i was looking at my tC today, man, it has some small tires for such big wheel wells. i don't want to get springs or anything, i'm fine with the stock suspension. can i get wheel spacers to push the wheels out a little bit more, so they fill out the well better? if so, where?

 

yes

pm scionvan he sells spacers

 

first time ive heard that comment....i hate the stock suspension....

 

I only see the billet spacer for the 4 lug wheels. The 5 lug spacers are "coming soon."

 

H&R also has spacers for the tC. check em out - www.hrsprings.com

 

you just gotta drop it like its hot...





but thats just my view on fill'n em out...

 

i dont like the rear ;tuck' when its lowered like that. imho it looks ugly. im going for more of a 'staggered' look but with the stock wheels.

anyone know if there are some dangers with using wheel spacers? i've heard some stories.

 

what kind of stories? I was thinking about getting some spacers myself.

 

What is the wheel Hub pattern on the SCION tC... Stock Wheel Offsets? I am assuming the thread pitch is 1x1.25 like most imports?

Spacers are Perfectly OK as long as you use HUB CENTRIC SPACERS!

What is hubcentric?

Basicly, when you remove the wheel you see on the brake rotor slips over a metal ring in the middle, that is the wheel hub, it aligns the rotor so it is centered or "hub-centric" with the wheel hub...

The wheel does the same thing... On the Factory Wheels they center bore of the wheel matches up to the wheel hub so when the lug nuts are bolted on the wheel is perfectly cenetered being Hub Centric...

When you pus on most spacers 5-10mm they are NOT hub Centric, they slip over the stock lug nuts or after market longer lug nuts... But, by adding this spacer you eliminate the contact area of the wheel hub so when you go to put the wheel back on the only thing centering it is the hub bolts and lug nuts...

Spacers 15mm and higher.. H&R makes great ones, are Hub Centric... They match center bore of the car exactly and have a hub extension on the spacer that basicly extends the wheel hub to match the center bore of the factory wheel... (after market wheels may use Hub Rings)...

When getting spacers, you are going to want to add longer hub bolts as well.. Make sure the knurl diameter matches the stock so they can be pulled through secruely...

If you get spacers that do NOT extend the hub, when you hit a bump you run the risk of breaking hub bolts and or damaging bearings...

There are 3 types of spacers...

Stamped spacers: any where from 3 - 10mm.. these are Cast.. Not hub-centric... usually break easy... cause problems...

Hubcentric Spacer: 13mm - 20mm... made to match center bore of after market wheel or factory wheel and match center hub of specific car model. Require longer hub bolts.

Wheel Adapaters... work just like hub-centric spacers only are 25mm and larger... they are actually BOLTED on to the wheel hub and have hub bolts extending out of them... These can be found as hubcentric or non... I would not recomend these personally..

Here is a photo of some H&R Hub Centric Spacers for my 350z...

 

H&R also makes 5mm, 15, and 25 mm spacers for our car.

 

Yes,.. they make 5, 15, 20, 25mm spacers for most cars...

but... the 5mm spacer is NOT hub centric! It matches center bore, but does not have the extended center hub ring...

the 25mm spacers are their DRM type which are wheel adapters...

their 5, 15, 20mm spacers come with longer hub bolts... 25 come with lug nuts to bolt the adapter to the hub and have extended hubs built into the adapter..

 

I looked at the H&R website, and the 5 10 and 15mm spacers are all in the same category type(DRS). So either all 3 of them are not hubcentric, or they all are. The only other spacer they make for the tC is the 25mm and that is in the DRM category.

 

Rite, the DRM 25mm is a Wheel Adapter...

Here is a picture from their web site of their 25mm adapters... DRM type...



Just like all their others, they make 5mm, 15mm, 20mm DRS Spacers...

This is where it gets tricky and alot of people are disapointed...

15mm & 20mm DRS Spacers from H&R are Hub-Centric to the Scion's wheel hub and extend the wheel hub out... Like seen in the photo above...

the 5mm is too thin to extend the wheel hub... So it is simply just matched to the center hub. Basicly looks like a flat washer with 10 holes in it rather then having the extended hub... The H&R 5mm do not have that part sticking out in that picture above... picture the hub bolts removed from the above picture and that is what their 15mm and 20mm spacers look like..

I know I have 15, 20, and 25mm H&R spacers in my office, generally dont have any 5mm H&R's since they are not truely hub centric, and almost $70 for that... well.. your mostly paying for the longer hub bolts...

Dont get me wrong! If you are going to go with the 5mm spacer, I would go with the H&R over the stamped cast type.. The H&R are much stronger and wont crack... But, the whele is not hub-centric to the wheel hub so you can run into other problems there especially if you drive the car hard

 

^^^ ok, my bad i get it now. Still though, I'll trust spacers that are TUV approved over those who re not. Thanks for the info, very helpful.

 

its all good...

with a hub centric spacer you will have less problems in the long run... it is just like having a wheel with a lower offset...

it would be ideal when purchasing your aftermarket wheels to make sure you work with a company that is knowledgeable and can help you get the wheels with the correct offset to fit flush with your fender and at the same time not be too wide to rub the inside of your suspension as well!

 

So if you think there will be future problems with the 5mm. What do you recommend then, 15mm in the front and back wheels?

 

The problems you could have is the wheel being nocked out of being centered, when this happens you will most likely snap a hub bolt... takes some force, but can happen (pot hole)

Some times a 15mm spacer is too much...

With my scatter brain I forgot to take a look at the wheel depth when I was at the dealer today putting down our deposit... But I am pretty sure 15mm front and rear would make it flush... May have to roll the rear fender's though..

 

NISMO -- would it be possible/safe to get the 15mm and have it machined down to 10mm?

 

the center hub part will have to be cut off...

well..it depends on how far the stock hub sticks out...

I need a car to measure it... but if someone wants to pop off a wheel, its the metal ring in the middle that is sticking out...

on MOST cars, a hub centric spacer can not be made unless it is 13mm or larger...

if lets say stock is 67mm and the wheels you just purchased are 74mm center bore, you can make a 10mm hub centric spacer... those spacers look different.. basicly like a hub ring sitting on top of a metal disc...

as soon as we get our tC ill check these things out..

unless someone wants to come over and make use of my floor jack?

 

Sooo... 5mm spacer's may snap the hub bolt, and sometimes 15mm spacer's are too much? So what do you recommend for the tC then? Since they don't seem to have anything in between. Safety being priority, I want something that will make the wheels flush with the fenders. And what do you mean by rolling the rear fender's?

It seems like 15mm spacers will make the wheels stick out just a bit.