what kind of spacers would be best - Zilvia.net Forums | Nissan 240SX (Silvia) and Z (Fairlady) Car Forum

elepaqxon · 06-26-2023, 05:46 AM

Hi guys I am rubbing tire on my coil overs and I was wondering if spacers would fix the problem. Also what kind of spacers would be best, because I want them to last awhile.

collegekid · 06-26-2023, 07:48 AM

Hi, welcome to the forum. From your profile it seems you just got an S13 and are trying to deal with some problems.

For the love of God, there is a search function on the top left that you can use.
Just because the threads are older, it doesnt mean the information isn't valid anymore.

Please do that before you start 17 new threads asking for the same things that have been asked since 2002.

Spacers are not the answer to everything. Ideally you would get wheels that fit the vehicle appropriately, so you don't need to use spacers. Using spacers, you are now pushing the outer wheel closer to the fender, where you may exhibit rubbing again.

There are two types of spacers.
Slip on spacers look like one huge washer with the holes cut out for your lug pattern.
Bolt on spacers are thicker usually. They bolt to your existing studs and then you bolt your wheels to the spacers.

To run slip on spacers, most of the time you will need extended lug studs.
They are not hard to replace, youtube will show you how.
This is because your factory wheel studs are probably M12 x 1.5.
General rule of thumb is that you want 1.5 x the diameter of the bolt (12mm in our case) as your thread length for your lug nut to screw onto.

Meaning, go get a caliper (~$15 )
https://www.homedepot.com/p/WEN-6-1-...0761/306638595

Take off one lug nut, and measure if you have 18mm of exposed wheel stud thread.
You probably don't.
That will rule out slip on spacers for you.

This means now you have to look at bolt on spacers.
The problem with them is that they have metal wheel studs (as you should ) in an aluminum spacer.
When you torque it down or try to loose the lug nuts, at one point or another you WILL get a stud that spins. The steel stud will overpower the knurling inside the aluminum spacer. Have fun getting that off.

Thursday7 · 06-26-2023, 08:23 AM

Biggest issue with bolt on spacers is if you are going with one that is thinner than the length of your studs, your wheel won't mount flat if it doesn't have indentations between it's lug holes.

If you want a "quality" brand to get spacers from: Parts shop Max, KICS, GKTech, H&R. I personally have found no issues with ebay jawns though. Torque your wheels carefully. GKTech's studs have oval shaped bases that sit in their own recesses, which can save you in the case of the knurling failing, as collegekid mentions.

AKADriver · 06-26-2023, 10:31 AM

What are the exact specs of the wheel (diameter/width/offset) and tire that you're running? Coilovers normally reduce the inboard side clearance but most people nowadays run such low offset wheels on their cars that they never notice. But if you want max tire width between the coilover and fender lip, spacers can help dial that in.

Extended studs are no big deal to install, a worthwhile "might as well" if you're messing with the suspension anyway.

For slip-on spacers the quality is less of a concern since it is basically just a big washer. Hubcentric ones are convenient since you can just slap the wheel on and zip down the lug nuts but also not necessary. I have Kyo-ei generic multi-pattern spacers because I'm running non-hubcentric wheels (well, they're Mitsubishi hubcentric at 67.1mm so 1mm O/S for Nissan anyway) and they work just fine. No vibration, no loose lugs. But I always run the lugs down by hand, torque in a star pattern, final torque on the ground to ensure the wheels are centered.

I'm not a fan of bolt on spacers for an S-chassis application for two reasons:

1. Most importantly: good quality ones cost as much as if you had just bought better wheels that don't need them, or if you're 4 lug and just couldn't find good wheels, if you had just bought a set of 5 lug hubs and opened yourself up to a plethora of cheap 5 lug wheels.
2. They're usually a minimum of 20mm thick which is just too much spacer for the kind of offset setup I personally like for my driving style and conservative visual taste.

