Widest possible spacers Cupra 265

[g_berserk]

I'm playing with the idea of buying some spacers for my Cupra 265 on stock wheels (18x7.5" et +51) wrapped in 225/40/18 tyres.

Following the information available online I can see that the track width at the front is 1,536mm and in the rear is 1,510mm making the front 26mm wider than the rear. this is evident by looking at the wheels against the fenders, and is further aggravated by the amount of camber in the rear, at least in the 5dr.

I don't really push the car much to take advantage of the reverse staggered setup, and to be honest, not even to need to widen the track anymore, but I would like the wheels to look completely flush or the closest possible front and back.

the car is completely stock, and it will remain that way for a long time suspension wise, and I was thinking on going 12mm at the front and 25mm at the rear to even the track, but since the front fenders are wider than the rear I probably have to go 17mm front and 25mm at the rear.

I know a safer bet is 15mm front, 20mm rear since I'm on 18s instead of 19s as many Cupra owners are, but still wanted to know how much can I push it without getting into rubbing issues.

We don't have MOT or anything of the sort down here and the weather conditions don't require mudflaps, winglets or anything, so regulations, insurance and such are no real concern.

 

[Major Tom]

15 front/20 rear with OEM 19" rubbed the fenders with stock suspension, that's all I know. So guess 15/20 are perfect for OEM 18".

 

[g_berserk]

Thank you so much!
I also love your screen name

 

[g_berserk]

I'm about to buy the spacers, but another question has popped in my mind.

How long is too long for an extended bolt?
I found a nice set of 15/20mm spacers with extended bolts which have a shank of 50mm.
As far as I know, stock bolts have a shank of 28mm, so 50mm are just 2mm longer after the 20mm spacers, but for the 15mm spacers it will be an extra 7mm, which doesn't sound too crazy, but I want to make sure I won't overdo it and end ub breaking something inside the hub

 

[Major Tom]

Look at the ECS Flush kit för GTI and 7R respectively. The GTI kit has the thicker spacers (15/20) and they are perfect for OEM 18” (which I have in the winter) but rub with OEM 19”. The bolts for that kit are 45 and 47 mm if I remember correctly. Don’t forget longer locking bolt kit as well. Once you go flush you never go back.

 

[Snah]

All depends also of the ET value of your current rims.
With the stock rims with ET 50 spacers of 10 to 15 mm should be no problem.
But when you have a not oem rim let's say with ET45 and 6,5J width of the rim that already widens the track with about 10 mm for each wheel so maybe a 5 mm spacer would do the trick.

 

[g_berserk]

I have the stock wheels, 18x7.5J et +51 with 225/40/18 tyres so probably the 15/20mm combo is the ideal.

From what I gathered yesterday in a few hours of investigation up to 2mm of extra thread is the maximum to be on the safe side, and that's the reason many sellers round up to 45mm and 50mm bolts with the 15 and 20mm spacers. Above that it's either hit or miss.

I wanted to stay on a low budget since everything on ECS and similar is almost triple the price the set I have in sight but if the seller doesn't reply back with a definitive answer on wetter they can provide the correct size bolts I'll have to abort the plan for this year and save up till I can afford something I know it won't damage the car or have to be modified (cut the bolts to the correct size) before going in the car.

 

[g_berserk]

Forgot to report back in case someone is going thru a similar situation.

Here's the car before and after the spacers on stock 18" wheels and 225/40/18 tyres.
I'm using hubcentric spacer, 15mm at the front and 20mm at the back with longer lugnuts.

I don't push the car at all to feel a real difference in performance, although steering weight changed like when going from comfort to Cupra mode.

 

[LouG]

Don't forget that spacers alter load paths on wheel bearings and increase wear, they also affect suspension alignment angles.
I wouldn't do it just to change the "look".

 

[g_berserk]

Don't forget that spacers alter load paths on wheel bearings and increase wear, they also affect suspension alignment angles.
I wouldn't do it just to change the "look".

The only alignment change they make is in scrub radius, and since it's only 15mm, the wear increase is WAY below what a spirited style of driving would do compared to the duty this car serves. Same goes with the bearing load.

You can see bigger impact in real life by going with bigger/wider/heavier wheels even if they are OEM than by adding spacers 20mm and lower.

Everything is a balance act when you're modifying a car, and while I agree in the theory, there are variables to consider, which have been considered.

 

[DANFR180]

Looks nice, which space and bolt sets did you buy in the end ?

 

[LouG]

The only alignment change they make is in scrub radius, and since it's only 15mm, the wear increase is WAY below what a spirited style of driving would do compared to the duty this car serves. Same goes with the bearing load.

You can see bigger impact in real life by going with bigger/wider/heavier wheels even if they are OEM than by adding spacers 20mm and lower.

Everything is a balance act when you're modifying a car, and while I agree in the theory, there are variables to consider, which have been considered.

OK. Your car, your choice.

 

[Filipovic93]

It looks amazing. Do you have a link for the spacers you've bought?
It funny how small items makes the car alot prettier. Its a shame they dont think of this when they make the car...

