Talk to me about spacers??

zippster

zippster

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Please....


before you start on me , I've read soooo much about spacers and I'm still confused on what I need.. Been reading about spacers since purchasing the car (556 miles ago)but it would seem there are MANY trains of though..

Discovered at the weekend that the std wheels disappear under the arches and would look better spaced..

So dear friends where can I purchase a set with all the bits I need (spacers, nuts and locking nuts) and what is the definite sizes I need for the flush look..

On my previous car I just went to a site and bought an entire... Easy.. Audi .... Not so...

Be gentle with me..
 
What S3 body style and wheel combo do you have - hatch with standard 18s ?
 
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Rob2k68 said:
What S3 body style and wheel combo do you have - hatch with standard 18s ?
Click to expand...

Sorry yes, 3 door hatch with std 18" wheels (I believe).. As attached

Thanks

Andy..
 

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Cool ! ;o)

10mm all round will give you a similar look to factory 19s. 10 or 12mm up front with 15mm at the rear is quite a popular setup. Go 20mm if you want the 'flush' look but personally I'm not a fan of that. Remember to get the correct length bolts for your setup and correct type from ball or taper (can't remember which it is now) and also to buy some new locking wheel nuts!

It may make the steering feel a little heavier and is worth having the alignment checked once fitted.
 
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It's ball seat wheel bolts that you'll need.
 
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This might help as a reference for you. Not an S3 but I have 11mm spacers on the front and 16mm on the back:





 
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thanks guys .... does anyone have a picture of 10mm all round please ??
 
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I'm 15mm front and 20mm rear on mine and it's lovely
 
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audi upgrades
MA3RC said:
This might help as a reference for you. Not an S3 but I have 11mm spacers on the front and 16mm on the back:





Click to expand...

Where'd you get those wheels from mate? They're like the RS6 wheels but smaller. I assume not OEM as I don't think audi make them in a smaller size than 20/21".
 
CarloS3 said:
Where'd you get those wheels from mate? They're like the RS6 wheels but smaller. I assume not OEM as I don't think audi make them in a smaller size than 20/21".
Click to expand...

They're MSW 26's (By OZ). Mine are 18" but they do also come in 19". I bought them from Wheelbase Alloys about a year ago, just had a quick look and they no longer sell them, but I'm sure they're available elsewhere... They were reasonably priced to
 
zippster said:
thanks guys .... does anyone have a picture of 10mm all round please ??
Click to expand...

Not strictly a 10mm spacer in fact no spacer but the 19s have a different width and offset making the effective poke over your wheel to be 8.3mm. Tyres are slightly wider too at 235 so factor that in and it's closer to an equivalent spacer of 12mm. Pics taken whilst standing by the front door :-

Front
IMG 0107


Rear
IMG 0108
 
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Surely this is just for looks then as it creates under steer
The rs3's run wider fronts, narrower rears to prevent it


On iPhone using Tapacrap
 
Thanks for all the info guys however I'm still left with 'should i /shouldn't I' I liked the idea of 10/10 but I don't want to add understeer or throw my alignment out ..

Hmm not sure what to do now.
 
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zippster said:
Thanks for all the info guys however I'm still left with 'should i /shouldn't I' I liked the idea of 10/10 but I don't want to add understeer or throw my alignment out ..

Hmm not sure what to do now.
Click to expand...

They are a popular mod but not for everyone. Have a look in the classifieds, they are often up for sale that way it's less of an outlay if you don't get on with them.
 
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zippster said:
can anyone see an issue with these? also what locking nuts would i need to buy also?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162179433644?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

i think i just want to go 12MM all round.. will this affect the geo and or tracking?


Thanks in advance

Andy
Click to expand...

A lot of places sell kits that include the bolts :-

https://www.dpmperformance.co.uk/ca...8v-pcd-5112-centre-bore-571-bolt-thread-14x15

Make sure it specifies 8V as the wheel PCD is different at 112mm. I'm fairly sure is ball or radiused bolts you need but would ring DPM Performance just to make sure.

Geometry wise I can't see 12mm giving you any issues.
 
thanks rob, my link is for a set of 4x spacers and bolts, if you link just for a pair?

For sale I have a full set (4 Spacers) of Bimecc 12mm hubcentric wheel spacers in BLACK and the bolts to suit

Item Description

  • Width: 145mm

  • Thickness: 12mm

  • Centre Bore: 57.1mm

  • PCD: 5-100 AND 5-112
 
zippster said:
thanks rob, my link is for a set of 4x spacers and bolts, if you link just for a pair?

For sale I have a full set (4 Spacers) of Bimecc 12mm hubcentric wheel spacers in BLACK and the bolts to suit

Item Description

  • Width: 145mm

  • Thickness: 12mm

  • Centre Bore: 57.1mm

  • PCD: 5-100 AND 5-112
Click to expand...

Yes mate my link is for just the two.

Your link for a car set looks an awesome price - will they draw your eye being in black though? Don't mean to sound a party pooper but there's no mention of the material or the supplier of the wheel bolts so I'd definitely be asking that before buying.
 
Rob2k68 said:
Yes mate my link is for just the two.

Your link for a car set looks an awesome price - will they draw your eye being in black though? Don't mean to sound a party pooper but there's no mention of the material or the supplier of the wheel bolts so I'd definitely be asking that before buying.
Click to expand...

I've seen a set of them Bimecc kicking about, but I've not researched into them that much as it just caught my eye. I saw them on a site called CM wheels a friend of mine got some really stunning CSL for his BM from there.

But yeah as I was saying... Let me know your findings Rob!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Having once been overtaken by my own wheel due to a spacer failure, I always consider these things with caution, and would only now fit them where no other options exist. The effect on steering geometry and behaviour in particular is quite hard to predict.

From an aesthetic standpoint, I really don't think it's worth the effort, the additional unsprung weight, or the additional insurance expense, but then I'm old enough to recall designs that proved pushing the wheels right out to the very limits of the body does not always equal aesthetically pleasing, and that wide track doesn't always equal superior cornering;
 

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That said, I suppose that as long as you're sensible, and don't do something unspeakably daft like this guy, you'll probably be fine.
 

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GSB said:
That said, I suppose that as long as you're sensible, and don't do something unspeakably daft like this guy, you'll probably be fine.
Click to expand...

OMG !!! Now that's a spacer !!!
 
GSB said:
That said, I suppose that as long as you're sensible, and don't do something unspeakably daft like this guy, you'll probably be fine.
Click to expand...
That's genuinely terrifying. Would snap driveshafts like matchsticks!
 
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He's certainly optimistic, but his efforts and talent were eventually outdone by a small French hatchback with all the complexity of a box of Lego, suggesting that he was not particularly well endowed with either. The car has never turned a wheel in anger in all the time he's had it, and he's had it a long time...

It passed its last MOT almost 10 years ago, and I'll wager it'll never ever pass another. He went through mutilple sets of body panels, arches, bumpers, wheels and tyres, and about a tonne of filler, and didn't drive a single yard on any of them.

If he's self taught the vital lessons would have been;

1/ Make a plan, and stick to it.
2/ You can't polish a ****,
3/ Keeping the thing on SORN for a decade means you need to bite the bullet and scrap it...
 
ok you convinced me not to bother again :(

maybe ill look at some OEM 19" instead :)


thanks all !
 
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