Wheel Spacers

[NachaLuva]

After some researching on wheel spacers I've found some useful info.

First is that several car manufacturers have spacers as optional OEM equipment, eg Porshe.

If offered as OEM, spacers (of the correct type) ARE legal in Australia.

Spacers need to be the bolt on type. Ie, they bolt to the hub using the OEM studs & have high tensile bolts pressed into them for the wheels to bolt onto.

Spacers need to be hubcentric, ie, have a protruding lip that locates the wheel exactly in the centre.

Now we get to some controversy...are the hub centres actually weight bearing or do they merely locate the wheels, ie, keep them exactly centre while torquing the studs?

The argument is that by torquing the studs to 100Nm each, the force holding the wheels to the hubs is in the order of an order of magnitude greater than the force that can be applied to it. Ie, one calculation was ~30t of clamping force. The max load might be as much as 3t if the wheel were to hit a severe bump, so only 1/10 of the clamping force. This means that the studs are not under a shear force (if the studs are correctly torqued) only a tensile force.

This leads me to think that the hub centres are not weight bearing, instead their purpose is to locate the wheels centrally so there is no vibration.

However I do not like the idea of my wheels falling off! So I am playing safe by making sure my spacers are bolt-on, hubcentric with the correct size bore & high tensile studs (mine have grade 10.9 studs)

[NachaLuva]

I have a question though...the manual says 66ft-lb (90Nm) yet I've seen it elsewhere as 74-89ft-lb (105-120Nm). So what is the CORRECT torque for subaru wheel studs???

[berttus]

I work at a tyre shop and have always used 110nm as a standard across virtually all cars. For something bigger like a light truck, small bus etc, we crank it up. As for spacers it has never come up, because of legal issues people get scared off when we tell them that we only fit them if the car leaves on the back of a truck. Not worth the liability, so not sure if torque settings change for spacers.Apologies if im not helping.

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[Green_eyed_liberty]

i am personally running the AF spacers on the front of my forester, and have not had a problem (running 15mm spacers, i had to cut 4mm off my factory studs to clear the wheels)

over the past 8 months i have been running them, i have checked on them prob 5 times, and they have not come loose in any way (including track days)

the perks are awsome. my front wheels actually center them selves now

[Davidov]

i am personally running the AF spacers on the front of my forester, and have not had a problem (running 15mm spacers, i had to cut 4mm off my factory studs to clear the wheels)

over the past 8 months i have been running them, i have checked on them prob 5 times, and they have not come loose in any way (including track days)

the perks are awsome. my front wheels actually center them selves now

Did they reduce your turning circle?

[NachaLuva]

I work at a tyre shop and have always used 110nm as a standard across virtually all cars

Thats the most common figure mentioned. Still a big jump over the FSM figure of 66ft-lb 90Nm

110Nm = 80ft-lb

i am personally running the AF spacers on the front of my forester, and have not had a problem (running 15mm spacers, i had to cut 4mm off my factory studs to clear the wheels)

over the past 8 months i have been running them, i have checked on them prob 5 times, and they have not come loose in any way (including track days)

Good to hear you've had no probs

the perks are awsome. my front wheels actually center them selves now

Unexpected bonus, great to hear

Have you found cornering much better? Any reason you only put them on the front?

[Green_eyed_liberty]

Thats the most common figure mentioned. Still a big jump over the FSM figure of 66ft-lb 90Nm

110Nm = 80ft-lb



Good to hear you've had no probs

Unexpected bonus, great to hear

Have you found cornering much better? Any reason you only put them on the front?

cornering is much more percise. (altho i am a bee's d!%k off the tarmac, and running a bit of camber

reason as i am running a custom GD rear end (which are wider than the GC8/SF5 platform) so running spacers on the front to match the rear