42 replies to this topic

[E.L.M.O]

Magic how big were the built in spacers? I always thought you old car was running coopers S bakes.

That was a nice motor, still cant believe you sold it!

[Twisty]

as elmo has said i need some more info on this as i would like to keep my 8.4" setup and also run 10's.

[MiniMenzies]

http://www.theminifo...26 this goes into detail

[Twisty]

http://www.theminifo...26 this goes into detail

Thanks for the info, is it safe to run with the 1" spacers and extra long studs? or is it just the wheel bearings and ball joints that need replacing more regularly? as i do alot of country lane driving on the way to and from work?

[MiniMenzies]

http://www.theminifo...26 this goes into detail

Thanks for the info, is it safe to run with the 1" spacers and extra long studs? or is it just the wheel bearings and ball joints that need replacing more regularly? as i do alot of country lane driving on the way to and from work?

well its frowned apon but i dont think it is un-safe, as you said just wears out the ball joints. Well im running 1 inch spacers all round when mine is on the road but I will probably change to 1/2 inch ill speak to my mate who is a mechanic or is there anyone on here who would know any more ?
Nic

[Mini_Magic]

The built in spacers on mine were about 1".

Perfectly safe, the wheel bearing issue is debatable.

[james962]

Perfectly safe, the wheel bearing issue is debatable.

Overhyped IMO.

[Bungle]

is that speaking from experience or info from a mate down the pub ?

[james962]

bit of both

[Bungle]

*this is like pulling teeth*

so what are your experiences with running large spacers and how long did you bearings last ?

[miniman24]

You could always get a Fiesta brake setup - if you hunt for parts you can get all the parts to do the job for around £100, I did and besides being excellent brakes, nearly all 10s will fit over without putting unneccessary stress on the bearings/balljoints

[james962]

For what it is worth, one of my friends is running these wheels. Has been doing for about 3years. It is his daily drive and only car. I don't know how many miles he has done....30k + easy I would say. I can ask him for you when i next see him if you like?

Like I said, this is my opinion.

There many factors which would effect the life of the wheel bearings......quality of the bearings, style/use of driving, suspension geometry I guess (i.e. excessive + toe or -ve toe) etc etc. I don't feel that just changing to these wheels will destroy your wheel bearings. I'm not saying that this wheel won't reduce the life slightly, because I'm sure they will, but by how much? How would anyone know unless you do back to back testing?

It does make me laugh inside a bit when people fit wheels like 13x8s, or those 13x10 revolution splits from hudderfields and no one really bats an eyelid, but as soon as these 10" wheels are mentioned it turns into a wheel bearing death match. "Will somebody think of the poor wheel bearings".

[Bungle]

the difference with the wheels above is they stick into the arch and support the hub in the normal way, the extra bit is on the outside

the 10 inch wheels with spacer and normal width wheels just moved outwards

[Mini_Magic]

But then you could argue that massive 13x7 wheels are heavier and therefore are worse for wheel bearings then light 10s with spacers.

Sportspack wheels are also apparently bad for wheel bearings, so was I better off with them or with the 10s? No one can really know without doing a lot of testing on the whole steering and geometry of the car.

It's swings and roundabouts, if you want your bearings to last as long as possible then get standard wheels.

For the record, I had 10s with spacers on a daily driver for at least 6 months with no issues.

Edited by Mini_Magic, 08 September 2011 - 09:33 PM.

[MJWarren]

why not just do a proper job and buy the cooper s brake setup, instead of riding round on grinded away brake calipers and spacers?

Its a no brainer