etazbaz

Installed 1/2" wheel spacers and think they improved the looks of the car. Used extended lug nuts with the factory studs. Have at least 10 threads showing so I am not worried about a lack of thread engagement. I did have to counterbore the mounting holes in the spacers because the extended lug nuts were bottoming out on the spacer. I went with 20mm OD that was 3mm deep. YOU CANNOT MOUNT THESE SPACERS WITHOUT DOING THIS!!!! Ordered extended lugs https://www.summitracing.com/parts/GOR-21133ETXL and Baer spacers https://www.summitracing.com/parts/BAE-2000010 from summit racing. Total cost was just $162.

BTW- wheels, tires and ride height are all stock.

Note: Don't forget to remove the brake rotor retaining clips on the studs prior to mounting the spacers, otherwise they will not bottom out on the rotor.

Take a look at the pics and judge for yourself.

Before




After

LMB-Z

I just simply put wider tires on. Whole lot less trouble. It does look good.

Patriot Six

Looks good. That's a good option, especially if the car is lowered and you don't want to splurge on rims and/or tires.

D0ppler

Nice! I was just thinking about doing this to my Z.

*El Ocho*

Looks good.

Better pics from a little farther out would let us get a better look though

fisher auto

I'd be worried about rock chips now!

cmb570

looks good, thanks for details.. looking into doing same now

itomh

I couldn't agree more, might as well sandblast the rear quarters and get it over with

etazbaz

happy to report no rock chips after 2k miles of driving on the street. no burnouts or track days yet.

Maligator

OP, have you run into any issues with that size spacer? Im really trying to avoid taking my hubs apart and installing new studs. Just wondering how they have help up for a year.

etazbaz

no problems to report.

Maligator

any chance you can repost the pics since they are down? Id like to see if 1/4 makes a difference.

I brake for nothing

I purchased a bunch of different spacer sizes to test offsets in anticipation of ordering some light weight forged wheels. I didnt want to regret the offset or have to run spacers on an expensive wheel.

I tried ~ 20mm / ~13mm / ~7mm front and rear.

The ~13mm was the best in the front but you will get rock chips . I will PPF the whole side before I go that aggressive again. I like to blast through the back roads and it just throws too much debris in the corners.

This photo is ~7mm out back. The front photo is the fattest spacer front and rear which tucked much more when the suspension settled out. I dont have any other photos handy.

I think ~13mm is max in the rear without trimming the quarters. Ill have to play with it all a bit more before picking a final offset.

Sizes are not exact but close I would have to check the spacers with a caliper.

HOXXOH

The number of threads showing is not as good a method as turns of the lugnut to determine thread engagement. You first need to know that a minimum of 8 full threads exist on the lugnut itself. Then with the wheel in place, you need at least 8 full turns of the lugnut to ensure a safe level of thread engagement on 12 x 1.5 thread. The standard minimum engagement is that the length is equal to the diameter.

Maligator

what brand/where did you buy the spacers?

Wouldn't ET lug nuts satisfy this?

I brake for nothing

The spacers are all from Motorsport Tech. Billet exact fit and hub centric. These work with carbon front brakes as well with no modification.

Dorman makes the "just" 1/2 inch longer front studs companies like DRM sell as well. So if you do not want a massive stick out from an ARP stud you can use these. They slip in from behind with just a slight grind to the head.

Part Number: D18610323
Mfg ID: 610-323

Z06Qazi

I did 15MM spacers front and rear on my 07Z running OEM spyder wheels with OEM tire size and they look great.I tried 10 / 12 / 20 .. 15 made is flush .. i could add another 5mm up front but decided to keep it civil lol. I also did extended ARP studs front and rear . No rubbing and im lowered on viking coilovers . Stock alignment specs , no extra camber .

HOXXOH

There is no magic bullet lugnut that resolves every problem. No matter what length of stud, thickness of spacer, thickness of wheel, and size of lugnut, you still need full contact of enough thread distance to equal or exceed the stud diameter.

As an example, suppose you have a factory wheel with OEM lugnuts. The design meets the SAE standard for thread engagement. In the case of a C6, the stud thread is 12 x 1.5, so every full turn of the lugnut equals 1.5 mm. In 8 full turns it equals 12 mm, which is the same as the diameter of the stud and it meets the standard if we assume the OEM lugnut has at least 8 full internal threads.

Now let's assume the ET lugnut creates 3 extra threads where all 3 are on the leading end. When used with the stock wheel and stock stud, it'll require 3 more rotations and it'll have 16.5 mm of thread engagement. However, if a 6 mm spacer is used, you lose that much thread and end up with 10.5 mm of thread engagement, aka 7 turns.

The important thing here is to know that the number of full threads on the lugnut will allow a minimum of 8 full turns and not bottom out externally on the hub or internally on the stud. Since open end lugnuts are only common on race cars, it's hard to count internal threads visually. You can use a pick tool to feel threads or grind off all but the first full thread of a bolt and count the turns until it either freely spins or contacts the internal end. If that seems like a PITA to check, then consider the PITA if you lose a wheel when driving.

I no longer have the OEM plain steel lugnuts with the stainless cover, but do have the 4 "theft proof" ones that the dealer installed as a "gift". I just checked and counted 11 full threads on them. When installing them on a stud, it took 13 turns to bottom out, which means the threads didn't go full length. And that's why knowing exactly how many threads on aftermarket lugnuts is just as important as knowing what stud length and style to buy if or when you need longer studs.

Apocolipse

With factory offset z06 rims i thought the front needed wider of a spacer than the rear...

Maligator

you were able to slip them in front and rear hubs without removing them?