Front wheel spacers

[Jalfonse]

Finally gotten round to do the front spacers, 12mm hub centric, TUV. approved. Pictures aren't great because of the light difference and slight angle change between each shot, but I'm happy with the result.

[Laser Sag]

Lee
Excuse my ignorance here but do they just sit on the hub and are then held in place by the standard nuts?
Any alteration needed to the set up?

[KarlFranz]

So you're losing 12mm of thread on each stud that holds the wheel in place? That doesn't sound heathy.

[Jalfonse]

To answer the genuine questions, the spacer is hub centric, so it supports the wheel leaving the studs and nuts to act as classical bolted joints,ie, the studs only see tension and not bending which can cause them to crack and fail. I sourced the nuts separately because as you've noticed the originals have threads that start much further up their bore, and this might overload the threads when trying to achieve the same bolt (stud) stretch.

ETA

edited as reference post removed.

Edited by Big Al. on Thursday 24th July 22:41

[Laser Sag]

So the spacer sits onto the centre bore of the hub like the wheel would do and then the wheel fits onto the centre bore of the spacer ring, is that right?
Sorry if it seems like a silly question but beforehand the only ones I have seen have been bolted to the hub with new studs on the spacer ring.
I do like the way it has the wheel filling the arch space better.
Will try to look you out at Burghley on Sunday.

[Jalfonse]

Laser Sag said:

So the spacer sits onto the centre bore of the hub like the wheel would do and then the wheel fits onto the centre bore of the spacer ring, is that right?
Sorry if it seems like a silly question but beforehand the only ones I have seen have been bolted to the hub with new studs on the spacer ring.
I do like the way it has the wheel filling the arch space better.
Will try to look you out at Burghley on Sunday.

Yes that's correct. The ones you've seen with new studs attached to the spacer ring are made that way because the original studs wouldn't be long enough to allow sufficient thread engagement of the nut on the larger width spacers. Bolted joints are one of the most misunderstood and under estimated areas of engineering.

[Laser Sag]

Thanks for the answers Lee, like I say will try to find you on Sunday for a proper look.

[Jalfonse]

I forgot to mention these spacers are just £90!!, which is less than half the price of the next best value option even when you add in the new nuts, which are m14x2.0, 21mm hex head with 60 degree taper (ford transit size as well interestingly). These were £2 each and I can pass on the website where I bought them if anyone is interested.

[Jalfonse]

No probs Kevin, look forward to seeing you and talking of our TVR experiences as well ;-).

[Ken Figenus]

Is this about getting wider wheels on or stock aesthetics or handling or both? Genuine question. Ken

[KarlFranz]

Jalfonse said:

Woolders, your comments are neither funny or appreciated your contribution to this forum is actually nil. If you haven't anything to add just go back to sleep.

To answer the genuine questions, the spacer is hub centric, so it supports the wheel leaving the studs and nuts to act as classical bolted joints,ie, the studs only see tension and not bending which can cause them to crack and fail. I sourced the nuts separately because as you've noticed the originals have threads that start much further up their bore, and this might overload the threads when trying to achieve the same bolt (stud) stretch.

I had 23mm spacers on the rear wheels of my V8V but they were the kind you described later that bolt onto the hub and have their own studs that are used to secure the wheel. They were also hub-centric as yours. The original studs go into the small pockets added for lightening on the back face of the sport pack wheel but it was a tight fit and they did scuff one wheel a little. Of course, it was on the inside back surface so you would never see it.

Also one thing I like about the Aston OEM lug nuts is that the have a built-in spin washer. When you tighten the nut, the washer makes contact with the wheel pocket and ceases to spin. This prevents the finish on the wheel from getting torn up when you torque the nut. I have only seen this design on AM cars although I'm sure other do it as well.

P.S. I wish you and your family a long and healthy life.

[Jalfonse]

Ken Figenus said:

Is this about getting wider wheels on or stock aesthetics or handling or both? Genuine question. Ken

Purely aesthetics Ken, I did the rears as well (see my other post) as I felt the standard wheels had the wrong offset and sat too far inboard. One other option is to get wheels with a larger offset so that they fill the arches better, if I ever do get different wheels, which I've considered, I'll probably need to remove the spacers.

[Impasse]

Any steering geometry implications with these?

[8Tech]

Impasse said:

Any steering geometry implications with these?

Yes, but nothing to worry about with this slight offset.

It alters the loading on the wheel bearing, adding a slight bending moment through the bearing and also alters the steering alignment in turns.
There is no change to the camber or caster angles though with double wishbone suspension although there is a very slight change in wheel spring rate.

Again, all of these are minute and I doubt they would ever be either felt, or have any detrimental effects on the vehicle.

The visual improvement is far more notable and worthwhile.