5pointoh

Has anyone used 1/4 inch spacers before on their S197 Mustangs without having to use extended studs?

I have a 2005 Mustang GT and would like my front wheels/tires to be out about 1/4 inch more towards the fender. This will make it flush and give it a more aggressive stance.

I was just looking at the Maximum Motorsports spacers on CJ Pony Parts website and they say that for 1/4 inch spacers it will NOT require extended studs for MOST wheels.

http://www.cjponyparts.com/maximum-m...2010/p/WHSP11/

I was just wondering has anyone used these spacers before and what has been your experience?

5pointoh

If it helps the specs of my front wheels that I am considering spacers for are the following:

18 x 8 inches

offset = +30mm

back spacing = 5.6 inches

Victorfriessen

I made my own spacers,1/4" but the stock studs dont feel very safe ,I would highly recommend getting larger studs

5pointoh

What made if feel unsafe?

I am hoping to do it safely without having to get longer studs as I plan on swapping out wheels from time to time. My current wheels, Shelby Razors with +24 mm offset, sit perfectly. I just purchased some matte black bullit wheels which I would like to bring out a bit in the front. The back is all good.

I am hoping someone on here has tried the Maximum Motorsports wheel spacers so I can get their feedback.

laserred38

I have the MM .25" spacers on the front of my SN95. They're pretty basic as can be. Not sure what you're looking for, as far as feedback. They're nicely made circles of aluminum

On my SN95, I had plenty of threads for my 17x9 Cobra wheels. They provide instructions for trying your wheels to make sure the studs have enough thread protruding to properly seat the wheels. With .25" you should be fine. Even 0.5" some cars will be okay with some wheels. More than 0.5" and you need longer studs, 1" or more the spacers will actually bolt on to your stock hubs, then the wheels will bolt onto your spacers. I have 1" on the rear and have had them on for years and probably at least 70k hard miles, without issues (other than my wheels rubbing on the fenders but I had them rolled, so no more).

5pointoh

Thanks for the feedback. You have probably given me the most useful information.

Now I am just wondering are the stud lengths on the SN95 the same as the S197? Do you remember how many rotations it took you to remove your lug nut? In the directions from MM, They mention that you need 6 full turns of the lug nut on the stud as a minimum to hold the wheel securely. After that they say for each rotation you multiply the number of rotations by 0.05" to get the maximum thickness of spacer one can run on their car.

They also mention that most cars will be able to take a 1/4 inch spacer with the OEM studs.

I can certainly see that the hubcentric 1 inch spacers by H and R or Eibach would pose no problems based on their design, provided they have been installed/torqued properly.

Does anyone else have any positive and/or negative experience with the use of 1/4 inch spacers on their S197 Mustang? Please post information only if you have first hand experience like laserred38. In a forum for a question like this it does not really do anyone good by stating what your "beliefs" are.

laserred38

No problem, bud. I don't remember exactly how many turns I had, but when I was posting my last post, I remembered 6 being the magic number, and I want to say I had 8 full turns after putting the wheels back on. I remember it being plenty of clearance and having plenty of turns. I did this because the steering stops on my V6 rubbed on the inner lip of the wheels at full lock turns - apparently the Cobra had smaller stops. It didnt hurt that the wheels are now flush with the gender too, exactly the same position as the rears are with the 1". I'd go for it man, the 1/4" is nothing to worry about, but just that little bit of offset taken away will make the car look more aggressive. I understand your hesitancy though, and I guess my SN95 experience isn't necessarily applicable to the S197. I'd imagine the S197 studs might be shorter, due to the higher offset of the S197 wheels. You could call up MM and ask? They're really good with these kinda of questions.

GrumpysGT

I had a set of Baer 1/4 inch spacers on my 2007 GT/CS for about 2 years. Used them when I installed caliper covers and had one wheel just barely touching the wheel. Never had any problems with the stock studs.
For info I have the set of 4 for sale as I switched my wheels/tires to the GT 500 set up and the clearence is much greater with this set up.
I'll send you a pm with the info.
GrumpysGT

laserred38

If he doesn't buy them, can you send me a PM with the info too??

5pointoh

Great! Thanks for the info guys. Sounds like a 1/4 inch spacer will work then. I will confirm with MM and also count my rotations.

GrumpysGT

laserred, pm sent.
GrumpysGT

GrumpysGT

Pic for laserred.

5pointoh

Did you have your 1/4 inch spacers on all 4 wheels? What wheel and size were you running?

GLWS of spacers.....sounds like a pretty good deal!

laserred38

I just paid for his haha! Going to throw them on my Escape.

GrumpysGT

I had them on all 4 wheels. They were the stock 18 inchers that came on my 2007 GT/CS. When I got my Caliper Covers, one of the rear wheels just barely touched/scraped the cover, no matter how I tried to adjust the cover. Got the spacers and problem solved. In 2 years I never had a lug nut come loose or back off.
Now running the wheel/tire set up from a Shelby that were new take-offs. Wheel backspacing is much greater than the stockers so I didn't need the spacers.
GrumpysGT

laserred38

Steve, do you have before and after pics of your wheels with/without the spacers? I remember the spacers on my SN95 being just barely noticeable, but noticeable enough. Just want to get an idea if it's noticeable in pics...

GrumpysGT

Afew, but not really a closeup. With the stock wheels they were not visible. Just depends on the size of the wheel hub.
For info laserred, they went out this morning.
GrumpysGT

Victorfriessen

Im checking my wheels,and Im installing a 1/4" spacer in the rear and I got 71/2 turns,a guy I ran into had 3/8" on his mustang for a year with stock wheels with no problems,and when I said the dont feel safe, when bolting on the stock wheel without a spacer you get a few more turns , but thats not enough to make them unsafe,so Lets cee how they will hold up

MTAS

I've had a 1/4" spacer on my front 18x9's for about 80K miles with the stock studs and nuts - no issues of any kind. Just the plain, cheap steel ones that American Muscle supplied with my wheels way back in Dec. of '05.

5pointoh

Do you remember if that is 8 full turns after or before torquing down the lug nuts?