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Wheel spacers e85

2003 - 2009, roadster, coupe, facelift
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Billbob10
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Wheel spacers e85

Post by Billbob10 » Wed Jan 25, 2023 12:59 am

Hi all .Thinking of putting wheel spacers on my e85 with standard wheels. Was thinking of 25mm. Anyone thinkk thats to much or envisage any proplems ?
Stirling grey 3.0 bog standard apart from DLV back box

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enuff_zed
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Wheel spacers e85

Post by enuff_zed » Wed Jan 25, 2023 8:39 am

With standard wheels I have put 20 on the back but nothing on the front and to me that looks about right
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Wheel spacers e85

Post by Zedebee » Wed Jan 25, 2023 9:53 am

I have 20mm on the back with an 8” wheel. 25mm with a 8.5” wheel would be too much unless you like the Carlos Fandango look.

I have 15mm on the front which I think is right looks-wise, but I do get some rubbing under compression between the outer edge of the tyre and the wheel arch liner.
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Chris_D
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Wheel spacers e85

Post by Chris_D » Wed Jan 25, 2023 10:17 am

enuff_zed wrote: Wed Jan 25, 2023 8:39 am With standard wheels I have put 20 on the back but nothing on the front and to me that looks about right
+1 for this config.
I have the same and found turn-in at slower speeds under acceleration slightly keener (which I like).
20mm already helps get rid of that in-board wheel look and I think you could probably get away with 25mm at a push.
Spacers on the front do nothing beneficial for handling and just causes rubbing.
Last edited by Chris_D on Wed Jan 25, 2023 2:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Wheel spacers e85

Post by Usel » Wed Jan 25, 2023 11:37 am

Zedebee wrote: Wed Jan 25, 2023 9:53 am I have 20mm on the back with an 8” wheel. 25mm with a 8.5” wheel would be too much unless you like the Carlos Fandango look.

I have 15mm on the front which I think is right looks-wise, but I do get some rubbing under compression between the outer edge of the tyre and the wheel arch liner.
I ran those wheels with 10mm front spacers and had no rubbing. :thumbsup:

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TheDan
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Wheel spacers e85

Post by TheDan » Wed Jan 25, 2023 12:34 pm

On standard offset 18" staggered wheels (18x8 ET47 front and 18x8.5 ET50 rear) I think 12-15mm front and 15-20mm rear is the sweet spot. I currently have 12mm all round but I would like to switch to 15/20mm rear.

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Wheel spacers e85

Post by enuff_zed » Wed Jan 25, 2023 1:03 pm

I think that there is a definite difference here between handling and pure aesthetics.
So whilst the consensus seems to be leaning towards 20mm on the rear, the front comes down to whether you want it look good at the possible slight expense of handling and to a very small degree, increased load on the suspension, bearings etc. (This is always quoted as an issue and basic physics means it must make a difference, but unless you go really wide I doubt it has a huge effect on component wear)
I did stick some 10mm on the front at the same time as I put 20mm on the rear, but I felt it made the handling less precise, with less feedback and more likely to follow ruts in the road. This is a personal opinion though. Others will differ.
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Wheel spacers e85

Post by plenty » Wed Jan 25, 2023 1:20 pm

Putting spacers on the front is almost always detrimental to handling. It alters the scrub radius, promoting toe-out under acceleration which contributes to tramlining and less predictability in hard cornering.

Albeit 98% of drivers in 98% of situations won't notice the difference.

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Wheel spacers e85

Post by Billbob10 » Wed Jan 25, 2023 11:58 pm

Many thanks everyone . Bill
Stirling grey 3.0 bog standard apart from DLV back box

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Wheel spacers e85

Post by Pondrew » Thu Jan 26, 2023 12:07 am

Insurance companies really don't like wheel spacers, from what I have gleaned on multiple forums. There are reasons for that.
Spacers increase the track by the spacer width times two. You immediately alter all manner of physics; suspension geometry, weight bearing, etc.
It's worth bearing in mind IMHO.
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Wheel spacers e85

Post by Sidewaze Samm » Thu Jan 26, 2023 6:26 pm

enuff_zed wrote: Wed Jan 25, 2023 1:03 pm I did stick some 10mm on the front at the same time as I put 20mm on the rear, but I felt it made the handling less precise, with less feedback and more likely to follow ruts in the road.
When I bought my current zed, it was fitted with the same sized spacers as this. Felt just as Enuff has mentioned, so the front ones came off - and transformed the steering feel. (I kept the 20mm on the back though, as it does look better).
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