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WHEEL SPACERS
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REAR WHEEL SPACERS FOR A NARROW BODY PANTERA
The look of the the original set up from the factory with the 8 inch rims it just not quite the look that I appreciate! It reminds me of a Funny car – just to far recessed into the wheel house! (and changing to 10 inch rims is not an option-way to expensive)
I used wheel spacers on the rear axles on my BMW E21 Alpina and in my 1974 911 Carrera (drove my 911 for 18 years on the German Autobahn) and I always went with the “bolt on “ style. It just made more sense to me.. I consider them safer than the slip on spacers on the longer wheel studs! The longer a bolt is, the more it can stretch, twist and fatigue! I know they are people who think different, but this is my reasoning. (And nothing or nobody can change my conviction because I have many many aggressive miles done with this setup) When using the correct materials, I do not see how they can be an issue! (From China it would be very questionable)
So, for my car I ordered Wheel spacers Pantera specific (listed on their website) from Germany (SCC Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH, www.spurverbreiterung.de), they produce quality products with the TUV certification (which is a rather high standard)! They also make spacers for race applications.
I ordered 25mm spacers, and as I know now, I should have asked for 30mm. The reason for the additional 5mm is that the original studs on my car are 30mm protruding and with the spacer mounted the stud would touch the rim! (see NOTE below)
It would be possible to grind the studs down as there are no threads on the last few mm.
The original rim has a small recess in the mounting surface (5x) where the stud would be but it is only about 2-3mm deep! I opted to machine the recess down to 6mm. All round edges and there is plenty of meat!
And yes, it is a magnesium wheel… I did take the machine shavings and lit them on fire 🔥 and just add water… what a show. Reminded me of the chemistry days at school (It’s not pure magnesium but it lights up). I pointed out the magnesium issue to my machinist because I knew he had to take special precautions when working with it!
The spacers are hub-centric and fit perfectly on the hub and wheel! The wheels are now where they look like they belong!
NOTE: The fender arch rim is about 18mm thick and the closest clearance on the outside of the fender to the bulge in the sidewall of the tire is around 40-44mm, so with a 25mm spacer you are just inside the inner fender line if the suspension is fully depressed. Looking at the above setup, it’s not clear that there’s sufficient clearance for another 5mm of spacer thickness.
