out + the additional weight of spacers) it decreases the wheel rate. Wheel rate(also called the effective spring rate on the wheels) = spring rate * ((motion ratio) squared). The spring rate of the actual shock remains the same but your motion ratio is changed by the center of gravity being out further from the additional weight of spacers + where the wheel sits. This lowers your motion ratio thus lowering your wheel rate. Your wheel rate once changed will change your kingpin axis as i said earlier effecting scrub. This is not unsubstatianted theory, this is math most people don't do it because most people won't understand it or don't know about this so they just throw wheels on.

Also when you add more weight you're adding unsprung weight which accordingly increases your unsprung weight transfer which naturally changes handling.
^ this part specifically is why wheel bearings and studs wear out faster.