Using 5mm spacers WITHOUT extended lugs?

Hey guys, I know this has been discussed to some extent on various other threads, but I believe my question is a first. (I've tried searching)

I currently have Volk TE-37's (17/18) on my 1991 NSX and love them, but I would like to use them for track use and therefore outfit them with autocross/track tires.

I would like to use 2002+ wheels as daily drivers with less aggressive tires. I know the fronts would require a 5mm spacer, and presumably, longer studs.

Since I plan on going back and forth between wheels, I want to know if I can do without the longer studs, since I fear they may not work with the Volks without the spacers.

I know another option may be to upgrade to '97+ front brakes, removing the spacer requirement, but how easy are those to acquire, and more importantly, how expensive?

Thoughts?

I've been doing it for 2 years w/no problems. 5mm would be the maximum though. If they'll work with 3mm, even better.

You could also have the 02 wheels macined to clear , it is a very minor amount of material to remove.

To answer your ? yes you can use a 5mm spacer with oem studs.If you do go with longer studs you will always need the spacer unless you use open spline nuts,as the longer studs will hit the back of the regular nut before it tightens all the way down.

Will 3mm work? I'd be all for that, but I've read on multiple threads that it requires 5mm.

I'm not sure about machining them (cost, resale value).

Anybody upgrade to '97 brakes? Good/bad experiences? Seems like a lot for what I'm looking to do.

5mm is fine, dont' go any larger without extended studs. But make sure you tighten your lugs every few weeks just in case.

I'll put it this way. I've been running non-hubcentric 5 mm spaces on 550 whp for about 6 months now. This was supposed to be a temporary place holder until I got my actual spacers with extended lugs, but I just got very lazy. I was super easy on the car until I discovered that Factor X did the same thing on their race car for multiple events. Now I thrash about and haven't had a problem.

I am running H&R 5mm spacers without the extended lugs. Big part of the safety depends on the rim and the amount of full "turns" you get on the lugnuts. I was able to get around 6, which is pretty secure. If it was less, I would definitely install the extended lugs.

HTH,
Bill

I just installed OEM 2002+ wheels on my 95 with the standard lugs. I got about 7 turns. I have not had any problems with them.

The '02+ wheels on my '92 will clear the calipers with about 2mm to spare using 3mm spacers. Get about 9.5 turns. Drove on them slow and checked for any rubbing and no problems. After a few hundred miles and some intense cornering, no issues whatsoever.

I inquired about extended lugs when using spacers with the NSX tech that workd on my previous NSX. Said the general rule is that you have the lug nut cover enough threading equal to the diameter of the stud. There was plenty with some to spare using the 3mm. No issues to date.

Who sells the 3mm spacers?

quiksilver55 said:

Who sells the 3mm spacers?

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I think Dali used to sell them, there are many local machine shops which make spacers for the same cost as brand names, to your spec.

I had a set of 10mm's made about a year ago with the inside bore machined hubcentric to the nsx, and the outside bore hubcentric to my wheel, eliminating the need for hub rings. The place I had these made was wheelspacers.com, the owner's name is Fred.

As far as '02 wheels are concerned, the spacer requirement for fitment is minor, as others have said, 3mm should be adequate, you can buy 5mm's off the shelf at pepboy's, and you should still have enough turns on your oem studs. If you want to flush them out, you need more aggressive spacers, 25mm's in the rear with integral studs, and 15-20mm in the front - some run 25mm's all around to eliminate the need to press new studs into their wheel bearing hubs.

The 1997+ brakes are a nice improvement, but the brackets are impossible to source; if you find a wrecked '97-'05 the seller will want to sell the complete brake package, and won't part out the brackets. Racing brake produces a +1" kit, which essentially replicates the OEM '97-'05 brackets, it's available around $2k with new rotor discs (standard '97-'05 size).

quiksilver55 said:

Who sells the 3mm spacers?

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Bought mine from Dali. I'm not a big fan of very thin aluminum spacers so I had Titaniuim dave make me a set of 2mm in steel.