Assuming you ordered 17mm, the .15mm is basically 1/7th of a mm, I can't imagine that would be an issue and is probably the thickness of 2 sheets of printer paper. that's less than 1% margin of error.

 

tork - how long did it take you to cut your wheel studs and what was the tool of choice?

 

I used a 4.5" diameter grinder and the thin (1/6") cutoff blade. It took me.. I guess... less than 30-seconds for each stud. I will time it when I cut the fronts.

 

less than 30 seconds isnt bad, if you know the type of blade don't hesitate to post. I purchased a craftsman grinder but haven't purchased any blades yet.

Everyone remember to take before and after pics at good angles


Thanks

 

This is the blade I used:


My greatest concern was to avoid hitting your calipers with the back side of the disc when cutting.
I plan on doing the fronts today and will post pics after

 

Here are a few photos of the car (before and after) and the process I followed installing the spacers.
The original wheel studs are a bit too long and could possibly hit the back side of the wheel, so these should be cut down. The last ~10mm of the studs are not threaded, so you don't even touch the threads when cutting
Wear goggles, gloves and hearing protection when cutting the studs

I used a thin cut-off cutting disc (^^see earlier post^^) to remove about 4mm from the end of each stud. You could use a "face grinder" to do this as well, but it would take longer and create a lot more mess.
This throws a lot of sparks and abrasive dust, so I covered the fender where I was working with a soft blanket.
When the blanket caught on fire, I placed a rug in the fender to deflect the sparks
The fronts are easier to do (shown) because you can rotate the hub and cut each stud from the same angle. The rears are not too bad either because the calipers are smaller. It would be fairly easy to hit the caliper with the grinder if you aren't careful.
I timed myself and it actually only took a little over a minute to cut all five studs on each corner.


I filed the ends of the cut studs, then dabbed some paint on them to prevent rusting


Installing the spacers is simple. I had to improvise with a screw driver on the fronts to prevent the rotors from turning when torquing the lugs in place. The glove prevented chipping the paint on the caliper.


Here is a before from the back:


After:



From the side... before:


After:


I am very pleased with the result, and the quality of the parts and the service I received from Motorsport Tech.
I think it is funny... most people wouldn't even tell the difference. Speaking for myself, however, it drives me nuts when wheels are set too far inside the fender.
Now I hope I can stand the fender gap without lowering it.

Thanks again to Watson6505 for setting up the group buy and carrying through with everything!

 

Another tip for tightening up the spacer nuts on the front wheels - get a helper to stand on the brake pedal!

 

nice write-up tork and it looks awesome....I like the before/after pics, I hope I remember to do the same

 

I checked one of mine for thickness with a caliper (mic is in inches and I didn't feel like math on a Friday night) and it's spot on, 15mm. Less than a hundredth of a mm off, anyways.

I bought a DeWalt 4 1/2" angle grinder on my way home, plus three different cutoff wheels, for under $70. I'll find use for that beyond this project.

I might make time this weekend to set my car on fire, er, cut down the studs. Based on Mr. T. Monster's experience I'll be sure to shield appropriately to protect life, limb, car, paint, house, neighborhood, etc.

 

Thanks TorkMonster. I can't wait to get the 17 spacers on. Your ride looks great! I am going to get paint protection film on 1st before install. Great information.

 

Got my spacers yesterday and they look great (only peeked at them). I assume everyone else (at least in the US) has received their spacers without issue?

 

Watson. I did receive mine. Got the 17MM. Thanks for all your work.

 

I'd love to see side/side or top/bottom pic of before after from behind where you can see the entire stance from the rear.

 

I did as well. Thanks for your time and effort watson!

 

Here's one set that is a pretty good depiction of the before and after from the rear 3/4's.

BEFORE:



AFTER:


The car looks lower and wider. Even my wife thought it looks much better...
I would love to see others!

 

you know what those pictures tell me....that the car looks amazing either way. It is certainly a bit wider/meaner looking but also the F Type is just an awesome looking car.

 

#Bummed

Well I started the process of installing my 15mm spacers and I trimmed the studs basically down to the threads without hitting the threads, so the entire un-threaded nub was cut off. I dry fitted my powder coated cyclones (tires not installed on them yet) and I'm still hitting inside the opening in the back. Certainly its not a deep enough well for the cyclones and I am not comfortable actually cutting threads for fear of cutting too short (if I ever removed the spacers) or messing up the threading. I must say that I am extremely disappointed that cutting the unthreaded area was not enough. I guess I could try to go to 17mm, but I still think that they will hit on the back of the cyclones. The propellers seemed to work because the well in the back is a little deeper.

Does anyone have these spacers (15mm or 17mm) with cyclones?? Did you feel like you had to cut to the threads? 15mm spacers may be going up for sale...so sad




Gotta be 6-8mm



See basically to threads

 

In your situation, I would grind or drill out the recesses just enough give the studs clearance, and then rebalance the wheels.

 

Did you consider replacing the stock wheel studs with shorter ones?

 

Gents, finally had the 17" wheel adaptors installed and also lowered the car on AP springs.

The adapters made the wheels pop. I really like how they turned out.

Not so happy with the look of the drop with AP springs. It's not low enough and the front gap still looks big and now much bigger than rear.

Let me know if you think the front gap looks bigger than other cars with AP springs. It does to me but what do I know.

Regardless, I'll keep them on for a while but likely switch to KW coilovers.