I havent found anybody here in this forum who uses wheelspacers. I installed them 1999 and did not have any problems with alignment, uneven tire wear or any other disadvantage. I know a few guys here in germany driving around with spacers and nobody ever had a problem.
I know that peopein this forum do many things with their Corvettes, and modify and upgrade as much as possible. Why no spacers ?
The car felt much better in curves and i did feel an improvement in handling characteristics. Beside that the 1 inch spacers make the wheels look much bigger.
Here some pics: http://www.corvetteforum.de/gallery/...allpic-808.jpg http://www.corvetteforum.de/gallery/...allpic-809.jpg

Jochen

 

Nice car! I think that people on this site have worries that the wheel bearing will be affected badly. Also alignment and stud strength.

Where did you get your spacers and do they make spacers in 1/2" size. That way the wheels won't stick out even that little bit that yours do in the pics.

 

CJS, thanks for your comments. In germany we have the Spacers available in many differnt sizes for the C5 Corvette. The one i have installed are from the german tuning company H&R and they do have TUV approval, which means that the german technical observation authority did tests with this modification on the Corvette to verify that there will be no negative effects on the car.

Jochen

 

Due to the size of my new brake system, I am using a very small spacer on my front HRE's. I am also using a 5/8" spacer on the front of the car for my custom built CCW Road Race Tire and Wheels. Neither one gives me any problems with the car. :cheers:

vetterdstr :chevy

 

Because the center registar of the hub is meant to take the load of the wheel in the up direction (holding the vehicle up), the lugs take the radial loads (braking/acceleration) and turning loads. If you space the wheels out past the center registar all force is now on the lugs.

For me I will not do this.

 

"center registar of the hub is meant to take the load of the wheel"

rgregory, what if the spacer was designed just like a vette wheel, and did register on the hub like a wheel, would that then make it a better proposition?

 

CJS,

That would be a good setup. I guess I just have never seen spacers like that.

 

I do not like spacers at all. But I think, Jochen is however on the safe side with the manufacturer of his setup.

If I am not completely wrong, the spacers (TUV rated) he selected for his beautiful street machine (all CORVETTEs are red.....) are double screwed onto the wheel-hub (5 times 4.75" // 120.65mm). In clear terms that would mean, his type of spacers are cross-fixed (as a wheel) onto the hubs, and the spacers themselfes carry their own "new" wheel studs. Hence, the wheel is screwed with the spacers. Nevertheless I think, when using spacers, this might be the best and safest solution.

There is may be one issue remaining : the multi-variable xtreme-forces working into the wheel hubs are further more outside // excentric of their initially intended point/center of attack. Considering the tremendous forces during a higher speed run through some montains twisties, there is always a certain "risk" of overstress (?).

But as Jochen mentioned, his are TUV-approved and might therefore be totally safe (?). One other thing could also be considered : to buy some specially hardened new studs (e.g. ARP/USA).

However, I think a proper selection of some little larger wheels with corresponding offset/backspace would do the job much better due to the fact they would split the bigger forces right over the hub, hence no specifically and supplementary excentric forces to the carrying hub.

Jochen : schon wieder ein herzliches HELLO hier von mir. Ich denke, du bist auf der Suche nach neuen Felgen ?? ..........if so : congrats to you !! Let me know pls.

Joe. :seeya :seeya from still pretty cold Switzerland.

 

Jochen,
I don't know the exact off-sets, but European off-set specs are different than the US specs. The tires/wheels on a stock set up for a US corvette line up nearly perfect with the outer edge of the fender where with the Euro off-set the tires are completely inside the fender. Just a guess but I'd say there's a .5 inch to .75 inch difference. Basically there's no reason for spacers on the US version.

Anyone with the Magnesium wheels in the US can see the difference. Mags have Euro off-sets. Hope this helps... :steering:

 

Topgun, hi,

you are 100% correct with your assumptions.

With the introduction of the C5 on the European Market, 1997, the road- and technical-authorities required a different offset/backspace as compared to the GM OEM-installed standard wheels on C5s intended for the US home-market.

Resultant was : the wheels "have to be" covered by the fenders top lip by a further half-inch less of offset/backspace => the wheels are a little further underneath the fender.

BUT : if I am not completely wrong, may be Jochen would like to correct me on this one. the German TUV (Swiss as well) regulation requirements ask that the rubber surface must be covered only in reference to the top running surface. That means, the wheel-assembly "may" stick out a little in reference to the fender lip (perpendicularily seen).

Therefore, and making use of this certain kind of discrepancy of the regulation to the initial requirements of the wheels offset/backspace, many european CORVETTE owners (not only C5-ers) tend to "fill-in" some amount with wheel spacers => "sandwich-type" or doubled screwed ones.

Anyhow, this issue remains as a kind of stupid discrepancy to the required standard GM OEM wheel outfit of the Car. Why not being allowed the standard US wheel from the beginning ? Pls do not ask questions.......but keep smiling.

Joe. :seeya

 

Hi Joe, nice to read from you again. Why do you think i am lookning for new rims ? i installed my chrome Y2K rims last summer and i am very very happy with them :D
Joe is right with the regulations he posted regarding the german (and swiss) TUV.
B U T : I have not a EURO C5, i have the US Version, and i can tell you that there is no difference as far as it comes to how far the wheels are sticking out or not. Friends of mine who have the Euro Version does not have the wheels more inside of the fender, nor i had my wheels beeing one line with the outside of the wheelhousing. There was no difference!

