Technical wheel spacers (i know...)

[nmrmak]

Please bear with me, i'm new here and i did actually use the search

What is the standard ET for a seicento and how big a spacer can i use? If I want to widen the car's wheelbase a little bit to improve handling, are spacers the way to go at all, or do you buy "wider" rims? I've read that one should go for hubcentric only to avoid wheel wobble, is ebay a good source? They do look a bit expensive, maybe it would be cheaper to find someone with a CNC to make them for me? If so, is there a spacer diagram somewhere, so i can tell the workshop what i need made? (i've googled for it, but not very successfully) What else will i need (nuts&bolts, anything lenghtened)?

Sorry for any spelling mistakes, english isn't my native language, all i share with you guys is the cento

Thanks in advance for any input! :worship:


P.S. I've read that sei abarth comes equipped with 10mm spacers in the front, is there any chance to find this on a scrapyard? Is it even compatible with the standard sei, and could it be used on the rear wheels too?

 

[dr_hillmann]

i want to do the same thing with my sei...

 

[randomizered]

(cough) FAQ's bottom of your sig (cough)

As for maximum spacer size without mods .... not sure...10mm go on fine, prob get closer to 20mm.

Kristian

 

[Bushboy]

TBH I wouldnt bother. From experience, throwing on spacers wont actually help the handling. Not to any extent anyway. Just lower the car with a full shocks and springs kit and get a front upper strut brace if you really want the car to handle better. Spacers wont make any noticable improvment and will put extra stress on the hubs and so they wont last quite as long as they would otherwise.

Our cinq runs 30mm spacers (because of the fancy wheels its got) and they have thrown the handling out quite alot. It isnt bad atall but its completly different. handles really well but not because of the spacers. It handled better on the standard wheels with just a lowering kit and strut brace.

 

[randomizered]

when i fitted 10mm spacers up front, i did it for increasing the track at the front.

a wider front track compared to the rear will help reduce oversteer, and give a better turn in.

it did seem to make a difference handling, for the better, but it may have been placebo.

increasing both front and rear will not give you this benefit.

if you space out the front and rear to crazy levels, you will be appoarching a "box" stype stance and could go doing pirouettes (spinning round in circles) quite easily in the wet/snow.

I think if you have a limited budget money is better spent elsewhere

Kristian

 

[Bushboy]

very true. hubcentric spacers arent cheap (not good ones anyway) and that kinda money could be saved for a strut brace or lowering springs etc.

I think the spacers we are running (30mm) are a little excessive but are required for the wheels the car is running. Most noticable difference is very light steering However the cinq does handle extremly well.

 

[dr_hillmann]

well i fancy those alloys on ebay... and they wont need spacers to fit on, so i dont think ill bother with them
probs just go for a set of lowering springs

probs be keeping the original shocks... for financial reasons, so whats the largest recommended drop on standard shocks???

cheers

 

[nmrmak]

The reason i started reading on spacers was because my dad almost slipped off the road one rainy day, and it was with 155/65/R13 tires. The idea was to put some wider tires on it, but the mechanic said he can't put anything over 160 on it, because it would catch on the inside, on the rear tires. So i figured i'd need some spacers (5mm would be enough i guess) and while i'm at it, i could space out the front tyres as well, and that might help handling. So the idea is to have a wider track in the front, because seis are prone to understeering, right?

 

[Bushboy]

20mm? Hard to say. Depends on the condition your shocks are in really. If your lowering any ammount it is advisable to get shortened shocks too to avoid them coming out position if you "take off" on a tight hill etc.

Plus you will notice much better handling with matching shocks aswell. Springs arent the only thing responsible for roll. With the standard shocks the ride will remain fairly rolly and smooth. Its the shocks that actually stiffen the ride.

 

[AppleSei]

The reason i started reading on spacers was because my dad almost slipped off the road one rainy day, and it was with 155/65/R13 tires.

Might be tyre itself at fault i.e. worn, rubbish manufacture etc

 

[nmrmak]

Might be tyre itself at fault i.e. worn, rubbish manufacture etc

Yeah, and that's why i'd like to change them. But I'd really prefer a wider tyre, but the dealers have 145/70/R13 and 165/70/R13 (which supposedly won't fit). There is a possibility to order micheline tyres, but for double the price.

 

[dr_hillmann]

20mm? Hard to say. Depends on the condition your shocks are in really. If your lowering any ammount it is advisable to get shortened shocks too to avoid them coming out position if you "take off" on a tight hill etc.

Plus you will notice much better handling with matching shocks aswell. Springs arent the only thing responsible for roll. With the standard shocks the ride will remain fairly rolly and smooth. Its the shocks that actually stiffen the ride.

well im thinking budget at the moment, and the looks of the car initially, but i could push the boat out for a gmax kit, and i think apex make one for about £230... which isnt too bad, when most online shops sell springs for around £90 (apart from ebay) well ill get some alloys first, then ill see. but body-roll is my personal pet-peeve currently... hmmm

 

[Bushboy]

do you have a sporting or an SX with steels?

If its a sporting then you can get 175/50s on no problems. possible even 195/45 R13s without any rubbing.

If its an SX then really you dont want much wider than a 155 on the 5" wide steelies! get some sporting alloys and use the standard 165/55 tyres or go for the 175/50s. The Yokohomas are very good

Your mechanic is a plank if he says you cant get anything wider than 165 on a sporting alloy.

 

[AppleSei]

Ahh i understand now.

I read it and understood it from you follow up post to original as you just wanted spacers and planned to stick with those tyres which had caused you/your dad to slide in the wet and following mechanics advice

 

[dr_hillmann]

Ahh i understand now.

I read it and understood it from you follow up post to original as you just wanted spacers and planned to stick with those tyres which had caused you/your dad to slide in the wet and following mechanics advice

haha oh no, i was wanting spacers to go with alloys

 

[dr_hillmann]

do you have a sporting or an SX with steels?

ive got an SX with the original steelies on it still

 

[nmrmak]

Same here. So the idea is to get new alloys and only use hubcentric spacers to compensate for the offset, right? Can i go for 6J rims on a non-sporting sei?

 

[custard]

Same here. So the idea is to get new alloys and only use hubcentric spacers to compensate for the offset, right? Can i go for 6J rims on a non-sporting sei?

deja vu
it depends on the alloys.
theres numorous threads on this and a couple below this one.
also theres a wheel faq in the faqs (link in your sig)

also bear in mind if your increase the wheel size it will need lowered

 

[nmrmak]

deja vu
it depends on the alloys.
theres numorous threads on this and a couple below this one.
also theres a wheel faq in the faqs (link in your sig)

also bear in mind if your increase the wheel size it will need lowered

but only if i increase the radius, right? if i stay with R13, but go for a wider rim, it will be the same, as far as i see it. The ride shouldn't get any higher because of a wider wheel... Does the 6 in 6J mean 6" wide?