25mm Spacers.......

[ST3ALTH]

Hey,

I am looking at picking up a set of 25mm rear spacers for my car. I want to make the rear sit close to flush without having to buy new rims.

I am currently lowered with an Eibach Pro Kit with eibach camber kit. I also have 18" mazdaspeed 3 rims.

My question is...will i have any issues with rubbing in the rear?

[Pereira11]

you will need extended studs as well, you will most likely need to roll the rear fenders to make it work

i would go with 10mm or 15mm and see how it looks and check fitment then go to 25mm if there is still room

[ST3ALTH]

The spacers do not need extended studs. They bolt on to the oem studs and then provide 5 more spokes.

I ask the guy who had them before me and he was lowered on coilovers...pretty damn low and he had to roll his fenders. But i am only on prokits so i dont think i should have to roll the fenders.......

any other insight into this?

[Kevin@nextmod]

Being low and rolling fenders might be 2 different things. Sometimes you might rub more if you're not lower. The reason is because the lower you go the more negative camber you get. So in that case your wheels will be more tucked inwards. In some cases if you have really stiff suspension, even if you're not that low you might not rub because your suspension is so stiff it won't allow it to go up and down as much so it won't really hit the fenders.

What is the wheel specs on those wheels? Maybe i can help you out =)

[Dave_The_BMXER]

The spacers do not need extended studs. They bolt on to the oem studs and then provide 5 more spokes.



You will have to cut your stock lugs. FYI

[Kevin@nextmod]

^^ not on 20mm or 25mm. Anything 5mm,10mm,15mm you'll need to cut. 20 and 25 is enough to clear the stock ones.

[philipfreire]

Are you sure Kevin? Because I got MS6 rims that I want to do the same thing as the OP. I want to keep OEM rims and add spacers to get em closer to flush.

I was thinking 10-15mm up front and 20-25mm out back (due to the larger fender)

Here's a picture of my rim on the inside. Now with 10-15mm ichiba v2, the studs will stick out a bit, but notice between each hole it concaves in, shouldnt the stud fit perfectly inside that allowing clearance?

http://freire.ca/tm3/wheels/prep/DSCF0527.JPG

[Kevin@nextmod]

Well every rim is different. Speaking from experience, I have work emotion CR KAI rims on my civic and i was installing 15mm spacers on my car. There was also offset holes to clear the studs but ended up shaving them as well because the rims hole's edge is still in the way making me forcing to shave the studs.

If your rims can clear the studs then yes it will work but if it doesn't then you'll end up like me. Also theres no way to tell unless you try to fit them on.

[Kappa]

sub i am looking to do this in the summer..

[philipfreire]

Well every rim is different. Speaking from experience, I have work emotion CR KAI rims on my civic and i was installing 15mm spacers on my car. There was also offset holes to clear the studs but ended up shaving them as well because the rims hole's edge is still in the way making me forcing to shave the studs.

If your rims can clear the studs then yes it will work but if it doesn't then you'll end up like me. Also theres no way to tell unless you try to fit them on.

Yeah I remember you telling me this a couple weeks ago when I was in. Looks like I will have to test it this summer and see what it happens.

[ST3ALTH]

yea i am definitely getting this done. i will be getting the spacers once i get back from Hawaii. When i get them on ill take some pics for everyone to see.

[pacmann33]

I would never recommend using a spacer at all, but particularly the ones like the 20mm+ ichiba spacers that conceal the oem studs. Google spacers. Many horror stories for that style of spacer.

On top of that it changes the geometry of your suspension pretty significantly. IMO the negatives are plentiful while there is only one benefit....appearance.

Just my 2 cents.

Cheers!

[Dave_The_BMXER]

^^ not on 20mm or 25mm. Anything 5mm,10mm,15mm you'll need to cut. 20 and 25 is enough to clear the stock ones.

Oh really? I thought any of the ones that covered studs you had to cut. 25mm is a huge spacer lol I guess I didn't factor that in.



I would never recommend using a spacer at all, but particularly the ones like the 20mm+ ichiba spacers that conceal the oem studs. Google spacers. Many horror stories for that style of spacer.

On top of that it changes the geometry of your suspension pretty significantly. IMO the negatives are plentiful while there is only one benefit....appearance.



People have been running spacers to clear aftermarket big brake kits for years. However 25mm is a large spacers so yes one should air on the side of caution when choosing the setup and make sure you install them correctly.

[philipfreire]

Theres a lot of muscle cars and trucks who use 1" + spacers and its proven reliable as well..

