Wheel offsets and spacers.

[Big T]

Ok after reading through these 2 threads in the last week

http://www.toymods.net/forums/showthread.php?t=6443

http://www.toymods.net/forums/showthread.php?t=6515

it kinda got me thinking. Now i know people say wheel spacers are bad but would like to know WHY they are so terrible. I understand that putting in an uber 50mm+ spacer would place alot of additional strain on wheel bearings and having low -ve offset wheels can have the same effect.

BUT if you have say a +25 rim (the one on the left) and put a 25mm bolt on spacer , it would basically have the same mounting point as the zero offset one. Does this mean mounting a zero offset rim would have the same loads as the +25rim with 25mm spacer(assuming it's a hub centric spacer)? Or is load also translated through the length of the mounting point as well? Cheers for any input.

[roadsailing]

bolt on spacers aren't bad at all, as long as they are properly made out of good quality material.

and everything you have said is correct. there is no difference between a zero offset wheel and one with a +25mm offset used in conjunction with a 25mm spacer.

my only problem with spacers is that if you get wheels with the right offset you will get more dish and they will be lighter overall.

[Big T]

Thanks shinybluesteel. The reason i'm asking is that im having clearance problems with my brakes. Brembos and 15" rims dont seem to like each other and finding good 16" rims with low offset to suit a sprinter are few and far between.

Eddie.

[roadsailing]

you should be able to get a pair for around 120 bucks or so.

(justjap sell them, not idea on the quailty though)

what 15s are you using at the moment? i need a set of 15s

[WDE_BDY]

The biggest problem with spacers and why they tend to be illegal or require engineering is the morons who fit them. As you pointed out the bolt on jobs used to correct a problem with rim offset are fine (I have 40mm spacers to bring a set of 40P rims back to zero on one of my cars), however that tends not to be how they are used. Everyone wants to push their wheels out for that wide body look without thinking about the loadings they put on components not designed to take it.

Callum