06-26-2023, 05:46 AM	#1
elepaqxon Join Date: Jun 2023 Location: california Age: 56 Posts: 4 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	what kind of spacers would be best Hi guys I am rubbing tire on my coil overs and I was wondering if spacers would fix the problem. Also what kind of spacers would be best, because I want them to last awhile.

06-26-2023, 07:48 AM	#2
collegekid Zilvia Addict Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: In my house Posts: 853 Trader Rating: (4) Feedback Score: 4 reviews	Hi, welcome to the forum. From your profile it seems you just got an S13 and are trying to deal with some problems. For the love of God, there is a search function on the top left that you can use. Just because the threads are older, it doesnt mean the information isn't valid anymore. Please do that before you start 17 new threads asking for the same things that have been asked since 2002. Spacers are not the answer to everything. Ideally you would get wheels that fit the vehicle appropriately, so you don't need to use spacers. Using spacers, you are now pushing the outer wheel closer to the fender, where you may exhibit rubbing again. There are two types of spacers. Slip on spacers look like one huge washer with the holes cut out for your lug pattern. Bolt on spacers are thicker usually. They bolt to your existing studs and then you bolt your wheels to the spacers. To run slip on spacers, most of the time you will need extended lug studs. They are not hard to replace, youtube will show you how. This is because your factory wheel studs are probably M12 x 1.5. General rule of thumb is that you want 1.5 x the diameter of the bolt (12mm in our case) as your thread length for your lug nut to screw onto. Meaning, go get a caliper (~$15 ) https://www.homedepot.com/p/WEN-6-1-...0761/306638595 Take off one lug nut, and measure if you have 18mm of exposed wheel stud thread. You probably don't. That will rule out slip on spacers for you. This means now you have to look at bolt on spacers. The problem with them is that they have metal wheel studs (as you should ) in an aluminum spacer. When you torque it down or try to loose the lug nuts, at one point or another you WILL get a stud that spins. The steel stud will overpower the knurling inside the aluminum spacer. Have fun getting that off.

06-26-2023, 08:23 AM	#3
Thursday7 Zilvia Addict Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: PA Posts: 800 Trader Rating: (8) Feedback Score: 8 reviews	Biggest issue with bolt on spacers is if you are going with one that is thinner than the length of your studs, your wheel won't mount flat if it doesn't have indentations between it's lug holes. If you want a "quality" brand to get spacers from: Parts shop Max, KICS, GKTech, H&R. I personally have found no issues with ebay jawns though. Torque your wheels carefully. GKTech's studs have oval shaped bases that sit in their own recesses, which can save you in the case of the knurling failing, as collegekid mentions.

06-26-2023, 10:31 AM	#4
AKADriver Post Whore! Join Date: May 2002 Location: Springfield, VA Age: 42 Posts: 3,475 Trader Rating: (1) Feedback Score: 1 reviews	What are the exact specs of the wheel (diameter/width/offset) and tire that you're running? Coilovers normally reduce the inboard side clearance but most people nowadays run such low offset wheels on their cars that they never notice. But if you want max tire width between the coilover and fender lip, spacers can help dial that in. Extended studs are no big deal to install, a worthwhile "might as well" if you're messing with the suspension anyway. For slip-on spacers the quality is less of a concern since it is basically just a big washer. Hubcentric ones are convenient since you can just slap the wheel on and zip down the lug nuts but also not necessary. I have Kyo-ei generic multi-pattern spacers because I'm running non-hubcentric wheels (well, they're Mitsubishi hubcentric at 67.1mm so 1mm O/S for Nissan anyway) and they work just fine. No vibration, no loose lugs. But I always run the lugs down by hand, torque in a star pattern, final torque on the ground to ensure the wheels are centered. I'm not a fan of bolt on spacers for an S-chassis application for two reasons: 1. Most importantly: good quality ones cost as much as if you had just bought better wheels that don't need them, or if you're 4 lug and just couldn't find good wheels, if you had just bought a set of 5 lug hubs and opened yourself up to a plethora of cheap 5 lug wheels. 2. They're usually a minimum of 20mm thick which is just too much spacer for the kind of offset setup I personally like for my driving style and conservative visual taste.