wheel spacers dangerous?
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From: TAMPA by way of MIAMI!!!
wheel spacers/adapters dangerous? Hey there is lots of power made on this site I got a Question I wan't to put some ZO6 wheels on the X and I'm gonna need spacers/adapters. Here's the question when I do what I want she's gonna have 375-400hp at the wheels (S/C on the 4.3 after some work to it) are the spacers/adapters gonna be able to take it? Any thoughts and or opinions will be greatly appreciated thanks 
Last edited by firefighter; Oct 17, 2004 at 08:09 PM.
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From: F.H,Waterford,Port Huron, MI
We could go back and forth all day if it is dangerous or not! I say adapters are and spacers aren't! I know a guy that runs low 9's on a 3/4 spacer! But even a 1/4" spacer I would say get better studs! I have 3" arp studs in the front and 3" by 1/2" studs in the rear! 1/2" spacer in the rear and 3/4" or 1/2" in front! I am not worryed at all
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From: TAMPA by way of MIAMI!!!
Sweet I think Im gonna go w/HR racing adapters. I think I saw somebody on this site talk about them. Just gotta get the wheels throw on the tires and figure out how big a adapter.
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From: F.H,Waterford,Port Huron, MI
Wait you said adapters, but then you said spacers? Adapters are bad,spacers are good (only with studs and lugs! I think you want a spacer! A adapter bolts to the studs then has it's own set of studs on that!
You want the wheel to be located by the hub boss and not
just by the lugs. If your spacer seats on the hub, and has
its own hub projection, and is tightly fitted to the lugs,
it should be OK. If it is just a dumb plate that does not
positively locate the wheel, it's got a good chance of being
trouble. Especially on a car that could see high speed.
I have some "Unilug" mags on my beater El Camino. Most
tire shops will not touch them because they use these
steel spacers - fronts "kinda" locate the wheel but the rears
do not, and all of my wheel lugs are bent tangentially from
braking forces because the wheel is offset from the hub plane
and torqueing on them real good. I have to wiggle the rear
wheels, get the lug nuts into the slots and hope it's close
enough to centered whenever I put them back on. But this
truck never sees the high side of 50MPH, so I ain't skeered.
just by the lugs. If your spacer seats on the hub, and has
its own hub projection, and is tightly fitted to the lugs,
it should be OK. If it is just a dumb plate that does not
positively locate the wheel, it's got a good chance of being
trouble. Especially on a car that could see high speed.
I have some "Unilug" mags on my beater El Camino. Most
tire shops will not touch them because they use these
steel spacers - fronts "kinda" locate the wheel but the rears
do not, and all of my wheel lugs are bent tangentially from
braking forces because the wheel is offset from the hub plane
and torqueing on them real good. I have to wiggle the rear
wheels, get the lug nuts into the slots and hope it's close
enough to centered whenever I put them back on. But this
truck never sees the high side of 50MPH, so I ain't skeered.
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From: TAMPA by way of MIAMI!!!
Now I'm cornfused see I was always under the impresion that if you had hubcentric (like you guys said) adapters it was better than spacers. see i'm gonna need a couple of inches here especially in the back. 
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From: Houston, TX
Originally Posted by firefighter
Now I'm cornfused see I was always under the impresion that if you had hubcentric (like you guys said) adapters it was better than spacers. see i'm gonna need a couple of inches here especially in the back.
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From: F.H,Waterford,Port Huron, MI
Adapters are a piece of metal with studs and holes in it. You bolt the metal piece to the cars studs with 5 lugs, then there are new studs that are on the adapter that the wheel mounts too! No a good Idea! If I remeber right spacers are 1" or less and adapers are over a 1" or if you have a differant bolt pattern you can use a custom adapter to 'ADAPTE" it!
i don't see how spacers could possibly be better than adapters...you move the force of the wheel further out on the studs...which puts more stress on the studs...where as with adapters it builds in a whole new set...
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From: F.H,Waterford,Port Huron, MI
Originally Posted by 777
i don't see how spacers could possibly be better than adapters...you move the force of the wheel further out on the studs...which puts more stress on the studs...where as with adapters it builds in a whole new set...
I would be thinking if my 5 extra lugs that I can't see are still tight? Oh and I know they are ilegal at the tracks! But not spacers! In the importand mini truck world there are story after story about adapters. My buddys Ranger ripped a rear wheel of do to a lose lug inside the adapter!
ok...well i don't understand...im sure you have a point...but i know my lugs havent come loose so i don't see why those should come loose either...that sounds like improper use to me...i would think that a spacer wouldn't work as well because if the spacer is fairly large you are not using very much of the stud which will be weaker...but if you look at it...neither one seems to be a very "safe" approach
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From: TAMPA by way of MIAMI!!!
Okay sorry I've been out of town sorry this thread kind of died. How about if you put some locktite on the lugs that were on the adapter? that would keep them from coming loose? anyhow thanks for the opinions. FF
