Do spacers affect handling?

spacing standard speedlines with 16mm spacers makes them sit in a very similar position to cup recar speedlines,its the same with the OZ's that everyone fits
 
well, for me they had a detrimental effect on the handling. I ran 16mm eibachs, yes it 'looked' better, but for me it made the car nervous feeling, especially under braking. Not for me, sold them after a week.

How peeps running 25 mm spacers say it doenst effect handling is beyond me. 50mm total increase is a massive step away from o.e settings.
 
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well, for me they had a detrimental effect on the handling. I ran 16mm eibachs, yes it 'looked' better, but for me it made the car nervous feeling, especially under braking. Not for me, sold them after a week.

How peeps running 25 mm spacers say it doenst effect handling is beyond me. 50mm total increase is a massive set away from o.e settings.

Interesting. Do you reckon the result would be the same if wheels with different offset are being used?
 
Without running a set, i dont know. (I wouldnt say no to a set of ultra leggeras like :wink:)

I was running H&R coilovers for a year before i tried the spacers, so was dialled in to how it felt, as soon as the spacers were fitted it just felt 'off' for me.
 
I was contemplating going for 16mm h&r at the back ONLY... I'm not sure about the front. I'm so used to where my front wheels are when turning into a bend. Not sure I wanna change that just yet.
 
well, for me they had a detrimental effect on the handling. I ran 16mm eibachs, yes it 'looked' better, but for me it made the car nervous feeling, especially under braking. Not for me, sold them after a week.

How peeps running 25 mm spacers say it doenst effect handling is beyond me. 50mm total increase is a massive step away from o.e settings.

Weird why it would change things under braking mate,if everything's running true they should make no difference at all when on the middle peddle

25's just look wrong on so many levels unless you like beach buggys
 
I was thinking the same thing Henderson, how can spacers make any difference under breaking? Even if the axels were a foot wider at either side I just can't see it? maybe it's the extra weight your carrying as you break!?
 
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Of course its going to make a difference under braking, same as under acceleration forces. Torque..... rotational force.... lbft otherwise it would just be lb
 
After fitting my 20mm u can feel a difference under braking and it following the ruts in the road. For how I drive it on the road it doesn't affect me enough to take them off, tbh though I think I noticed the stone chips forming on my rear quarter before noticing the way it drove haha.
 
not spacers, but i put the 'wrong' wheels on my old 172 years ago, some oz wheels an inch bigger than the standards. car looked loads better, but it made it drive like a bag of ****e. you could feel it pulling over any little thing in the road, even the white lines! sounds like similar with the spacers. thats why i wouldnt ever consider spacers now having read this, especially seeing as they decrease your performance! i'm old fashioned and i believe the money they spend setting these cars up, must have went somewhere, and i dont like to **** with that.
 
Yup id go with that. If there was any benefit imo they would have changed the offset/track on the 200, bit like they did with the 172 cup over the standard 172.
 
surely the springs improve performance though?
my car is heaps better than it was with the stock 197 suspension.

if the spacers are going to only marginally affect that, i can live with them. taking them off for track days isnt going to cost a thing.

i feel it's a small price to pay for my car to look the way i want it to look...

anyways, i am going to test the spacers before i buy. my friend Fano has agreed to let me test his (that's been put in writing :wink: )

so i'll be the judge
 

Because, (IMO at least) they make you feel slightly less connected to what's going on with the tyres because of a slightly lighter steering feel.

Since its not a big job to take them off, I'd rather do it and have the full sensation when on track. On the road it makes next to no difference, I don't push the car that hard so there's more than enough grip/feedback for day to day driving, and the car looks better :smile:.
 
well said robo.
no big fuss to put on and take off.
makes the car look heaps better!

all plusses from where i'm sitting
 
How about the extra unsprung weight though guys? Doesn't that make a noticeable difference on the steering etc?
 
If anything my steering seems slightly lighter with them fitted. Kind of the opposite of what I expected, but its not drastic, only slight. It follows camber slightly more too and I also found it exaggerated my badly balanced front wheels. Had some new tyres fitted the other day and reballanced the wheels and its perfect :smile: