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obsolete
obsolete HalfDork
6/3/22 12:56 p.m.

I've posted this before, but it bears repeating. Wheel spacer/adapter installation process:

  1. Torque adapter onto hub (same torque spec you would use for a wheel), torque wheel onto adapter
  2. Drive car
  3. Remove wheel, re-torque adapter, reinstall wheel
  4. Drive car
  5. Re-torque wheel
  6. Enjoy
chandler
chandler UltimaDork
6/3/22 1:07 p.m.

205,000 miles

5x100 to 5x114

5x130 to 5x114

5x130 to 5x114 (different thickness than the above)

No Motorsport but Lots and Lots of miles. As @obsolete said, torque everything, drive, retorque everything, drive, retorque wheels.

clshore
clshore Reader
6/3/22 4:29 p.m.

Tremendous difference between wheel spacers and wheel adaptors.

Wheel spacers don't carry wheel loads into the hubs, the studs do that when properly torqued.
Spacers are always stressed in compression by the studs.

Wheel adaptors do carry wheel loads into the hubs, adaptors have studs of their own that attach to the wheels,
and then the studs on the hub attach to the adaptors.  
Adaptors must carry all the compression, tension, and shear loads.

If an adaptor fails, you will shed a wheel.

cyow5
cyow5 Reader
6/3/22 4:41 p.m.

In reply to clshore :

Wheel spacers still carry shear loads the same as an adapter through the same friction faces. They're both always in some compression unless the tensile loads exceed the bolt torque which is more than the weight of the vehicle. But for sure, the load path through the adapter is nastier because of the lack of through bolts. 
 

edit: I can the argument that an adapter is in tension in the middle since the lack of through bolt mean it is not under uniform compression. 

clshore
clshore Reader
6/3/22 4:49 p.m.

BTW, unlike most steels, aluminum has no minimum safe fatigue stress level, it will always fatigue fail eventually,
no matter how small the load.

The higher the stress level, the fewer hours (or cycles) until it breaks.

That said, many parts are designed for a very long service lifetime.

With highly stressed applications like wheels, suspension, and wheel adaptors, periodic crack testing is suggested.
 

Toebra
Toebra Dork
6/3/22 6:45 p.m.

Everyone dies of something.  If the wheel spacers kill you, at least you died doing something you love.

Definitely gone now
Definitely gone now SuperDork
6/3/22 6:50 p.m.

In reply to cyow5 :

All I can do is tell you what I saw. I have no further "data". 

Definitely gone now
Definitely gone now SuperDork
6/3/22 6:53 p.m.
clshore said:

Tremendous difference between wheel spacers and wheel adaptors.

Wheel spacers don't carry wheel loads into the hubs, the studs do that when properly torqued.
Spacers are always stressed in compression by the studs.

Wheel adaptors do carry wheel loads into the hubs, adaptors have studs of their own that attach to the wheels,
and then the studs on the hub attach to the adaptors.  
Adaptors must carry all the compression, tension, and shear loads.

If an adaptor fails, you will shed a wheel.

This sounds like the SER's issue. Wheel and adapter came off. He was running slicks meant for a different AX of his. And he was too poor to buy additional wheels/tires. 

vwcorvette (Forum Supporter)
vwcorvette (Forum Supporter) UberDork
6/3/22 8:17 p.m.

I have 3 inch spacer/adapters to fit saw blades on my 75. I did this to run some slicks I got used for autocrossing. I now have those rims with 2.5 inch spacer/adapters in the V8 Safari. Never a problem. All gets torqued properly with a torque wrench.

mjrj (Forum Supporter)
mjrj (Forum Supporter) Reader
6/3/22 8:40 p.m.

I installed 1" hubcenteic wheel spacers on this rolling toilet so the wheels clear the rear trailing arms/spindles.  Used blue loctite on the factory studs and let sit 24 hours before driving.  Installed in December and have checked torque and everything is ok so far.

 

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
6/3/22 10:54 p.m.
Toebra said:

Everyone dies of something.  If the wheel spacers kill you, at least you died doing something you love.

Unlike the guy mowing his lawn who gets destroyed by the wheel when it yeets off the car. wink

chandler
chandler UltimaDork
6/4/22 5:55 a.m.
Appleseed said:
Toebra said:

Everyone dies of something.  If the wheel spacers kill you, at least you died doing something you love.

Unlike the guy mowing his lawn who gets destroyed by the wheel when it yeets of the car.

Maybe he loved mowing?

 

Seriously though, nothing is completely safe but running spacers or adaptors is not the kill a school bus full of nuns type of thing some portray it as. 930's came FROM the factory with a 55 mm spacer, that's more than two inches on a car already putting significant torque (and usually a lot of sideways pressure lol) on the entire assembly. They are safe, it's up to you to inspect them and make sure they stay tight.

 

BTW: those wheels are going to look hawt on there.

914Driver
914Driver MegaDork
6/4/22 6:56 a.m.

By moving the wheel (and tire contact patch) outboard 2  - 3" would that effect the suspension and steering geometry?

chandler
chandler UltimaDork
6/4/22 7:16 a.m.
914Driver said:

By moving the wheel (and tire contact patch) outboard 2  - 3" would that effect the suspension and steering geometry?

Only if you are really moving the contact patch; because he is going from a low offset to a high offset he isn't moving any of that. He is trying to mount the C5 wheels in the C3 location by effectively changing (more like an alternate) the C5 offsets.

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