Hub spacers on the rear is it a must do mod?

[Mark300zx]

Have heard a few people say this is beneficial, are there any downsides?

 

[vee_dub_modder]

depends on how wide. small amount is pointless i guess and for larger spacers you MUST use hubcentric spacers or you'll got wobble/uneven tyre wear etc.

you will be slightly widening the track of the rear of the vehicle which in theory should allow faster cornering but in reality your just putting more strain on your wheel bolts for little to no gain.

get wider wheels, better tyres, better suspension or even anti foll bars. much better investment
imho

 

[sexynips]

Get coilovers and anti roll bars

 

[csd_19]

Wider rear track will introduce more understeer as well.

 

[GlanzaV]

I know on the Mk3 Ibiza the rear track was narrower than the front making it inherently unstable, so spacers were a must for them. not sure about the Leon.

 

[sheffboy]

I've spaced mine 10mm front 15mm rear and feels slightly better than stock in the corners. Its reduced the unstable rear end feeling when braking hard.

However I didn't really do it for handling, I did it because it looks much better than standard and fills the arches properly

 

[lukecupra2001]

what size spacers can you get without changing wheel bolts or do they come with new bolts anyway?

 

[sheffboy]

I think they only recommend 5mm or less if you use the original bolts. Anything thicker and you'll need longer bolts. Dont forget you'll also need longer locking nuts. Bill (badger 5) on here sells them at a very reasonable price.

 

[Gordz]

Spacers are more for show than anything I reckon.

Improves the look of the car quite a bit, and fills the wheel arches nicely and evenly front to back if you get the right spacers.

 

[JamJay]

As above, 10mm spacers on the rear improved the stability of my car, no extra understeer and throwing it into a tight corner isn't an issue. I would throughly recommend.

 

[BBoy82]

is that 10mm each side? i.e. 20mm overall track?

 

[Mashburn]

This is something im wanting to do at some point, 10mm on the rear.

And yes BBoy, 10mm each side, so 20mm overall.

 

[JamJay]

Yup, that's what I have Mash

IMO it's transformed the car at the rear, no more wobbly rear end under braking or on fast bends.

 

[Nautilus]

I have both front and rear H&R spacers, 8mm/wheel front and 5mm/wheel rear.

Advantages:

- better looks, fill the arches much better. On a stock LC/LFR the rear wheels look "buried";
- change slightly the ratio between front track and rear track and also very slightly the camber, help with stability and understeer;
- decrease steering effort on the front due to change in angles of wheel alignment, at very fast speeds the steering wheel can be moved with a little finger.

~Nautilus

 

[Seat Adam]

Depending on thickness, the life of wheel bearings can be reduced with spacers.

 

[EmDee]

I've not had any complaints since I changed mine, it's been almost a year and about 12,000 miles
The car feels a bit more stable (probably due to lower centre of gravity) and it looks spot on.