[maxter]

Does anyone have an opinion or experience of these. A friend is getting some for his..errhum.. deep breath..Audi Avant. Do they do anything other than give you a 'wide-boy' look for impressing the 17yr old XR2 drivers? can there be any handling benefits?

 

[whitesaab]

They used to be extremely common years ago. Most people used them for aestetic reasons but they did help widen the track of the vehicle slightly which could improve stability & reduce the likelihood of rolling by a small degree. They were sometimes used to prevent wide wheels rubbing off the inner wing on full lock but then frequently caused the tyres to catch the wheel arches.
Cars & Cars Conversions seemed to have an advert for them on every other page.
It takes you back to the days when a decent Saab had a V4 engine!

 

[KevinY]

If you choose to run wider wheels, you may sometimes need spacers so that the inner part of the wheel does not rub when you are turning sharply. I had compared several spacers before - http://www.kyankton.net/Wheels.htm

 

[wrighar]

Do they do anything other than give you a 'wide-boy' look for impressing the 17yr old XR2 drivers? can there be any handling benefits?  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/b]

Bring back memories of the hamlety ad and carlos tango fandango wheels.

Was it a mk1 escort or an anglia?? can't remember...

Andrew

 

[Bussman]

it was a anglia, great advert my grandad told me about it ....

 

[Aero]

Some Mini Coopers had 'non-standard' brake drums with incorporated spacers to widen the track. It played havoc with the bearings when I fitted them to my Mini.

Scary to think that I had brake drums on all four wheels and I still wanted to go faster round the twisties!

The point I was trying to make is spacers may increase wear/stress on other components.

 

[mark e]

It's highly likely they will invalidate your insurance if fitted. They are a potentially dangerous mod- if for no other reason than folk don't tend to use longer bolts when they fit the wheels.

 

[billj]

Originally posted by Aero:
[qb]Some Mini Coopers had 'non-standard' brake drums with incorporated spacers to widen the track.  It played havoc with the bearings when I fitted them to my Mini.[/qb][/b]

Good point. My Mini 1275GT came with those drums as standard, but the rear wheel bearings were different from other Minis. I always wondered why.

 

[alan_b]

I agree with Mark on this. Proper studs are rarely bought and I've heard many cases of bearings going. Handling improvemnt would be so minor that I can't see the point. I'd even rather spend the money on an Abbott intake pipe kit

 

[wrighar]

if for no other reason than folk don't tend to use longer bolts when they fit the wheels.  [/b]

Even 9000's use different bolts for alloy or steel wheels.

Uncle couldn't use his steel spare when he needed it as the alloys bolts were too long and caught the backplate.

I got him an old alloy as a spare as it was easier than getting the shorter bolts (you know how many alloys I've got...).

The bolts are shorter by about 2 thread turns.

Andrew

 

[billj]

Originally posted by Alan_b:
[qb]I've heard many cases of bearings going.[/qb][/b]

Mind you, if it's purely used to compensate for a wheel with a different offset (i.e. maintain the original track with the new wheels), I'd have thought the moment on the bearing would be unchanged. Or am I mistaken?

 

[alan_b]

Originally posted by BillJ:
[qb] QUOTE

Originally posted by Alan_b:
[qb]I've heard many cases of bearings going.[/qb][/b]

Mind you, if it's purely used to compensate for a wheel with a different offset (i.e. maintain the original track with the new wheels), I'd have thought the moment on the bearing would be unchanged. Or am I mistaken? [/qb][/b][/quote]Used in the way you suggest, yes, I agree.

 

[steisan]

I agree too.

Just another question that I just can't understand about physics: why moving the wheels away from the hub (like a spacer does) should give a better handling-stability? Only wideing the distange between suspensions, so the cars width, could do that, but if the suspension remains unchanged the wheel position isn't important.
The only thing would be that it could help not to lift the interior rear wheel in cornering, but this isn't a problem in our 9000... we don't drive Golfs!

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[mark e]

Originally posted by Stefano:
[qb]The only thing would be that it could help not to lift the interior rear wheel in cornering, but this isn't a problem in our 9000...  [/qb][/b]

It was though today, going round the hairpin at Anglesey track. Lots of cars with their inside front wheel almost not on the ground

 

[billj]

Originally posted by Mark E:
[qb]Lots of cars with their inside front wheel almost not on the ground      [/qb][/b]

Those with poly front ARB bushes?

 

[mark e]

Originally posted by BillJ:
[qb]Those with poly front ARB bushes? [/qb][/b]

I dunno- Have you still got poly ARBs 'cos yours was one of the ones lifting the most that I saw!

 

[billj]

Originally posted by Mark E:
[qb]I dunno- Have you still got poly ARBs 'cos yours was one of the ones lifting the most that I saw!      [/qb][/b]

Knocks that theory on the head, then

 

[mark e]

Bill,

I've got quite a few laps on in car video following you that might be useful to look at sometime to see how the suspension was doing through the corners...

 

[wrighar]

I've poly all round, and /john said it looked like my inside front was just about lifting on the first corner (school) after the pit straight.

Andrew.

 

[mark e]

This is getting a touch off topic... I think we need a seperate discussion about the merits of poly bushes/ARB damping etc... however I will add that I don't think I had any probs with front wheel lifting- when I carried too much speed in to the hairpin it was definately a 4 wheel slide... but I have got stiff springs...

It's all a bit too technical for this time of night anyway. I'm off to have a glass of wine...