[pacmann33]

I would make sure I use good quality extended studs, never the type that conceals the OEM studs. 25mm is getting up there in size. Also you are adding rotational and unsprung mass to your drive train, all while making your suspension work harder by spacing the wheel out. A little is fine, but for me, it's not worth it. The geometry of the car gets further from how it was designed to work and it gets worse as the spacer gets bigger. My engineering side tells me the negatives are not worth it, especially when you are adding it to already very heavy 18 inch rims. It's up to the person though, I just wanted to make mention of some of the negatives before the OP spends money on something.

I have to say, 20mm spacer in front, and 25mm spacer out back would make my OEM 17x7 GT rims look friggin' sweet!

Shibby! Post pics when you're done!

EDIT: Muscle car guys who use 1 inch+ spacers are probably the same guys who weld their rear ends so they can do sweet burn outs too.....Just sayin'! LOL

[philipfreire]

lol.. Isnt using spacers the same end result as having a different offset on aftermarket rims?

[Dave_The_BMXER]

^ Ya, people say that kills wheel bearings too, it might.

[SSmoked]

nope, offset is determined by the spokes. the higher it is the more in the fender, and lower it is the further out from the fender it is.
i dont know how the guys do the hellaflush/sortaflush/kindaflush style. its crazy looking tho.

[Kappa]

easy +35 offset.. lol

[Dave_The_BMXER]

nope, offset is determined by the spokes. the higher it is the more in the fender, and lower it is the further out from the fender it is.
i dont know how the guys do the hellaflush/sortaflush/kindaflush style. its crazy looking tho.

What he meant was isn't running a 55 offset wheel with a 25mm spacer (so 35 final offset) the same as just running a wheel with 35mm offset when it comes to stress on the suspension components and changing the cars geometry.

Which I believe it is.

[rajin929]

What he meant was isn't running a 55 offset wheel with a 25mm spacer (so 35 final offset) the same as just running a wheel with 35mm offset when it comes to stress on the suspension components and changing the cars geometry.

Which I believe it is.

+1

Also, make sure you use hubcentric spacers. 25mm spacer is quite large, take your time and torquing everything down properly.

[SSmoked]

^^ intersting never looked at it that way before. btw your blog is legit.

phil i dont know if i would go 20-25mm spacers dude that bring the rim out a full inch. maby 10mm all around. should have gotten a rim with more offset, a 45offset rim and 10mm spacers would have looked pimp.

[McGuyver_3]

I'm thinking of rocking my stock speed wheels with a 25 mm spacer but I don't know if I should or not

[ST3ALTH]

yea i may end up going with just 10 mil spacers in the front with 20 mil spacers in the rear and see how it looks.

[RedRaptor]

Good thread and I've thought about using a spacer in the rear as well with RX8 R3s. At this point, I'm going to pass as I have read about all the issues of additional stress you are putting on your suspension.

[Dave_The_BMXER]

RedRaptor what are the specs on those wheels?

[philipfreire]

^^ intersting never looked at it that way before. btw your blog is legit.

phil i dont know if i would go 20-25mm spacers dude that bring the rim out a full inch. maby 10mm all around. should have gotten a rim with more offset, a 45offset rim and 10mm spacers would have looked pimp.

Joe I love the speed6 rims, especially on my car. It's just a shame its only 7. I 55 offset with a 20mm spacer would make it 35, it will look nice. not even close to flush tho in the back. The front might be 10-15.

[RedRaptor]

RedRaptor what are the specs on those wheels?

Dave,

Same as the previous gen RX8 wheels. I believe 50-52mm offset. 19x8.

[philipfreire]

yea i may end up going with just 10 mil spacers in the front with 20 mil spacers in the rear and see how it looks.

Stealth, when are you doing this? I'm curious in doing a similar set up but am worried about the lug nut confusion going on here. I wish we could test fit these spacers to see if bolts need to be shaved or cut or anything.

[pacmann33]

Yes, using a spacer has the same end result as using a rim with lower offset, however with a proper offset rim, you don't end up using uber long extended studs (more prone to shearing...but in a mazda3 application I doubt it has ever happened). Also, going really low offset does increase lateral load on your wheel bearings, but in opposing directions, increasing wear. Any handling "improvement" from spacer is most likely more of a placebo effect happening.

Spacers can be perfectly fine if executed properly, and in moderation...and hubcentric LOL!

The problem with the 20mm+ ichiba version, is that you are totally concealing one whole set of studs behind the rim which makes it hard to check up on them. This is the type you hear most horror stories about, but I reckon most of these cases are due to improper installation. If it were me I'd use silicone on the hidden set of lug nuts. common practice in the racing world when safety wire is not a viable solution.

