Your Spacer experience?

573 Views 3 Replies 3 Participants Last post by RandyWalters, Nov 30, 2001

jgmgti

Discussion Starter · Nov 30, 2001

Putting 8mm H&R spacerers on my 97 GTI this weekend.
Like -dislike-your experience ?
jgmgti

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RandyWalters

· #2 · Nov 30, 2001

Re: Your Spacer experience? (jgmgti)

quote:[HR][/HR] Putting 8mm H&R spaceers on my 97 GTI this weekend. Like -dislike-your experience ? jgmgti[HR][/HR]

8mm spacers will move the wheel far enough out that it will no longer be centered by the hub. You'll most likely
get a shimmy through the steering if they're on the front, and maybe a shake through the car body if you put
them on the rear. You can minimize the chance of it happening if you carefully tighten the lugs with the wheels
off the ground, but i haven't always had good luck with that myself.
Why are you installing them? I only use my 5mm spacers if i absolutely have to (on my autocross cars).

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Jman5000

· #3 · Nov 30, 2001

Re: Your Spacer experience? (RandyWalters)

What Randy said.
I had 8's up front, had the shimmies, re-mounted/torqued and damn near got rid of it.
But then I went down to 5's...much better.
I have 8's the back w/no vibration...

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RandyWalters

· #4 · Nov 30, 2001

Re: Your Spacer experience? (Jman5000)

quote:[HR][/HR]What Randy said. I had 8's up front, had the shimmies, re-mounted/torqued and
damn near got rid of it. But then I went down to 5's...much better. I have 8's the back
w/no vibration...[HR][/HR]

The 5mm spacers won't allow the wheels to center themselves on the hub either. I tried my
4 lug spacers from my MkII GTi/BMW on my new Jetta and held the wheel up tight against
the mounting surface and was able to slide it around so i know for a fact it wasn't centered.
I also installed a single lugbolt and looked at the raised center hub carefully and it was obvious
that it was not contacting the wheel's centerbore (there was a visible gap). When i bolt the
wheel directly to the hub without the 5mm spacer, it fully engages and positively centers the
wheel.
I do know that the front is more sensitive to being hubcentered than the rear is since you can
feel it through the steering wheel. On the rear, it's not so apparent. I've gotten pretty good
at mounting my BMW's front wheels carefully enough that i reduce the chance of getting a
shimmy, but not always.
Randy

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