5 replies to this topic

[Bungleaio]

When I was fortunate enough to get a new cooper sports back in 2000 I remember the rear wheels had an additional spacer between them and the drum. Does anyone know what the width of those was and also did they have longer studs too?

 

The reason I'm asking is I've got 165 tyres on my standard rover 4.5 minilites and I'm getting a bit of rubbing. I dont think it's ride height as I'm at factory height so I'm thinking its got to be the tyres on the inner wheelarch. It's only on heavy cornering that I'm getting rubbing.

 

I'd like to add some spacers to try and cure this but I'm not sure whether to go for 3 or 5mm. Minispares says "these come without studs because they're so skinny the original studs should work" which isn't too confidence inspiring.

 

Any advice on which spacers to go for and should I go for longer studs?

 

My car is a 1275 '93 with standard spacered drums at the rear, factory height with gaz shocks adjusted to halfway between hard and soft. Wheels are standard rover 12 inch by 4.5 wide with Yoko A539 165/60/12. Wheel nuts are the Minispares cooper/sportspack ones.

[Cooperman]

It will probably be the inner sidewall of the tyre rubbing on the rear radius arm.
Measure how much you need the spacer thickness to be. You might need a 5mm spacer. Then check that the thread engagement of the wheel nuts on the studs is a minimum of 1.5 x stud diameter.so long as you have 1.5 x stud dia engagement you are OK.

[Bungleaio]

That's a good point, I'd not thought about the radius arm. I will have a look at that cheers mate

[Cooperman]

Some tyres have a more reinforced sidewall than others which makes the tyre to radius arm clearance disappear. I've had it with forest (knobbly) rally tyres and a slightly thicker spacer is then needed. I had to use 2 x 3 mm spacers each side, but the stud length was still the same and there was sufficient thread engagement, even for competition.

Edited by Cooperman, 13 March 2017 - 10:04 PM.

[Bungleaio]

I put 5mm spacers on over the weekend and it's cured the problem, cheers mate.

I've calculated that there is about 14mm of thread engagement now which shold be ok I think.

[Cooperman]

14mm thread engagement is well safe.
Glad to hear that the problem is solved