Wheel spacers?

OhMagoo

Veteran Member
Joined
May 11, 2005
Location
Barrie ON
TDI
'05 Jetta, '05 Passat
"Back in the day" in a land far far away, the consensus was that spacing the wheels out resulted in excess strain on wheel bearings causing premature failure. I am pleased with the way my front wheels set into the fender of my Jetta, but the back ones could come out a wee bit to properly fill out the wheel well. Is this still the consensus...excess strain on the wheel bearings?

I am set up with Eibach springs, lowering the car about an inch, riding on 17x7.5 Spyn Evo's.

thanks in advance
 

jnecr

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2004
Location
Raleigh, NC
TDI
2014 BMW 328d
you can buy smallish wheel spacers that won't hurt the wheel bearings. 10mm spacers are easy to come by and are very commonly used. Check the vortex for some used ones...
 

Golf_GTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2004
Location
Logan Ohio, USA
TDI
2001 Golf GLS
If you need 5-10 mm to get the offset right thats one thing. If you want to have the rims sticking out of the wells like a skateboard however... RICE!!!

=-)
 

OhMagoo

Veteran Member
Joined
May 11, 2005
Location
Barrie ON
TDI
'05 Jetta, '05 Passat
jnecr...thanks. Appreciate the direct answer

golf gtdi...read carefully my post. I want to fill out the wheel well, not have the wheels sticking out. If the "Rice" look is what pleases the owner, then so be it. Who are we to stand in judgement of another's taste?
 

Kayakkermit

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2005
Location
Ontario
TDI
Jetta TDI, 2002, Silver
"Back in the day" in a land far far away, the consensus was that spacing the wheels out resulted in excess strain on wheel bearings causing premature failure. Is this still the consensus...excess strain on the wheel bearings?
From strictly a mathematical standpoint, as a bearing distributor, it still causes more strain. You put the bearings into what is called an "overhung load condition".
The greater the distance the load is from the bearing center, the greater the load on the bearings, and more importantly, the greater the "tilting moment" (how much the bearings are loaded on an angular plane basically). That is one of the reasons wheel offset is important, it isn't only the positioning of the wheels in the wheel wells.
Will 5 or 10 mm make much of a difference? Probably about the same amount of extra load on your bearings as carrying your toolbox in your trunk. So the strict answer is "yes", the practical answer on 5 or 10mm, don't worry about it.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
The rear track on a Jetta is about 10mm narrower than the front. I completely agree with your view that the rear looks a bit odd. With my 205/55-16 wheels I run 8mm spacers in the back and none in the front. The car looks good this way IMO. In winter with 15" wheels I run the 8mm in front and 15mm in back. I don't care what others think--my car's for me.
 

gern_blanston

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2002
Location
PNW
TDI
Golf, '03, Silver
I have 15mm H&R's on the rear of the Golf (lowered 1 1/4" or so with 16's) Looks great.
 

Golf_GTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2004
Location
Logan Ohio, USA
TDI
2001 Golf GLS
Magoo- If you look at the end of my post you may see a "=-)" this means that the comment is made in jest and a light heart.

You will also find that my answer is about the exact same as the others you don't have an issue with.
 

Toronto_Vento

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 7, 2002
Location
Richmond Hill, ON
TDI
01 Baltic Green Bora
Magoo...take a look at AMI Motorsports in Barrie. I think they carry FK spacers. I wouldn't worry too much about the extra load on your bearings...you've already put additional load on the bearings by lowering the car. I THINK anything up to 15 or 20 mm won't pop out much if at all, but yeah, a 10 mm spacer will probably be what you are looking for.
 

david_594

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 28, 2004
Location
Cheshire, CT
TDI
2000 Jetta GLS Silver
What about for performance? Are there any added benefits from spacers? The wider track of the tires wouldn't help at all?

Im not talking about just driving around town, I mean when your autocrossing the car?
 

TdiRacing

Vendor
Joined
Aug 19, 2003
Location
Baltimore, MD
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI Cup
When you move the tires out, you can change the balance of the car. For autocross, if the rear is pushed out, the front will push more. Just keep that in mind if you plan on racing.
 

mydeathbynapalm

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2004
Location
Great Falls, VA (NoVA)
TDI
Golf GLS, 2002, Reflex Silver
Yeah...the front has a wider track for a reason...wider front means tighter turn-in from what I understand on these cars...making the rear as wide or wider than that of the front does not help handling...for looks only.
 
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