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Your wheels are similar to mine, do the center caps fits on your car with the front grease caps in place? What size tires are you using?
I am in the process of collecting S3 front hubs and the related parts to change mine to the later stuff.. want to get rid of the now "required" spacers that allow
the center caps to fit on the front.
Old picture of the car before EFI and lowering, but it shows the wheel.
215/60/15 General Altimax HP
I've put so much effort into the front suspension of this car, and I like these chromed teardrop wheels so much, I'll continue to use spacers until I get into trouble with them..... which I don't expect to ever happen.
(';')
Question: Do the spacers change the driving dynamic at all? I have an 87 xj6 that had the teardrop wheels on it without the spacers and the front hub is exposed.
I have Teardrops too and the hubcaps won't fit without spacers. I glued them to the hub because if you remove the wheel they fall off and then getting them centered behind the wheel is a pain, so I glued them centered.
there is no change in the steering dynamics, I use fat tires, 265/60/15, it corners like a tank.
Question: Do the spacers change the driving dynamic at all? I have an 87 xj6 that had the teardrop wheels on it without the spacers and the front hub is exposed.
Nix is a beautiful beast, btw.
Nix thanks you for your kind comment.
When I was growing up on the farm, the worst offense one could do was run without bearing dust cups, as naked bearings might not last the day. One could be nailed to the side of the barn for such negligence! We put far too much money, time and effort into refurbing the front suspension to throw it away for lack of a dust cup.
These spacers don't change handling in the Slightest! I don't have the loosey goosey problem Jose mentions though, because husband found some hub-centric spacers, billet cut, that fit like the proverbial glove.
These come in several thicknesses and are Quantum superior to the cheap-bleep things they replaced, which rattled, weren't balanced, and just plain looked Terrible!
(';')
Thanks for all the replies, saved me a lot of work and money. I will not change the front hubs to S3, I am happy with the current ones and braking.
Will go ahead and order the hub centric spacers, current ones are 5/32 inch thick but are lug centric and are hard to get into exact spots for good balancing. I do have longer lug nuts to get the proper number of threads covered. Are yours long enough???
Thanks for all the replies, saved me a lot of work and money. I will not change the front hubs to S3, I am happy with the current ones and braking.
The 3rd Rule of Acquisition definitely apples here:
"Never Pay More Than You Have To"
Will go ahead and order the hub centric spacers, current ones are 5/32 inch thick but are lug centric and are hard to get into exact spots for good balancing. I do have longer lug nuts to get the proper number of threads covered. Are yours long enough???
I thought the studs were plenty long (Many more threads by twice than the 3/4" spacers on the car when we got it!) but husband made me change to longer ones anyway.
EDIT: Nuts are stock length alloy nuts. You may find you need to "finesse" your longer lug nuts into the smaller bolt holes in these spacers, or revert to standard length lug nuts.
(';')
Last edited by LnrB; 04-06-2018 at 11:29 PM.
Reason: Picture
Weeelll.. I must have gotten lucky when I changed wheels / tires from 15 inch chromed Kents and 215 70 15 tires to a 16 inch wheel (20 spokes) 225 60 16 tires, as found on a 1996 XJ6.
Everything fit perfectly no spacers and the centers are just little caps with the Growler on them - the wheels have center sections that are a part of the wheel itself., just the little cap on the end (thanks David Boger) absolutely zero issues. Actually got lucky twice,..because now that I am into swapping to a ventilated rear outboard brake system - the larger outboard caliper might not have fit into the old 15 inch wheel. In fact the calipers on solid rear discs (as opposed to ventilated) are quite a bit smaller - perhaps to fit the smaller 15 inch wheels. The calipers on the vented rotors are "beefier" needing more room in the back of the wheel.
Last edited by alynmurray; 04-08-2018 at 11:41 AM.
"Nailed his/her hide to the wall". Very expressive!!!
Decades ago, I was walkig down the street, in El Paso, I think. I happened to notice a "not that old" car at the curb. Sans hub cap. Wowee, no dust cap either ! and, worse, no sign of an outter bearing.
Only the nut and tanged washer keeping the hub and wheel on the axle!!!!!
It is not the wheels that do not fit but the center cap that is just a little rounded outward in the middle. Your wheels are a different that gives room for the grease cap.
Weeelll.. I must have gotten lucky when I changed wheels / tires from 15 inch chromed Kents and 215 70 15 tires to a 16 inch wheel (20 spokes) 225 60 16 tires, as found on a 1996 XJ6.
Everything fit perfectly no spacers and the centers are just little caps with the Growler on them - the wheels have center sections that are a part of the wheel itself., just the little cap on the end (thanks David Boger) absolutely zero issues. Actually got lucky twice,..because now that I am into swapping to a ventilated rear outboard brake system - the larger outboard caliper might not have fit into the old 15 inch wheel. In fact the calipers on solid rear discs (as opposed to ventilated) are quite a bit smaller - perhaps to fit the smaller 15 inch wheels. The calipers on the vented rotors are "beefier" needing more room in the back of the wheel.
Very nice rims, Alyn, very nice indeed.
However, Roger's and mine are different in having hubcaps like the old days. These hubcaps make spacers necessary to use our rims.
(';')
My hub centric spacers arrived today, from EZ Accessory, but my story is different from LnrB's. They fit the wheel center hub perfectly... could not ask for a better fit.
But they do not go onto the front hubs all way.. they hang up on the second set of ridges on the inside or about 10 mm from resting against the hub face. I measured the hub OD
at the most inner position, 96 cm, or approximately 2 7/8". Will have to enlarge them both by a bunch.. will take more measurements. I do have Dykem fluid left over from another non fitting part in the past.
After rethinking this whole thing, these adapters would only work as spacers that would fit tight onto the front hubs if the whole "hub centric" piece was removed. Will think
about it overnight and decide whether to cut off the hubs or just not use them at all.. I tried grinding the inside down to figure out that the needed goal size was not achievable.
I am just as unhappy (maybe MORE) than Elinor's Husband. Their ad does say they fit the rears??? But that is not my application. This was a waste of time and money...
Last edited by Roger Mabry; 04-11-2018 at 08:38 AM.
PLan now is to enlarge the center of the spacers so they fit tight on the front hubs.. they will be better than the old ones that were very loose and took tape/adhesive to stay in
place. I have them now and do not need them on the rear, so will modify them to fit onto the front hubs...
I will cut a notch into them for the grease fitting the lubes the front hubs if that does not clear when finally fitted.
Finished up the two spacers, used a carbide tip and enlarged the center to equal the outside OD of the "hub" for the wheel fit... plus I had to enlarge the holes for the much longer lugs
used by my wheels...now these are "hub" centric but fit tight and are a little thicker than my old ones. Zerk fitting fits fine now... I replaced the now too short shock mounting bolts and there are threads sticking out of the nuts now.
Just waiting for the new Boge shocks to arrive later today.. will then finish up the drivers side with the new 1/2 bushings..
New spacers fit very tight on the hubs and the longer lug nuts go through the holes. It drives much smoother now at higher speeds (no wheel shakes or vibrations).
The new shocks are MUCH better and the ride over bumps and RR tracks is very smooth and quiet. The best two mods I have done for the car.
04-06-2018, 02:39 PM
XJ40 wheels on S3
