SPACERS QUESTION

[Larz]

I have an 07 M35 RWD. I have Ventus S1noble2 tires size 255/45/18's. They are of course slightly wider than the 245/45 stock size but they don't stick out beyond the fenders at all and appear to have about an inch of clearance between fender and widest part of the tire. I am on OEM suspension - not lowered.
I am considering adding spacers to set them outward just a bit more.
Any thoughts on this being a good or bad idea ... also - how much should i add and would I be reducing ride or handling quality?

[Ilya]

I'm assuming you'd want to only add 5-10mm. I myself am also looking into spacers...but I don't want the ones that replace the studs.

As this might help Larz, anyone know of any spacer kits that use the existing lug studs?

[Larz]

Thank you, Ilya ! Yes, I am hoping that adding just a small spacer will not affect the lug nuts and they will still be able to tighten far enough onto the studs so safety isn't an issue.

[mexillis]

wheel-fitment-guide-t587955.html

[06M4.5]

5mm on stock studs

or you can get spacers that bolt up to your oem studs and comes with 5 new stud pressed in to the new spacer already. I think this type of spacer starts at 15mm and up

[Larz]

Thank Freddie! I'm going to do some measurements but I'm leaning toward the 12-15mm adapter/spacers that you mentioned. I'm on 255 tires so my tires are already sticking out slightly more than stock. I reckon the 12-15mm adapters will be thick enough to bolt on without the factory studs sticking out beyond the spacer allowing for my wheels to fit flush against the spacer, but I'm concerned about how much farther the tires will extend with respect to the fenders.
I'm not sure a 5mm spacer will do anything noticeable. If the adapters are too much, then I will probably do nothing.

[szh]

My opinion, based on some expert advice: "Spacers are evil".

They add rotating weight right at the hubs, can cause imbalance problems, etc. Good quality hub-centric ones in particular are hard to find.

Far, far better to change your wheels for ones with the correct offset, if you truly want to move your wheel locations on the hub.

And, my other reason: moving the wheel location has no real impact on performance, and, to me, looks are not the important thing.

But, of course, "YMMV" and "to each their own" applies.

Z

[moedawg140]

5mm on stock studs

or you can get spacers that bolt up to your oem studs and comes with 5 new stud pressed in to the new spacer already. I think this type of spacer starts at 15mm and up

I have the 10mm of the H&R installed for my rear wheels and 15mm for the front wheels. Not sure what the narrowest hubcentric spacer (H&R or otherwise) they offer is in the 5 new stud that's prepressed into the spacers specification.

I understand where you are coming from szh, but a person like me had no other choice than install spacers to clear the G37 BBK calipers for my M (didn't install it for looks). The H&R hubcentric spacers that I use are great, as I have had zero issues with imbalances, performance issues or anything regarding anything negative. I have had less tramlining issues as well (only calibrated once when I installed the BBK, as opposed to getting calibrations every 6 months to a year before the spacers were installed). I was able to find them from tunerzstore.com and ebay quite easily, no issues finding the exemplary hubcentric spacers. The toughest thing for me was to find the correct widths to use because before I installed the BBK, there were various posts/threads that were conflicting of what was acceptable regarding spacer widths to use that will clear the BBK. The spacers make maneuverability slightly more controlled in my opinion. The BBK has saved my tail a few times. As a result of the spacers and BBK, the M has been even more of a joy to drive.

[svard75]

Larz, i've been on h&r drm 15mm front and rear spacers for over a year now. The following are my pros\cons list.

Pros
Stock wheels sit flush with fenders. Makes the car look more agressive.
Hubcentric so no vibrations.
You'll likely want 15mm front and 10mm rear.

Cons
After installation you'll have to shave the stock oem studs down if you have the open spaces between the oem holes in your rims. If you go with drs spacers then this isnt an issue since you knock out the oem studs for longer ones.
Cannot use the donut spare tire on drm spacers since the nuts stick out.
The spacer horror stories are always haunting you in the back of your mind. It forces you to check the nuts each time you remove the wheels.
You may have an issue getting the car properly aligned since its no longer in oem spec. My shop told me they have to do a manual custom alignment, extra $$$

Read my diy for installing the spacers to get a better idea. In hindsight i would have gone with 10mm in the rear but drm are only avaliable to 15mm then drs is 10.

[Ilya]

Eh, sounds like too much work for looks...so I'll probably skip this lol. Post up when you do it Larz.

[Larz]

Since I was only going to do it for looks, I can't justify filing or replacing studs, causing issues with proper alignment.
The car rides absolutely perfect right now so I've decided to spend money willy-nilly on something else.

Thank you all for the information and opinions. It is greatly appreciated.

[szh]

Since I was only going to do it for looks, I can't justify filing or replacing studs, causing issues with proper alignment.
The car rides absolutely perfect right now so I've decided to spend money willy-nilly on something else.

Best decision! Lots of stuff in our cars could use it. For example, outstanding tires (like the Michelin Pilot Super Sport) or larger brakes if they fit, etc., will almost always make a better handling and performing car.

Thank you all for the information and opinions. It is greatly appreciated.

You are welcome.

Hope I didn't influence you too much ... not!

Z

[Larz]

Just when you're certain something is settled .... I happened to be talking to a visiting rugby player after reffing their match. He complimented me on my car and I mentioned the idea I had about adding spacers. He happens to work in a custom car shop in Atlanta who does mods of all kinds including wheels and custom body work.
He gave the tires / fenders a look about and according to him: I can easily add a 5mm spacer to front and rear without needing to mess with adapters or changing out for longer studs. He cautioned me to get spacers that match the bore and also provide a centric hub similar to the OEM hub that provides a 'lip' upon which the wheel sits to avoid vibrations. He also said that even if Infiniti has a particular OEM staggered offset from front to rear, there will be no issues for proper alignment - he compared it to aligning the car with an 18x8 wheel vs a 19x8.5 wheel. Since the differenc in offset from front to rear remains the same, no alignment issues. He told me that the wheel lug nuts MUST take at least 5 FULL turns to tighten the wheel for safety and stability - anything less and don't add the spacers.

What say you lot to this?

My trac is already about 1/4 inch wider with the 255 tires (I'm guessing) so with the additional 5mm spacers I'll add an extra 1/4 inch for a total trac width of + 1/2 inch.

I found a good set of spacers on Ebay that provide the centric hub lip to keep the wheels securely flat against the hub.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1993-2008-Infin ... c3&vxp=mtr

Now I'm re-considering moving forward.