So last week I went ahead and ordered a set of 15mm H&R spacers. After talking to some friends and trying to measure/picture what they would look like on the car I got cold feet thinking they were going to be to wide. I immediatley called the vendor and asked if I could switch my order to 5mm. He said no problem and they would ship when they got in. I think I still might have time to switch again.

What sizw should I get???? I only want a more aggressive stance, but dont want it to be ridiculous. I am running a MCS JCW with H&R green springs, I think they lower a little less than an inch, TD PR !.2 tires in 17x7 I think 45mm offset and 215/45/17 tires.

DO you think the 5mm would cut it? Do you think I would notice 5mm and step back and say "damn now looks killer".

Or will I just to even notice them???

Any one out there with spacers on 17s on a lowered car that could give feedback and maybe even a pic?

Thanks for your help,

Jasun

 

I've never heard of anyone using spacers solely to change the visuals on a car - I don't think 5mm or even 15mm is going to make a world of difference in that respect.

Spacers are pretty much just used to solve clearance problems, usually when a tire is rubbing against something or when there's not enough clearance between the wheel and the brake caliper.

 

Spacers are used for three reasons that I can think of; 1) for looks - pushing the wheel/tire out to the edge of the fender, 2) performance - wider stance, and 3) to clear larger brakes.

I am going through the same thought process for my GP. I need spacers to clear my TCE/Wilwood BBK and I would also like a wider stance for performance and looks. 5mm will clear my brakes but I would like to go out as far as possible without rubbing.

You state that you think the offset is 45 but you will need to be sure in order to help determine the correct spacer size.

On my 2003 MCS with H&R Springs, BBS RGR 17x7 ET38 wheels, and 215/40x17 tires the stance was as wide as it could go without rubbing too much in the rear. I had to trim the rear inner fender (plastic) to eliminate a little rubbing when there was a lot of load on the rear end.

So if your wheels have a 45mm offset you probably have about 11-13mm of space in the rear before you rub, at least from my experience. The front will not be a problem.

From a looks standpoint the 15mm spacers will look good. The wheels/tires will still be inside the top fender arches. However, the 15mm spacers will probably cause rubbing inside the rear fenders. However, a little trimming with a dremel tool should fix the rubbing.

Mini Madness has 8mm spacers. Anything larger than 7-8mm and you end up with no hub centering lip since the centering hub only sticks out about 10mm. That is why the H&R spacers are offered in 5 and 15mm. The 15mm has a centering hub lip on the spacer. Some people have gone with 10mm spacers (two 5mm) and trust the lug bolts to center the wheel. Remember you might need longer lug bolts depending on the spacer thickness.

 

I do not know what I was thinking when I said you should have 11-13mm before rubbing. Based on my experience with the 38mm offset wheels you should only have about 7mm before rubbing (45-38=7). I suggest you go with the 5mm spacers from H&R if you do not what to trim the rear inner fender liner. However, for better looks, I would go with the 8mm from Mini Madness and trim the rear a little.

You could also go with 15mm spacers in the front and 8mm in the rear. The wider front is good from a performance standpoint. However, I am not sure if the front/rear difference might look a little odd. I suspect a 7mm front to rear difference would not look odd because it is only a 1/4". Maybe you could experiment with some temporary spacers made of wood or cardboard.

 

Woooo, riquscott where have you been????

quikmini,

Thanks for the info real good stuff. I figured I would try the 5mm first, and if I dont like it i'll just sell them on NAM

Do you think I will need longer lugs with just the 5mm spacer? I have heard mixed opinions... some say yes and some say no...

That was a reason for going with the 5mm first. Those lugs are expensive!

So anyway you are from SM. I am running around SM at least 4 days a week. I think I saw you one day about 2 months ago or so. We were southbound on the 101 around Clark ave. I saw a GP in my rearview coming up quick. I looked down at my speedo, looked back up and you were already by me! All I can say is you were moving. You didnt notice me I was not in the MINI. It had to of been you, I dont think there are many other GPs running around SM.

So we will have to meet up some day and carve up some of the dream roads that we have right in our back yard.

Look for the ps/ps MCS JCW with black wheels and bonnet stripes.

