I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to minis. This is my first. Iv only owned e30s tell now and I want to space the wheels and drop it and I want to find some pictures before I do it can anyone help?

 

This may help. Here is 12mm spacers on stock wheels on the Roadster. It brings them out nicely. I'm also lowered on NM Alpha springs.










-Steven

 

bump

 

the 5 spokes are 17x7.5 not sure of the et. front tires are 215/45r17 toyo extenza hp, rear tires are 225/45r17 toyo extenza hp. 8mm spacers all the way around.

the steelies are 15x 6 or 6.5 i believe. not sure of offset. all 4 tires are 175/65r15 gt winterpro. 8mm spacers all the way around.

 

I would not use wheel spacers. Get new wheels that are wider, and stick out more if that is the look/performance you want.

 

why wouldn't you use wheel spacers? just curious

 

wheels spacers are safe when used correctly.

the only reason anyone would say not to, is because of the potential risks:

- too wide of a spacer. your stud lugs will not thread into the hub enough times to safely hold the wheel on.

- non hub-centric spacers. this could cause a vibration, very minimal, but noticable to some.

personally, my spacers are not hub centric. it makes no difference to me. being they are over 5mm wide, i got longer stud lugs.

on my truck, i have what are called adapters. they are essentially 2" spacers. after a certain width, the spacer becomes referred to as an adapter, which is like adding a thicker hub to the existing hub. it gets torqued onto the hub with the stock lug nuts. then the wheels are torqued onto the new studs thats come out of the adapter. there are also adapters that change the bolt pattern and thread pitch of the studs, allowing you to use a variety of different wheels and lug nuts.

all in all, to each their own. the decision should be based on the look you are going for, and if it can be safely done. in my experience, between my truck with 20k miles on the adapters, and my mini with 8k miles with the spacers, i have had no problems at all.

 

Are your 8mm spacers 4x100 hub centric (56.1 or 56.2mm)? If so, where can I get some. 8mm seems hard to find in Mini hub centric...

Edit: I am running 14x1.25 to 12x1.5 stud conversion, so I should be able to run the same spacer as an R53.

 

h&r makes mini hub centric spacers. i used to have some 5mm made by them.

my 8mm are just a generic brand with a universal style. the center bore is probably around 64mm since it is a little bigger than 56mm. i dont know the exact measurement.

it has at least 2 dif available bolt patterns. maybe even 4 or 5.

with a stud conversion youll have no problem installing them. where with mine, i need to put a dummy stud to hold it in place while i line it up with the wheel on the hub.

h&r makes quality stuff, and if youre set on hub centric id go with them, but like i said, ive put a lot of miles on mine not being hub centric, and it really doesnt make a difference.

and yes with that conversion you should be able to use the same r53 compatible parts.

 

Thanks. I agree that H&R is known for quality and that generic spacers should be fine also.

After a more specific search for "8mm wheel spacer 4x100 56.1" I was able to find some 8mm hub centric ones on eBay and esetuning.com.

I think I will probably go with 5mm or 10mm hub centric spacers. While an 8mm spacer is the perfect width for my wheels and depth of my close-ended lug nuts, it seems like it will cover too much of the hub, whereas 5mm leaves some exposed, and a hub centric 10mm creates a new hub for the wheel to seat on (depending on style of the spacer).

For anyone else considering wheel spacers, make sure your lug nuts or lug bolts are grabbing enough threads, but not too long that they are bottoming out and not tightening. Buy longer lug nuts or lug bolts if necessary.

 

Steven,

What brand are your 12mm wheel spacers?

Aaron

 

Hi Aaron, the 12mm spacers are made by RaceMax. Ordered from NAMotorsports.com


-Steven

 

Here is mine with 20mm spacers. I just went to a larger tire, 1/2 taller, so 1/4 all around. 215/45/17 non run flat Bridgestone R970 Pole Position. No Spacer in Front. I will install a 12mm. I am lowered with Mach V springs, about 1.5".