Beside that, as i said, i do have the "original" US C5 Version with no modifications done at that time, and i did get the TUV Inspection in 1998. All the things that are different has to get approval from the authority (e.g. The Headlights, red side markers, no Headlight adjustment mechanismum from the dashboard, red turning light lamps in rear and so on and so on). And all this things has to get written down in the documents of the car (Something similar to the US title, but with much more technical information and all the pre owners listed).

Joe is correct about the way the spacers are designed and mounted to the hub. The original studs has been cut and the spacer is mounted to the hub into a specially designed "bed", so the rims have again a flat mounting surface an the hub.
Extended TUV testing of the spacers did not show any problem occuring during heavy duty operations, nor did it show any missalignment or traction problems.

Believe me, when the german TUV say "approved" to a product they test, this product is "save".

Here the link to a more detailed picture of the spacer: http://corvetteforum.net/c5/jochen//...s/p0001334.jpg

Jochen




[Modified by Jochen, 8:54 AM 1/26/2003]

 

Hi Jochen,

Thanks for having commented and complimented my remarks. Now, I also have some more understanding re aftermarket wheels. Of course, if one goes into the various wheels exchange programm, eg for chromed "OEM"-wheels, then one in the EU would profit from the standard US type offset/backspacing. But still then, one could go some little further by using technically adequate spacers - as Jochen did (double screwed type).

Thanks Jochen for sharing the very informative pic. Your setup looks real clean and for sure you will feel a difference in road keeping manners => transversal wheel base is enlarged some FT and RR.

Still unclear remains the fact, the OEM EU-version of the C5s wheels has a little less offset (according GM tech infos it is about a half inch//12.5mm). Easily to compare as well when looking at the differing RPOs for the rims - they are different for EU as compared to US.

Joe. :seeya

 

Mmhh . . .
Still, even that i have the US Version, i felt the wheels much to far inside the wheelhousing, thats why i did the spacers :D

Is it possible that the difference in offset comes only with the magnesium rims ? As far as i know during the first years of production the mag wheels came as a standard to all Euro C5s.
My Corvette had the 97 Standard "pizza dish" design, which i never really liked.
I didnt know that there are different offset versions of the regular Y2k rims. I have never seen any Vendor, nor dealer selling a Euro and a US Version of the Y2K+ rims.

Jochen

 

With all the rain here my car stays dirty enough with stock Z06 wheels! I can't imagine what yours looks like after a good rain shower. Do you Nurburgring?

 

Hi Captain from Bombi . . .

i have never been racing on the Nürburgring. I guess its only opened temporarily for the public and then its only for cruising around with a speedlimit of 50 MPH (same on Hockenheimring). No racing possible at that speed. As far as i know some guys dont care about this regulation and they smashed their cars against the side barrier :D

As far as its about the weather: yes, the car gets dirty in rain, but we clean it anyway once a week, so who cares ?

How long are you in Baumholder ? Actually i was born close to Baumholder and spend some of my "wild" years in Bad Kreuznach and Idar Oberstein. Maybe we passed us sometimes on the road.

Jochen

 

Nurburgring is opened more for the public than it is closed, unlike Hockenheim. Yes, there is no speed limit that is obeyed :)

 

I know 5abivt has a 93 and he uses wheel spacers. He uses 5/8 inch cnc machined wheel spacers he bought from DRM. They have a little lip that centers the wheel on the spacer. He also uses 1/2 (i think) longer studs from DRM as well ao the lug nuts have enough thread to tighten on. I know hes gone over 175 mph besides autocrossing with me at willow springs. He doesnt have any problems.

 

Hi Jochen
to clear it a bit, here are the numbers for offset for OEM Mags and OEM Z06 front and rear in mm

Mags front 60mm, rear 65mm
Z06 front 54mm, rear 56mm

So the wider look results on one hand on the lower offset, on the other hand on the wider tire/rim.

Front: 6mm + 12.7mm = 18.7mm
rear: 9mm + 12.7mm = 21.7mm

This is exactly what I got when I did change from Mags to Z06´s.

BTW: you can RACE in Hockenheim a lot. One of my C5 friends did......and was passed by a pizza delivery van......no joke!!!! The fastest pizza serviece in town.
Frederik


[Modified by C5 Frederik, 1:41 PM 1/27/2003]

 

Just to play "devil's advocate" for a moment, let me pose this question. If you install your wheels, and then should re-check the torque on your lug nuts after 20-30 miles of driving, I would think that you should also re-torque the spacers, as they see the same loads. How do you do it?

Yes, I understand that you can take the wheels off and torque the spacers, and reinstall the wheels, but this has to be a big ordeal. I'm not trying to "flame" anyone here, however I know from personal experience that re-torquing the wheels is really necessary. I would hate to see someone damage their car because the wheel was securely fastened to the spacer, but the spacer wasn't securely tightened to the car. Just something to consider....

(I think that Vette Brakes and Products sells thse kinds of spacers, the "bolt-on kind")

 

Hi Frederik,

thanks for posting this numbers. Do you know if there is a different offset compared the mags to the standard Y2K ?

Jochen