Axel spacers?

[ipodsandguns]

Im thinkings about designing and making some rear axel spacers.

They would fit between the stub of the rear axel and the rear hub with longer bolts.

They are available for a few other cars in up to 30mm, Id be up for sorting them in 20-25mm.

Being an axel spacer initial fitting is a little more hands on. Jack up, wheel off, diffusers off, hub off.

But once fitted wheel fitment will b no difference and will add no rotational weight and only about 40% of the weight of an unsprung wheel spacer.

The above are fiesta/puma ones, Ones id sort would be solid Hardox so would cope with force way better then the frames cast ones above.

Any body had experience with them on other cars?

 

[DanT]

Sounds interesting! Ive always felt the 197 would benefit from being a little wider at the rear.

 

[ipodsandguns]

I could undercut the cost of traditional spacers by a great chunk I believe.

Cheapest price of a set of 20mm wheel spacers anyone?

 

[BenW]

I used to have these exact spacers on my fiesta. They're actually manufactured by ford and used on production versions of the ford racing puma and ford racing ka. They used to make them in 10mm, 12.5mm and 20.5mm versions.

You could only get them for the rear but in my experience they made braking more stable, no down sides.

Cost of the fiesta ones is about £25 per pair, bargain. Fitting was a bit of a bitch though, have to unbolt rear hub and ABS sensors. ABS sensors didn't really like being removed and would regularly cause problems when refitted, no idea if the clio sensor would need to be unbolted for these to work.

 

[brightside]

look similar to "drop plates"

 

[ipodsandguns]

I used to have these exact spacers on my fiesta. They're actually manufactured by ford and used on production versions of the ford racing puma and ford racing ka. They used to make them in 10mm, 12.5mm and 20.5mm versions.

You could only get them for the rear but in my experience they made braking more stable, no down sides.

Cost of the fiesta ones is about £25 per pair, bargain. Fitting was a bit of a bitch though, have to unbolt rear hub and ABS sensors. ABS sensors didn't really like being removed and would regularly cause problems when refitted, no idea if the clio sensor would need to be unbolted for these to work.

Im yet to nosey round the rear of the hub on the 200 to see what the crack is with the ABS sensor, don't think it will be a problem on 200's due to the age.

look similar to "drop plates"

Yeah very similar, I can sort ones with a drop too but they are only really beneficial to people running coilovers.

 

[Gandy]

Hell i'd be up for that

 

[DanT]

Hell i'd be up for that

Same here........awaiting prices!

 

[elcie]

I have used these and fitted to a number of cars, much better than spacers.

Get some designs up, then made.

 

[Paul]

Sounds good but IIRC aren't they put on Fiestas because the rear track is narrower than the from by 25mm, hence the instability!? :huh:

I would have to have some spacers for the front to even up, but it sounds like a good way of cutting the cost down a lot!!

 

[tchalikias]

Actually you don't even need to get the diffuser out, if you have the proper tools (most important of all: a short torque wrench)

You just lift the car, remove the rear wheels and then undo the 4 bolts securing the stub axle assembly to the axle beam. Just get a friend to hold the stub axle in place (quite heavy, what with the brake caliper, disc etc.), insert the spacer between the beam and the stub and insert the longer bolts (IIRC the standard bolts take 80nM of torque).

That's it. I did this to correct the geometry at the rear of my 200 which was off from the factory, using toe and camber shims - but the principle is exactly the same