Paul L

I took my car in today to have new Pirellis mounted on the AR Torq Thrust IIs and installed on the Corvette. Those wheels are supposed to clear the calipers. But I have run into a Maxwell Smart "missed by that much" situation. There is minor interference with the front calipers; the wheel spokes rub on the raised lettering of the word Moraine (Delco Moraine calipers. Not the caliper itself but just the raised lettering. The shop (very reputable local business) has recommended 3mm (1/8") spacers all round to tidy this up and I have accepted. The spacers will come in tomorrow.

But here is the question. I will lose 1/8" of the threaded section of the wheel studs. Is this enough to warrant the installation of longer studs?

70 LS1

I would not use spacers and grind the raised lettering off the calipers. Sometimes spacers are necessary, but in your case it sounds like it can be avoided.

And to answer your question, I wouldn't worry about the studs if the spacers are only 1/8". Just make sure the spacers are centered on the rotor before torquing down the nuts. There have been several complaints about spacers throwing off the balance of teh wheel and this is why.

Paul L

The shop thought of grinding/filing down the lettering but I rejected the idea as the calipers are clearly visible through the spokes and I am a little **** about appearances. I should have mentioned that the raised lettering and minor interference is only on the front. To check for possible wheel casting flaws we tried all the wheels on the front with the same result. So it is not the wheels. The spacers are five hole (4 3/4") and concentric. I am not sure how they can installed improperly/off centre?? Thanks for the advice on the studs. I pretty much feel the same way.

Z-man

What size TT-IIs did you get? We've posted many times that the 16 inchers don't clear, which is why most of us have 17s. (Don't know about the 15s). If you went with the 17s, I wonder about the setup of your front wheels. Mine clear with about 1/4 inch - not a lot, but that's all you need.

Good luck... :)

Paul L

The car is a 1967 and the AR wheels were custom made to the specs (very close) of my current ralley wheels. They are 15". The width is 6" and the backspacing is 3 3/8". The offset is +1/8".



Here is the bend in the spokes that is supposed to allow for caliper clearance.




[Modified by paul67, 3:29 PM 4/20/2004]

OHSIXX

A lot of people who bad-mouth spacers have never used them. I have had them on my car for two years with no problems.

Get them custom made out of billet aluminum and the stud holes drilled to a perfect fit.

Do not use universal spacers as you might get a little unwanted bounce at certain speeds.

BTW, I had my wheels off today and the spacers still look like jewelery. Almost too good to cover up with tires. :)

Paul L

I'm afraid they are universal for Chevy 4 3/4". I have not seen them of course as yet but if they look of decent quality I will go with them. The shop has been in business for over 30 years and I trust their judgement. The wheels should be on tomorrow. The test fit today of those wheels gave the car a very different personality. And one that pleased me. I will report back on the outcome later in the week. My tid bit for the evening!

Z-man

Wow! - They look like they should clear. I would think you shouldn't have problems with a universal spacer (that is, up to about 175 mph :) ). Also, the ones you are looking at are so thin it will hardly make a difference. It's not like you are trying to add 6 inches to your width...

Good luck -

Paul L

This job should be done by tomorrow evening. I just want it done right for safety reasons as does the shop. I suggested the old hot rod solution of adding washers but they rejected that for liability reasons. I should have known better but my Bubba solutions never leave me. I will post pics if this project comes together successfully. Or why it did not! We all can learn.

phxraptor

In my opinion if you don't race or try to pop wheelies or go 125 mph those small spacers should be ok. If it was my Vette I would grind the letters off smoothly and coat and paint the calipers and you will never know. :cheers: :seeya

Paul L

It's funny you should say that. I have a can of caliper paint and was prepared to file off the letters very neatly and have at it. But for $20 worth of spacers I will give them a try. And with a 327/300 and Powerglide, wheelies are unlikely! My real concern is tire/fender clearance at the back. The Dunlop Axioms on the car at the moment have a 6" tread width. The new Pirellis are about 7 1/2". This despite the fact that both are 215mm in tire "width": they are both 215-70R/15. We shall see by the end of the day.

Solid LT1

I not only had to grind off lettering on my calipers but run, 1/8" spacers too on my TTII wheels. This is a problem that dates back the the 1960's with AR wheels and they are trying to carry on the tradition! I used 205-75-15's on my Mid-Year with stock knock-offs. I think you are going to have trouble fitting those BIG tires but maybe you will be OK with your custom offset if you measured correctly.

Ganey

Paul

Some confuse spacers w/ adapters which bolt on & allow a wheel w/ a different bolt pattern to be bolted to the adapter. This moves the wheel way out & alters the stresses, which were considered during engineering. Generally not a good idea.

While I would grind off the lettering, a 1/8" spacer is fine.

Paul L

Ganey,
Good point! Basically the spacer is just a 1/8" (3mm) thick metal disc. They come in a number of thicknesses, of course. Unfortunately they did not arrive this morning so the work has been delayed.