[robbo92]

I bought another zook and noticed that it came with 2inch wheel spacers im pretty sure
I was goin to swap them onto my registered one but had second thoughts due to road rules
Can anyone help with this

[just_cruizin]

No!!!

[SierraDan]

They aren't legal no.

[stockman]

Yes their illegal.

[GRPABT1]

Illegal.


offroad use only, massive offset and big wheel spacers will also prematurely wear out wheel bearings

[robbo92]

Ahh righto i thought they were
Ill sell em now then

[mrw82]

They are illegal, but they're worth it. They make a massive difference to stability

[just_cruizin]

Keep them and use them offroad

[andrewa]

on road not legal off road no problem

[DarkHorse]

Supplementary question - small (8mm) spacer placed behind brake disc to centre the upgraded disc in the upgraded caliper... does this count as a wheel spacer and therefore illegal?

[alien]

i'd say it would be... its still a spacer, no matter how small.

[want33s]

DarkHorse wrote:

Supplementary question - small (8mm) spacer placed behind brake disc to centre the upgraded disc in the upgraded caliper... does this count as a wheel spacer and therefore illegal?

I would say not only illegal but dangerous.
It isn't an upgrade if it can shear the wheel studs off.

[jdk81]

want33s wrote:

DarkHorse wrote:

Supplementary question - small (8mm) spacer placed behind brake disc to centre the upgraded disc in the upgraded caliper... does this count as a wheel spacer and therefore illegal?

I would say not only illegal but dangerous.
It isn't an upgrade if it can shear the wheel studs off.

+1

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=30507

If it's fully located it will be safer (the wheel studs will also need to press fit in). If theres any clearance tolerance, it will eventually fail.
However it's done, it's still illegal.

[squibby]

Can it be argued that it's a modified axle and not a wheel spacer if it's bolted to the axle and bolted to the wheel - ie. not just compressed into place between wheel and axle? Or do Vehicle Engineers not have any scope to make that call?

[want33s]

squibby wrote:

Can it be argued that it's a modified axle and not a wheel spacer if it's bolted to the axle and bolted to the wheel - ie. not just compressed into place between wheel and axle? Or do Vehicle Engineers not have any scope to make that call?

Bolt on spacers are illegal too.

[BlueSuzy]

I have a technical motoring book from 1970's. They are legal

Points and crossply tyres are also awesome.


But not anymore!

[bailey08]

I understand there illegal but are they dangerous. I would hate a wheel to fall off while wheeling.

[Gwagensteve]

They aren't ideal - they are generally alloy and that means they are soft. It's easy to forget about the inside set of wheel nuts and they can back off a bit. Correct torque will be critical, as per any alloy wheel with an alloy seat.

Keep an eye on them and you should be fine, but you know how it goes... out of sight...

Steve.

[smiffkid]

pretty sure wheel shims r legal
can buy 6 mm shims to sit over the stud and bolt the wheel on as ur still gettin a decent amount of nut on the stud
may be wrong tho

[DarkHorse]

Hmmm... OK... Gotta call the engineer.

My intention was to get an 8mm thick spacer made of solid aluminium that fits snugly inside the brake rotor, including 10mm holes for studs. This would locate the disc in the centre of the caliper - minimal movement but still an extra mounting face. Theory then was to fit longer studs, so thread engagement in nuts was the same.

Jase you're saying it's not so much about thread engagement as it is about length (and therefore leverage?) of studs... so longer studs won't help? Should I look at upsizing to M12 studs = drilling out hubs, discs and rims... sounds boring... or find discs and rims that come with M12 studs standard.

Help???

[alien]

as previously mentioned, why can't you space the caliper?

[twitchy]

DarkHorse wrote:

Supplementary question - small (8mm) spacer placed behind brake disc to centre the upgraded disc in the upgraded caliper... does this count as a wheel spacer and therefore illegal?

I believe what you are asking here is can you put a spacer on the stub axle to hold the disc further out??? If my understanding of your question is right then I'd be looking at ways of re- locating the calliper as the bearings might not sit correctly on the stub axle.

[want33s]

The problem with those 6-8mm spacer rings is the studs aren't made for it.
You will see studs have four main characteristics.
Flared head so it doesn't pull through.
Splined base so it doesn't turn when fitted.
A solid shank for the rotor to run on.
Thread for nuts.

The solid shank is there because the threaded section of stud is easily damaged.


If you move the rotor out 8mm it won't be sitting on the shank anymore and can you see how the threaded section of stud is a smaller OD?
The rotor won't be held tightly.

So: The rotor being moved out puts undue stress on the studs.. Potential shear.
It can also damage the threads resulting in loose rotor/wheel.

[DarkHorse]

Ah, I see. Thanks Jase. So with a bit of hassling a desk jockey at Ripco I should be able to find an M12 stud with a similar head and spline, 8mm more solid shank, and similar length thread...? Is this likely to exist? Would that then alleviate the strength issues? 8mm isn't going to cause any significant bearing life or other complications?

Alien - I need to space the disc way from the hub, so the alternative would be moving the caliper back in. Not keen to modify caliper brackets, or calipers themselves. Don't trust my welding that much, and doubt the engineer would look kindly.

[atari4x4]

why not use the knuckles from the SV Vitara?

[Gwagensteve]

Studs are 12mm?

Longer studs are available, but I doubt repco are going to be able to help. Check the "arp stud upgrade" thread in good tech for details.

I don't think 8mm under the rotor is a show stopper, but I would question if the whole upgrade is worth the effort. Pads are almost identical, I believe the piston diameter is the same, so the performance increase really just comes from the rotor diameter. Not worth the effort IMHO. Still being able to (easily) run 15" rims is desirable in my book.

Steve.

[Mike57]

Keep in mind that the shear strength of a bolt on the threaded section is less than the shear strength on the shank. The variation is between 30% and up to 40% depending upon the bolt size and the thread type and type of steel. If you place the shear on the thread be aware of this and take it into account.

[DarkHorse]

atari4x4 wrote:

why not use the knuckles from the SV Vitara?

Was hoping not to have to take the whole wheel assembly apart... Are the knuckles the same with tie-rod poits and everything else?

Gwagensteve wrote:

I would question if the whole upgrade is worth the effort.

Starting to seem that way...

[atari4x4]

tie rods are the same across the Vitara range so i'm guessing they're in the same spots & it's just the caliper mounts that differ i run a SE vitara ball joint in my SV knuckles.

[DarkHorse]

Ok, might look into it, thanks...