84c4vette

i just bought wheel adapters for my vette and no tire place will put them on because of liability, they siad its not safe, how unsafe are these and should i put these on my car? im gonna end up doing it myself because nobody will put them on but if they are as dangerous and the tire places have said ill leave them off

j3studio

Good question...



...somebody chime in!

99mallett

Used them to put C6 wheels on my wife's 92. Drives fine, balance is okay, no complaints.

flyinlow90

I had the same problem with wheel spacers...no tire shop would put them on except the one that originally wanted to sell them to me.

After inquiring about how safe the spacers would be to other tire shops I really got a negative response from them.

I decided not to go with that idea for safety.

I'm not sure how wheel adapters work but I would imagine the principle would be the same.

Gary

CentralCoaster

Theyre feeding you b.s.

The tire shop's policy does not permit the use of wheel spacers. Bolted on wheel adapters are allowed. The installer is an idiot and just doesn't know what he's looking at, or isn't sure what you're talking about over the phone. Talk to the manager or something, and clarify what his policy is.


As for me, I don't trust anyone to turn a screw or lugnut on my car. I take the wheels/tires in off the car.

topgunvette

....

CentralCoaster

I have yet to see or hear of a wheel adapter failure. The wheel adapter is stronger than most anything else in the drivetrain. Your chances of breaking a stud are doubled, because there are now twice as many studs.

I'm not a fan of spacers on the other hand. From an engineering standpoint, they are a weakness. and more likely to cause your studs to shear off or nuts come loose.



The only thing I dislike about adapters, is that you can't easily check the torque on the adapter nuts.

redrose

i've got vb&p ADAPTERS on my 86....made from 6o61-t651, stronger than the cast wheels...studs are 1/2'', stronger than 12 mm in the hub...this stuff is better than a direct bolt on wheel, imho, or i wouldn't ride on em...if you have SPACERS, or offshore adapters made from who-knows-what alum alloy, don't drive on em, show (static display) only.

John A. Marker

I agree with CentralCoaster. Adapters are okay. It is the wheel spacer that is dangerous. They require a longer stud, so you are going thru the spacer and the wheel. The longer stud still has the same strength as the shorter stud, but now you are putting more pressure on the stud. This longer stud will have a higher failure rate. I am running a 1inch adapter to run ZO6 wheels on my 85. No problems with the adapters.

SHINOBI-X

I work at a goodyear tire retail shop and we put them on because there is no problem with them at all. Most of the time its the failure of the mechanic who puts them on the first place and then soon after complains its the wheel adapter/spacer! no body wants to point the finger at themself if they can blame something that simple.

had them on my 84' to put on 88' wheels and took it to 140 several times. No problems and vibrations.

CentralCoaster

I can't say whether or not they shake at 148mph, the whole damn car shakes.

84c4vette

so most of you guys would put them on if you had to?

CentralCoaster

I've drag raced on them 60 times, autocrossed on them 3 times, driven em hard.

Just make sure you install them properly.

There are different types of adapters as well.

Hub-centric - has a flange that the stock wheel mounts over.
Lug-centric - has tapered lug holes

You can get adapters that have both.

86VX1

my car has been to 168mph a couple of times with adapters at all four wheels, no problems at all.

RRT vette

I agree CC, I've had adapters on my 86 for 5 years now, no issues.

kalister1

I would clean the studs and use Loc-Tite to hold the adpaters on.

Grease Monkey

, its safe if you do it right

j3studio

CentralCoaster

Dayum, whatcha got in that thing? (And what roads )

VtVette

Hub-centric adapters here. No problems, no concerns.