Spacers...

[Don]

OK - having got my spacers on now, I think the car is tram-lining more - is this to be expected?

Also, on a private road, I found excessive vibration over 90 - I tightened all the bolts further, but is it possible to over-tighten wheel bolts?

 

[Icecavern]

Yes you may get more tramlining because of the wider track I think.

If you're getting vibration it sounds like you've used non hubcentric spacers and the wheels aren't sitting correctly on the hubs. Tightening the bolts ever more wont help, and eventually you'll tighten them so much you'll sheer the heads off, or next time you try to undo them you'll sheer them off.

Pete

 

[Don]

ÁRSE. How do I go about doing this hub-centric thing then? I did notice the spacers were curved in on one side of the centre - is that something to think about?

 

[ibizacupra]

how wide have you gone?
how much of the wheel hangs onto the wheels hub? (spigot)

if too wide a spacer & you have no hub left sticking out supporting the wheel you are relying on bolts to both clamp and centralise the wheels.
DANGEROUS!

 

[Don]

5 mil spacers (ex from CupraR-Rog). Not a great deal hangs on - was looking at it fitting it thinking....hmmm....

I'm not sure about these at the moment. I've got a long motorway trip tomorrow - I think I'll take them off tonight, and make sure it's OK, and go from there. Damn!

 

[CupraR-Rog]

I ran these for ages on my car, and didn't have any vibration issues... even ran them on the back at Brunty!

Have you fitted them curved side against the brake disk? (if you look at the wheel, you'll see that's how they're shaped as well...)

 

[Don]

I've tightened them up a bit more, and a fair bit better. I think I might take the wheels off again over the weekend and make sure.....

 

[sicasey]

Avoid wheel spacers at all costs!!!!!!!!!!! I nearly died when my wheel came off on the snake pass to Sheffied - dont mess around with these things including the wheel bolts for you own safety mate.

 

[ibizacupra]

Avoid wheel spacers at all costs!!!!!!!!!!! I nearly died when my wheel came off on the snake pass to Sheffied - dont mess around with these things including the wheel bolts for you own safety mate.

Thats a sweeping statement if ever I read one.. LOL

I guess you used poor quality spacers, poor wheels bolts too short or soemthing...

Done properly and within sensible limits its perfectly fine.

...............So, what happened to yours then? Got some detail?

 

[Ruddmeister]

Be sure to invest in longer wheel bolts too, someone told me 7 full turns of the bolt into the thread is industry standard but sounds sensible to me.

I use 10mm spacers from Forge and have found them fine, no extra vibration or tramlining......only vibration on my car was when I had a dodgy damper

 

[ibizacupra]

1.5 diameters is my rule of thumb... but the factory hub is'nt that thick.

metric 1.5 pitch thread. 7 turns=10.5mm into the hub. (which is about factory std engagement) - Spot on.

scarily some peeps have their wheel bolts hanging on by their finger nails!

 

[sicasey]

It might be a sweeping statement but i would never tamper with it again. I had a 106GTi and when i changed the wheels i needed spacers. Coming over the snake pass i felt slight vibration through the steering wheel nothing major until suddenly the front passenger wheel snapped off luckily on the last corner coming into Glossop - I didched it in a hedge to stop it unfortunately the car was mullered (only 6 months old). After an investigation even though i had used correct bolts they had overstressed and fractured suddenly.

 

[ibizacupra]

It might be a sweeping statement but i would never tamper with it again. I had a 106GTi and when i changed the wheels i needed spacers. Coming over the snake pass i felt slight vibration through the steering wheel nothing major until suddenly the front passenger wheel snapped off luckily on the last corner coming into Glossop - I didched it in a hedge to stop it unfortunately the car was mullered (only 6 months old). After an investigation even though i had used correct bolts they had overstressed and fractured suddenly.

not hubcentric then?