After seeing Frog's thread from last March, I'm pleased to see the H&R spacers work so well on these cars as they have my Audis in the past! I'm ready to grab some 20mm DRMs for the rear, but will they work the front as well in regards to the steering? It's never been a problem on my other cars, but it sounds like there was some concern about this in what past threads I could find. I'd like to put 20mm (or perhaps 15mm, thoughts?) on the front as well if it doesn't screw anything up. I'm hoping worst case, it would need an alignment afterwards- no biggie.

 

Looks like you have the 18'' double fives? I ran 25mm (1in) H&R spacers on my 02 XKR for about a year without issues, before upgrading to 20'' wheels.

 

front - you'll at the very least experience more inside wear due to the negative camber designed into the car, and it being enhanced with the longer geometry you're creating.

 

25mm might be fine on the back- I wondered about that.

Would getting an alignment done afterwards correct any negative effects with the front? I know the wider the more geometry, but how much premature tire wear are we talking about (say 20mm)?

 

I have 30mm spacers on my rag top with no issues but do advise getting the alignment done afterwards especially if the car is or to be lowered

 

I am very happy with my 15mm rear spacers visually, but I suspect they may have contributed to increased tyre wear (under inflation could also be a cause...). I am hesitant about putting spacers on the front, though, as I fear it would mess with the feel of the steering. XKRacer also warned of severe tramlining...

 

Frog is correct on 20" wheels not to use spacers, but work well on 18's.... I have after market 19s on my car which are actually BMW wheels but I quite like them and they are only 8 1/2 J all round and the offset is a bit more outboard I got away with the thicker spacer

 

So I could get away well enough with running 20mm front and back if I kept my stock 18" wheels? What about 20mm in the front, 25mm in the back? Please advise what would be the best combo and I'll do it.

Eventually I'd like the Sepangs or one of the other multi-spoke late-XKR styles, but I would revisit spacer considerations at that time if so.

 

Either way would be fine, but like has been said, not advisable with any of the 20" BBS range

 

Thanks- I think I may go 20mm up front and 25mm in the rear with an alignment. Will I have any of the hub and bolt clearance issues with the H&R DRM units and my factory 18s?

I'll keep an eye on treadwear.

 

No.... The nuts which hold the spacer on will stick through but there is a pocket on the back of the wheel which will provide clearance soon issues, this only becomes a problem when you use adapter spacers

 

Why exactly is this? Damages the wheels, the hub, the suspension..? Tramlining?

I am about to replace my rear tyres and have to decide whether to keep the 15mm rear spacers...

 

The car drives like a pig, tram lining, jumpy suspension, really bad scuttle shake on convertibles, rubbing on the wheel arches......

Of course if you are willing to live with these things the look is cool, the stance looks terrific.....

 

I did notice some jumpiness from the rear the other day when I took a roundabout a little too quickly, but I just love the stance as you say. When I removed the spacers a couple of weeks ago it made the car look 15 years older

 

Is there a best practice for widths on the front and back? Consensus? Since they're non-returnable, I want to make sure I'm getting something that will create a stance that is even all around. It seems there is more space to play with on the rears.

 

In my case, I wanted it to look as wide as possible without it appearing as if I had just slapped some cheap spacers on (we're back to the 'keep it original' debate again). 15mm is the smallest offered by H&R and IMHO looks just right on the rear. I think it might look too much on the front however.

 

I really like the way yours looks with the 15mm rear spacers, Frog. I'm leaning torward those or 20mm. What would you think about 15mm up front?

 

Frog has 20'' wheels which are wider than your 18's, and a different offset, so getting 15mm spacers will not recreate his look. Like I mentioned in the second post, I ran 25mm H&R spacers (same you mentioned you're thinking of buying) all around on my 18'' wheels (same as yours) for over a year without any issues, and still had plenty of tire left when I took my wheels off for 20'' BBS's. If 25mm all around works without issues, then anything less than 25, in any combination, will as well.

I think you're worrying too much .

 

Pomosv is right, my wheels are a different size and offset to yours, so it's difficult for me to give an opinion. I just don't know what your wheels would look like.

The photo below shows what 15mm spacers look like on the rear of my car. You can barely notice they're on (which is what I want), but when I remove them, it makes the car look 10 years older.

Now, if you look at the front wheels, the case for spacers is less obvious. I think it would look odd if the tyres protruded even a little bit from the wheel arches. Unless they make some 8mm spacers one day...