Hubcentric spacers & 18" Modulars | 360 Spider

Sharing a few pics after installing 25mm spacers on the rear and having the calipers serviced/painted. Pardon the dust..needs a bath.

Pics 1&2 are no spacer, 3-6 are with spacer. Compare Pics #1 with #3 and #2 with #4. Had car up to 160km/h (testing) and it is dead straight with not the slightest vibration.
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Greg- She looks great. I hope you meant 25 mm spacers. 2.5" spacers would only look appropriate here in Albuquerque.

 

Thanks. Yes... 25mm (1") spacers. Mixing my Canadiana and Imperial.

 

Big change indeed, do you feel difference when driving ?

 

No difference. Many people buy non hubcentric spacers which result in vibrations. Buy a good set of hubcentric that bolts to the hub and you are good to go. Will be trying these out soon with a set of 430 wheels.

 

Looks good- any reason for not going with a say 15mm up front ?

 

Will consider 15mm up front but only after a professional fender roll. Don't want this:
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/360-430/364876-fender-lip-buckling-360s.html

 

A better SLR pic to show the aesthetic improvement.
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I like the looks of the car better with the spacers installed, but I personally wouldn't do it because I would be afraid of any possible problems from their use (I am a little chicken with things like that though). You have to ask yourself, if it looks that much better, why didn't Ferrari just spec the offset on the rim a little differently? It wouldn't cost anything.

Some negative possibilities that I can think of (just trying to think outside the box. I have no proof of any of the following possible problems):

- Possible issues from rim not being directly mounted on hub (ie. vibration, loose bolts, structural weakness etc.)
- More torque on wheel bearings from wheel having more leverage being farther from pivot point. Therefore accelerated bearing wear.
- More rock chips from having body panels in the way of flying debris from tire sticking out farther.
- Change in handling, maybe steering feel etc.
- Possible fender damage if a large bump is hit

That's all I can think of. I definitely like the looks of it, and I hope I'm being over paranoid and wrong about the above.
I would love to hear your feeling on them after putting a few thousand miles on the car with the spacers. Hopefully the spacers don't change anything dramatically enough to produce any negative results in your case.

By the way...nice car! It looks like the convertible sister to mine. It looks like we have the same exact options, except that you have the challenge grill.........and you don't have the leather roof liner

 

Thanks for your questions and comments Chris.

One observation I will make after having had several M3s and a 911, the Bimmer and P Car guys don't think twice about modding their cars with quality aftermarket parts and most use spacers. Ferraris I see tend to be bone stock and with good reason I must say....they are beautiful out of the box. I have used spacers for the last 15 years on my Bimmers, Pcar, even my wife's Lexus without issue.

My personal belief is that it is only recently that customer want the euro flush look. For example, look at recent Audis, Mazdas, Vettes etc. 5 years ago the same models had that puckered look.

If you buy a high quality hubcentric spacer, you are either using longer lugbolts or in my case the spacer is bolted to the hub and the rim is bolted to the spacer. either way, you have a very solid connection... check this out for an explanation of hubcentric
Hubcentric Explained | Experts of Wheel Spacers

I have heard the arguement re: wheel bearings and it logically makes sense. I can tell you I have never had an issue with bearings on any car.

As for fender and rock chips, you need to make sure to select a spacer that does not extend the tire outside the wheelwell. I tested my setup and clearance is not an issue. I posted an explanation of how to measure for spacers on another thread.

Car does not feel any different. I have tested spacers/no spacers with my M3 on the track and can tell you it actually feels more stable with the wider stance.

At the end of the day, it is your car and you need to make decisions you are comfortable with.

 

Greg,
Thanks for the link on hubcentric spacers. Looking at the difference from a regular spacer, it's obvious that if one was to install spacers on their car, it would be crazy to install anything other than a hubcentric spacer. The hubcentric ones seem to be way more stable and precise on their fit. I think it would be crazy to use flat ones!
It appears to me that you already thought of everything I mentioned, and made sure that those issues wouldn't pose a problem for you. Based on that, I think you will have good luck with them. Plus you have successfully used them in the past, I can't argue with proven success.
Enjoy that beautiful car!

 

I like it better without the spacers. Looks goofy now.

 

Porches offers spacers as an option. Only thing goofy is the comment.