Disadvantages of wheel spacers for track use?

[ToddPhilly]

I've come across a set of 996 18" wheels that I'm considering buying for track use on my Cayman S.  The front wheels match my exact spec, but the offset of the rears would require me to purchase 15mm spacers to make them fit.  Are there any downsides to using spacers on the track?  Any safety considerations?  Do they impact the handling (negatively) of the vehicle in any way?

Thanks!
Todd

[Mike Andrews]

Todd,

 

You shouldn't have any issues.... as long as your lug bolts still have proper engagement.   The only downside would be increased weight of the spacer and the longer wheels bolts, but that's not a big deal.

The bolt should go into the hub about the width of the bolt.  So if it's a 12mm bolt and the thread pitch is 1.5mm that works out to about eight turns. 

Another way is to count how many turns you have to make before the lug comes off.  Do it a couple of times to make sure you counted correctly.  Then when you put the spacers (and the different wheels) on make sure you still have roughly that same count.

 

As long as they are quality items, the spacers shouldn't have any safety considerations.  Make sure they are hub centric spacers.

 

Putting spacers on a car to move the wheel further out (than stock) can impact handling, make the car steer harder and increase wear on wheel bearings.  But that's not the case with what you are doing.  As I understand your question, you are simply trying to get a wheel with a different offset than stock back to where it should be.  In that case there is no additional load placed on the bearings and the suspension geometry shouldn't be affected.




As a side note, after you add in the price of the spacers and the bolts, would it not be better to just find the right offset wheel.....
 

[Darren]

They can be a pain in the neck, esp if you are changing wheels often, and you have wheel bolts instead of studs.

Those 18" twist wheels go for like $1000 a set.  For $1800-2000 you can get a set from CCW that has the right offset.  FWIW

[ToddPhilly]

That was going to be my next question...so they are difficult to swap on and off when changing wheels?

I wonder if my stock wheels would fit with a 15mm spacer, or would it push them out too far that they would rub.

I guess the other thing to keep in mind is that I'd only have to do this on the rears.  The fronts match.

[Mike Andrews]

Todd,

 

If the stock rears fit then you can just leave the spacers in place.

 

I ran 10 inch RUF wheels on the back of my wide body Carrera for a while and they required different (narrower) spacers.  They used lugs nuts so I didn't have to worry about that as the stock studs and lug nuts worked with either wheel.  All I had to do was to make sure the spacers were with the wheels and I was ok.  In reality, that wasn't that hard to do but.......