Passat R36 Wheel Spacers

[WazR36]

Hi,

I have a 2009 R36 sedan on the stock 18" rims.

Am looking for a nicer stance and have been debating between lowering (springs) or wheel spacers. Given the front lip of the R36 is already so low (and scrapes on driveways) i thought i would go for wheels spacers.

I have been researching and H&R spacers seem to be a well-made and reliable option.

My question... has anyone with an R36 put on spacers?
If so, any advice on brand/sizing?
Any pictures?

I was thinking 8mm spacers on the front and 12mm spacers on the rear. Thoughts? Maybe 10mm on rear?

Also, any advice on the best place to buy them? Online eg ECS tuning? Anywhere locally in Australia (melbourne) likely to have them in stock?

And finally, thoughts on the length of new bolts i would require, and the type of bolt needed.

thanks in advance for all your help!

[Nico76]

Pardon my noob question, but what would be the advantage of fitting spacers?

[team_v]

Pardon my noob question, but what would be the advantage of fitting spacers?

Pushes the wheels further outwards = increased track distance = better handling apparently.

You would be better off just getting a nice set of wheels that are wider and don't require spacers as they are illegal.

[WazR36]

legalities don't bother me.
I like the OEM rims: the style and quality. plus i have recently put a set of new tyres on. aftermarket rims is not an option for me.
also, when selling a car spacers can be removed and re-sold, this is harder for aftermarket rims unless you have the space to keep the stock rims

anyone have any experience with spacers?

[PASHN8]

Waz, i've got a set of 20" ADV.1 rims on my R36 wagon and its also been lowered with H&R springs.

I also wanted to increase the front track slightly to give it a better stance and have a pair of H&R 10mm spacers with longer forged wheel studs.

Safety wise they are fine as long as they are a quality spacer like H&R and are hubcentric, meaning they 'seat' on the hub of the wheel which stops any movement 'off centre' under load/cornering. The longer wheel bolts are also good insurance in that they will give you the extra thread to seat the wheel securely against the hub.

I fitted the spacers to the front and found 10mm to be perfect, but due to the lower stance, had the passenger side touch the guard over bumps, so removed them immediately. Dialling in a little bit more negative camber in the front will fix this but will need to get it set at a suspension specialist.

A lot of cars use hubcentric spacers as standard (Porsche for one) so they are perfectly safe if they are a good quality spacer with the corresponding length wheel nuts, but obviously your insurance does reserve the right to refuse a claim IF they feel the spacers were a contributing factor to the cause of the accident, so proceed at your own caution.

The other alternative is to use this as an opportunity to upgrade the rims on the and choose wheels with the correct 'offset' you desire to achieve the 'flushed' wheel to guard look, which would be a more ideal approach.
If you aren't going to change wheels however, spacers are your only option.

[Hillbilly]

Doesnt matter if they are good ones or not Spacers are ILLEGAL IN AUSTRALIA

Maybe it doesnt worry you but if the studs break and a wheel hits me I sincerely hope you have enough money for the payout of the court case.

[PASHN8]

They are OEM equipment on many cars in Australia and perfectly legal if you engineer them.


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[team_v]

They are OEM equipment on many cars in Australia and perfectly legal if you engineer them.


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Ahhh, are you sure on that?
I would like to see some proof.


Either way, they are illegal and the cost to "make them legal" would probably be more than a proper sized set of wheels.

[Hillbilly]

They are OEM equipment on many cars in Australia and perfectly legal if you engineer them.


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Perhaps all of should read the ADR Rules and here is an excerpt from NSW

The fitment of wheel spacers (or adaptors for dual wheel conversions) between the wheel mounting face and the road wheel is not permitted unless fitted as original equipment by the vehicle manufacturer.

Read full rules here http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/registrati...vsi09_rev4.pdf

[PASHN8]

Ahhh, are you sure on that?
I would like to see some proof.


Either way, they are illegal and the cost to "make them legal" would probably be more than a proper sized set of wheels.

Ever pulled the wheels off an early 911 or recent Boxster? There are just to name a few, factory fitted.

As mentioned, the OP wasn't looking for opinions on legalities, he was asking for experiences WITH spacers and suitability for his requirements.

Did you know a pod filter is illegal? Did you know drop spindles are illegal? Blue park light globes? I could go on and on. Happy for the cardigans to sleep with a roadworthy/ADR booklet under their pillow, but what you have to realise is that illegal doesn't always mean dangerous.
I work on my own cars, with my own hands and own tools and have built 35+ cars, including magazine and show winning vehicles without issue or hiccups from the law.
I take the time to post information where possible to help others, and i'm not here to flame down others with personal opinion that is not relevant to the topic.

Hopefully this thread can continue back on its correct informative track, with real world experience, rather than quotations and opinions on legalities by those who've clearly not had experience with the topic at hand.

Each to their own