Thanks for the help, Jasun

 

Most people need longer lug bolts for 5mm spacers but it depends on the thickness of your brake rotor and wheel. I believe for a stock setup, 2-3mm is usually safe without longer lug bolts. You will probably need to measure or look at your current setup. With everything torqued properly, you can look at the back of your hub to see how far the stock lug bolt protruds out the back of the hub. If you have close to 5mm protruding, you will be fine with stock lug bolts. I suspect you will only have 1-2mm protruding and it would be safest to get longer lug bolts. I suggest you talk to Tire Rack or H&R about lug bolt options and prices.

 

Jasun,
Off the subject. I have had my GP since mid-Nov. I live off the Clark Exit so that could have been me on the 101. I have not seen any other GPs in the area. I previously had a 2003 MCS Indi-Blue, White Stripes, Aero Kit, and BBS Wheels. I also enjoy getting together to talk Minis or take a little drive.
Mike

 

15mm up front and 5mm in the rear - no 10mm availble due to hub design on all cars.

The difference is incredibly noticable from a performance perspective - track tested by more than just me. A 45mm offset should not pose a problem, but I would not vary the front to rear difference by more than 10mm.

A greater stance at the front increase roll resistance and proportions the car's weight between the inside and outside tires better. The SAI or Kingpin angle remain the same, but the scrub radius will change. The motion ratio will change by 7.5% - meaning you will need to increase the front spring rate by 7.5% if you wish to keep the same front to rear balance before the spacer install. The motion ratio at the rear does not really change due to the double link design. Camber strength at the rear will be slightly less - the swing arm becomes longer and there is less camber change as the car rolls...the rear setup gains camber as the car rolls, so this will be a little less with a 5mm spacer. You can add a hair more neg camber at the back to compensate...which means roll centers and roll center migration change too.

You will need longer studs for evey spacer size, even 5mm. DO NOT USE THESE WITHOUT THE APPROPRIATE STUD LENGTHS!

As far as looking odd is concerned, the Mini's stock track is narrower up front...every other front driver I've driven has a wider front track.

You can expect more understeer with bigger spacers up front since roll is now resisted more, simple physics. But the tires are able to perform more work. Obvisouly adding more neg camber up front, increasing swaybar size/adjustment out back will help eliminate some understeer. Experiment! This is a good mod. Just keep an eye on your wheel bearings.

 

if ur lookin' fer that "damn that looks killer" stance a five mm will not even be close!!

 

Mini Mania has 10mm spacers.

 

Are you sure? Every other manufacturer I've ever worked with does not offer 10mm spacers. You have to look at what spacers do while on the hub to understand the difficult with a 10mm spacer...hint hubcentricity is a concern...unless a different wheel is uded, but I cannot see how a 10mm will work. I cannot load Mini Mania for some reason???

Basically, the flange on evey hub is what centers the wheel. If a 10mm spacer is added to the Mini's front hub, there is barely any flange left. The only way around this is by use of a thicker spacer that incorporates a flange in its construction. H&R does not offer a 10mm flange for the Mini for this reason.


EDIT; I see these on Mini Mania's web site, but I would have to install one to see if it works. My concern is that there is precious little flange to leverage the wheel...

 

At 10mm, there is NO flange left. See this thread and note post #9 (someone using two 5mm spacers):
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=90145

 

...interesting feedback in the other thread rkw...scary even .

The flange MUST center the wheel period. Do not use 2 5mm spacers together!!!

 

why?? centering rings dont center wheels.. lugs/bolts do, so why does it matter???

 

...we could debate the entire hubcentric notion...the flange is part of hub design for a reason. Bolts are not designed to resist all the load a wheel generates, especially while turning at 1g.

 

I ran 20 mm spacers S lites and H sport springs for a long time.
Honestly it was for looks and the Ole wider is better idea

And to hijack the thread partially they are now for sale

It looked awesome.

 

we sure could, so fill me in!
r u talkin' about teh flange on teh spacer or on the rotor!?

 

Niether. It's integrated into the hub. The rotors fit over the spigot/flange.

I began a thread under suspension as well. The flange on the hub, otherwise known as the spigot in engineering speak, is vital. The studs, and, the flange provide the necessary support for the wheel.

Not that this logic is proof that a flange is vital, but if manufacturers could save a few pennies per wheel, they would save many thousands over the life of one model. The flange is part of every wheel design I have ever seen - excluding pure race setups.

I spoke with a couple of engineers regarding the flange. Use a 5mm and then jump to a 15mm. If you want to use a 10mm spacer, your luck will run out sooner or later...perhaps not on public roads, but for sure on a track where loads are much higher.