 

[Shaady]

Maybe theres a reason manufacturers dont fit spacers or anything similar to the cars from the factory? It might have something to do with the millions they spend on R&D and testing.

Agree with the above, would never put them on a car, they put so much more stress on everything and increase the chances of wear and failure massively, get some new wider wheels would be much safer

 

[Filipovic93]

Maybe theres a reason manufacturers dont fit spacers or anything similar to the cars from the factory? It might have something to do with the millions they spend on R&D and testing.

Agree with the above, would never put them on a car, they put so much more stress on everything and increase the chances of wear and failure massively, get some new wider wheels would be much safer

Sorry, thats what I meant. They should've just put on wider wheels, or lower ET or something simillar, so you get that flush look.

 

[g_berserk]

It looks amazing. Do you have a link for the spacers you've bought?
It funny how small items makes the car alot prettier. Its a shame they dont think of this when they make the car...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/161899468914

This particular seller doesn't ship outside of the USA, I used a freight forwarding service to have them imported in Mexico, but even after that, they where cheaper than any option I've found local or online.



Now, regarding those who are not happy with my decision to run spacers, yeah...
I know I'm just an average guy, I know companies spend millions in R&D, and I now that I'm increasing the stress in some mechanical elements of the car, and that there's always the option to run different wheels with the offset to acquire the same "stance".

I'm not stupid, nor a newbie or just plain naive ok?
It's a calculated risk like any other thing we do. Some people like to speed on the motorway, some do track duty, some street race, some use the car as a driveway ornament, some drive in the snow, some others run their tires to the steel belts, other put the biggest wheels they can find, some mod the engine to be a smidge away from blowing up, me? I drive slow and mod the car to look, handle and sound as I like.

If you want a counterpoint for each one of your reasons to not do that to your car, let me know and I will do so, otherwise I will just ignore any further comment, but the point remains that I asked a question regarding spacer sizes not because I don't know how they work, but because I no longer have the spare time nor the resources to go trial-and-error as I did in my youth, so as a forum where people share information based on their experiences, I wanted to make proper use of said shared knowledge.

At any point did I asked "WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?"
Have something positive to say?, please do so.
Have the answer to my question? I would be grateful to hear it, and will do my best to return the favor in the future.

This used to be a nice, friendly place even before I registered here a few years ago, since I did my homework and tried to learn as much as possible of the cars I was looking to buy, and this forum has always been the best place to learn about SEATs.
But to be honest I'm getting fed with this "Holier than thou"attitude I've been seeing as of late, and I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels this way.

 

[DANFR180]

Nice one, was the 50mm shank length of the bolts correct for front and rear spacers?

 

[LouG]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/161899468914

This particular seller doesn't ship outside of the USA, I used a freight forwarding service to have them imported in Mexico, but even after that, they where cheaper than any option I've found local or online.



Now, regarding those who are not happy with my decision to run spacers, yeah...
I know I'm just an average guy, I know companies spend millions in R&D, and I now that I'm increasing the stress in some mechanical elements of the car, and that there's always the option to run different wheels with the offset to acquire the same "stance".

I'm not stupid, nor a newbie or just plain naive ok?
It's a calculated risk like any other thing we do. Some people like to speed on the motorway, some do track duty, some street race, some use the car as a driveway ornament, some drive in the snow, some others run their tires to the steel belts, other put the biggest wheels they can find, some mod the engine to be a smidge away from blowing up, me? I drive slow and mod the car to look, handle and sound as I like.

If you want a counterpoint for each one of your reasons to not do that to your car, let me know and I will do so, otherwise I will just ignore any further comment, but the point remains that I asked a question regarding spacer sizes not because I don't know how they work, but because I no longer have the spare time nor the resources to go trial-and-error as I did in my youth, so as a forum where people share information based on their experiences, I wanted to make proper use of said shared knowledge.

At any point did I asked "WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?"
Have something positive to say?, please do so.
Have the answer to my question? I would be grateful to hear it, and will do my best to return the favor in the future.

This used to be a nice, friendly place even before I registered here a few years ago, since I did my homework and tried to learn as much as possible of the cars I was looking to buy, and this forum has always been the best place to learn about SEATs.
But to be honest I'm getting fed with this "Holier than thou"attitude I've been seeing as of late, and I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels this way.

You asked for advice. I gave you advice based on experience as a mechanic (a proper one, who did a full 4 year apprenticeship), also experience as an inveterate fettler and researcher of car/bike stuff.
Then you get miffed about it, because you only want to hear from people who agree with you.
As I said, your car, your choice, go ahead. I hope my experience is wrong in your case.

 

[g_berserk]

Nice one, was the 50mm shank length of the bolts correct for front and rear spacers?

They sent 45mm for front and 50mm for back in the end even if the article description says otherwise. It's still 2mm longer than stock, but I rather have that extra length.

Also roughly measured the space behind the disk and hub and there's at least 5mm of extra clearance.