I'm sure using spacers are fine. I just wanted to get some of the negatives out there.

[SSmoked]

Joe I love the speed6 rims, especially on my car. It's just a shame its only 7. I 55 offset with a 20mm spacer would make it 35, it will look nice. not even close to flush tho in the back. The front might be 10-15.

i found a pic of your car on my photobucket, just eyeballing it the 10mm front /20mm rear would looks sick
http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo285/D0n0fri0/IMG_3804.jpg

i say go for it man, just get all the proper stuff done right this way you dont loose a rim on the hwy.

[ST3ALTH]

Stealth, when are you doing this? I'm curious in doing a similar set up but am worried about the lug nut confusion going on here. I wish we could test fit these spacers to see if bolts need to be shaved or cut or anything.

Hey buddy, I will be getting these when i get back from vacation at the end of january. So if you wanna come with me to nextmod and see if Pete will let us test fit first we can. Just add me to BBM, My pin is - 314DB9B5

[Dave_The_BMXER]

Dave,

Same as the previous gen RX8 wheels. I believe 50-52mm offset. 19x8.

You could run a much smaller spacer than being discussed here and still look pretty good. Now that I think about it I don't know if I have seen anyone on spaced out RX8's/

[Kevin@nextmod]

Hey buddy, I will be getting these when i get back from vacation at the end of january. So if you wanna come with me to nextmod and see if Pete will let us test fit first we can. Just add me to BBM, My pin is - 314DB9B5

You don't really have to wait for peter to come back and ask. lol. I'm still alive.

[ST3ALTH]

You don't really have to wait for peter to come back and ask. lol. I'm still alive.

lol no i meant when I get back from vacation!

[The Johal]

:TTT LOL

[The Johal]

Hey buddy, I will be getting these when i get back from vacation at the end of january. So if you wanna come with me to nextmod and see if Pete will let us test fit first we can. Just add me to BBM, My pin is - 314DB9B5

Ty im in too

[philipfreire]

Hey buddy, I will be getting these when i get back from vacation at the end of january. So if you wanna come with me to nextmod and see if Pete will let us test fit first we can. Just add me to BBM, My pin is - 314DB9B5

Hey Bud, I sold my BB a few months back and I got an iPhone4. If you got unlimited txt msging I'll pm you my number and we can keep in touch. I'm free weekends and most days after 2:30.

Let me know. Would love to get this going... I got so many parts waiting to be installed... camber kit, sways, double din, and waiting on spacers.

[ST3ALTH]

Hey Bud, I sold my BB a few months back and I got an iPhone4. If you got unlimited txt msging I'll pm you my number and we can keep in touch. I'm free weekends and most days after 2:30.

Let me know. Would love to get this going... I got so many parts waiting to be installed... camber kit, sways, double din, and waiting on spacers.

Awesome. When i get back from Vacation ill give you a call. I also have a ton of shit i need to get installed. I do have unlimited texting so ill talk to you when i get back.

[blackmica10]

i am also very interested in this, st3alth have you gotten around to doing this yet? running 17", 20 in the back and 15 in the front?

[Egierda]

I know this thread is old but I would honestly recommend ONLY USING SLIDE ON SPACERS WITH EXTENDED STUDS. Period.


I've been running 15mm front spacers to clear my brakes for a long time without any issues; however, mine are slide ons with ARP studs. I've read far too many horror stories about people using bolt-on spacers.

[ST3ALTH]

I know this thread is old but I would honestly recommend ONLY USING SLIDE ON SPACERS WITH EXTENDED STUDS. Period.


I've been running 15mm front spacers to clear my brakes for a long time without any issues; however, mine are slide ons with ARP studs. I've read far too many horror stories about people using bolt-on spacers.

I have ARP extended Studs also, just not sure how hard it is to replace the stock studs. And also i was currently running 8mm in the rear and i want to put those in the front and get like a 10 or 15 mm for the rear. Not sure yet.

[McGuyver_3]

I have ARP extended Studs also, just not sure how hard it is to replace the stock studs. And also i was currently running 8mm in the rear and i want to put those in the front and get like a 10 or 15 mm for the rear. Not sure yet.

The stock ones have to be banged out. To put the new ones in you will most likely need a special tool or if you dare use the spacer as a backing and tighten the bolt on to the spacer until the extended stud sits flush on the hub. I know the spacers are rather strong but I do not know if i would trust them to seat the stud. Wouldnt want to damage the spacer

[Egierda]

Here's a brief how-to I made for installing extended wheel studs on the front hubs of the Mazda6. Feel free to use it for reference.

http://www.6crew.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7791