HonDon7

I got some new wheels off ebay and thought I had gotten all the numbers right. However, when i tried to mount them in the front they hit the brakes. I'm thinking I got the wrong polarity of offset. The numbers are:

16x7 size
5x4.5 bolt pattern
50 mm offset ( I cant remember if it was positive or negative.)

What are the right numbers for a 1996 SC400?

Don

London Bill

You may well have got the the spec right but that does not mean the wheels have enough clearance behind the hub to miss the brake calipers, when I first went a shop to get rims they tried several makes before finding one that did not hit the brakes (TSW Hockenheim).

Manaray

50mm (POSITIVE)...is must be too much with the wheel design you bought. You'll need to put on a spacer. H&R makes a 5mm. That SHOULD be enough. They also make a 15mm which will probably work too since you're using only a 7" wide wheel (which is rather narrow for a SC400....)...it's anywhere from $70-$120 for the spacers (for all four).

cupete

Where do you get one at that price? Options Auto sold a pair at $96!!! That's about $220 with shipping and handling.

Plus, you need to remove the calipers and rotors to insert the spacer, I think. That's a major job!!!

Peter~

London Bill

Cupete;

The suggestion to use a spacer is to increase the distance between the rear face of wheel and the brake calipers, ***** knows why you would want to put the spacer behind the rotor?.

Still sounds like a lot of money for a piece of metal with some holes in it.

cupete

LOL, it did sound like you have to put the spacers behind the rotors, my bad. What I really meant was, if you are going to install 15mm spacers, you will have to install the extended wheel bolts to install the wheels properly and these wheel bolts are really hard to install...

Peter~

London Bill

You should not need the extended studs for the 5mm spacers, simply slip them on the hubs and bolt up the wheels.

The 15mm spacer will need an extended stud kit, it's not really a big job but is it worth it for a set of 16" rims, you would be better of selling those rims and buying decent ones that will fit.

Manaray

I agree with London Bill...just get rid of the 16's and buy some wheels that are suppose to fit on a SC...

Some of the larger spacers come with bolts intergrated into it...you bolt the spacer to the stock bolts and then you bolt the wheel to the bolts sticking out of the spacer...

Those prices for H&R was from their website...maybe the price was is pairs...I don't remember...

www.hrsprings.com

HonDon7

If I did use spacers they would need to be 15 mm.

What would that do to the handling and tire wear?

Don

London Bill

Installing spacers on the front wheels widens the track, whilst this can be seen as improving the handling there is a secondary and more worrying effect.

The "Scrub Radius" will be altered, this is a factory designed setting which dictates how the feedback from the road is transmitted through the steering and consequently at the steering wheel.

We found this out when several UK owners complained of severe tramlining and "skippy" steering having fitted after market wheels with the incorrect offset (std offset is +50mm or 50mm Positive), most of the wheels available with the correct stud fitment where +35mm and the wheel dealers to a man all said it made no difference to the handling at all (lying b'stards).

The difference in wheel offsets is the same as fitting wheel spacers, in this case adding 30mm to the front track ( 15mm to the left & right Scrub Radius ), the wider scrub radius increases the torque that is applied to the road wheels from the road surface.

The effect is very noticable, steering feedback is increased to the point where it becomes a constant struggle to keep the car going in a straight line especially on our ****-poor roads surfaces, combined with stronger tramlining (taller rims & low profiles are more prone to tramline) makes steering this luxury sports coupe a pain.

5mm spacers would be OK, I would not suggest using 15mm spacers on the front (or using wheels with the wrong offset).

HonDon7

That pretty much tells me not to do it. I use my car as a daily driver and I dont need to make my commute any worse by having to fight the steering.

thanx,

Don

teeque

HonDon7, check your private message.