I am looking into getting 1/2" wheel spacers. Will these require new lug bolts?

 

Depends on what specers you get. The billet spacers cost more ($75-$100 a pair) but come with lug extensions. Not sure where to find 1/2" billet spacers though. I did a quick search, but can only find 1".

 

http://www.maximummotorsports.com/spacers.asp

 

The look pretty good... I think I do need new bolts.

 

Emailed asking some details about them and received this:


I went out to test fit the spacers on the front of the '05 we have here. The inside of the bore on the spacer prevents the spacer from fitting completely flush against the hub. We ran into a fitment issue with the same spacers when being used on an IRS today. I believe we will do a redesign to them to make them work. At that point the ones for the IRS should work in the front of the '05 as well.

...Pretty awesome that he went out and actually tried it for me.

 

H&R & Eibach also have spacers that already fit the '05, though they are a heck of a lot more expensive. I think I'm going to go with H&R. Unless MMS gets their '05 design ready in the next three months.

Here's a good website on all three:

http://livermoreperformance.com/must...l_spacers.html

 

None of those are .5"... But I have an update.. It appears Maximum Motorsports has already modified them.. Must have been some kind of mix up.

 

I'll have to check that out. I'm not sure how much I'll need yet - I'm thinkin' .5 to 1.0", so yeah if I want less than 1" I'll need to go w/ Maximum Motorsports. Price sure is good...

 

hi guys...
do spacers work well for the Stang?

no vibration issues?

 

I don't trust those things. For a car that's for show, it might be o.k., but for a track car...I wouldn't trust them. JMO.

 

In my humble opinion, spacers were invented to fit a wheel to a car that the wheel was not originally designed to fit. There are far too many available wheel choices out there that fit the 05-07 without the need for spacers. I would be leery of driving a car, whether its a daily driver or occasional track car. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

+1 on the "don't do it" side of the ballot. Grew up near the Poconos and knew several people who had bad outcomes after pushing hard on the street with wheels mounted using spacers.

ALso +1 on the number of choices out there for wheels for the S197s. From the subtle to the ridiculous, you'll find them in all price ranges...

 

My opinion too. Not a well engineered solution. If you are reallly itching for a wider stance change the wheels ... or get some 04 or earlier take off's as the wheel offset is almost 20mm different.

 

What if you wanted chrome bullits w/ BAER brakes?

 

i have the 1" (25mm) hubcentric spacers on my fronts from Eibach - got them in order to have my 18" OEM fanblades clear the GT500 brakes.

since installing them, i've measured and only really need 10mm-12mm (~1/2") of clearance, but cannot seem to find proper hubcentric spacers for the fronts that have the integral bolts (where they are built right into the spacer, as my eibach ones are).

i have driven my car hard (though not on the track) without any issues. however, 1" is too wide for the fronts imho (looks ok tho) - it shoots more crap down the side of the car, i already have a few paint chips.

if i can find proper 1/2", i'll move the 1"ers to the back and put the new ones up front.

this is all, of course, until i can afford the 19" forged rims i want, which will clear the brakes without spacers at all.

 

H&R has the 15mm, which are just a little over half inch. I'm thinking about them, with longer ARP studs, for the front, and maybe the 20mm or 25mm on the back. Now that the car's lowered, I can measure the gap and see what will fit right. As for changing wheels, I like the fanblades, that's why I ordered them. Just like the wheel well gap Ford designed into the car, I don't like how far inset the wheels are stock. I dropped the car, now I want to widen the track a little.

 

Man, talk about resurrecting an old thread...here's an update. I got the 1" H&R spacers myself about 2 months ago. (Jay, I think you've seen these photos already) It's a daily driver and I don't drive that hard. I have had them on for a few thousand miles, and no issues. Just remember if you decide to get them, remove the metal washer/clips that are on the front rotors from the factory before you put the spacer on.

My dad has been a front end alignment and suspension tech for almost 40 years. And...he told me not to get them, he's seen too many problems long-term, but he also says the same thing about aftermarket wheels (likely improperly sized ones). As a tech, the only time he's going to see them is when there is a problem. I'm playing the odds, I figured 25mm was safe.

Rondosa - yeah, I get more spray too. I just spent yesterday morning with a can of rubber undercoat extending it out to the edge of the rear wheel wells. The factory undercoat stops about 3 inches from the the outer edge. So if you decide to put the 1" on the rears, pick up a can of undercoat to spray while you have the wheels off.

 

The primary problem with spacers is premature bearing failure due to the extra moment that results from hanging the wheels further off of the hub.

 

Listen to BuzzyStang05's dad ...

 

I don't doubt that the H&R/eibach ones are safe. Porsche and BMW guys have been running them on the track for years with zero issues.

I am thinking of using them with my factory 18" bullitts and the brembos.

The other issue is that not all the factory wheels have the same offset. The fanblades stick out 1/2" further than the 18" bullitts as is.

The gt500 wheels stick out 3/4" further than the 18" bullitts.

Factory 18" wheels with 1" spacers stick out the same as 34-36mm offset 18x9" bullitts. Which is pretty far out, and I am not sure I like the look.

The main problem is that no one makes a bullitt that will clear the brembos yet.

My bigger problem is that I have two sets of factory 18" bullitts. One summer tires, one winter tires. So even if someone came out with a wheel that worked, I have to buy 8 of them to run brembo brakes. Or just keep what I have and use spacers.