Hi,
Haven't used them on a Merc' but spacers were / used to be a common approach to getting the right 'look' on custom build.
You must of course be very careful in your selection of spacer(s) in respect of clearances, particularly on 'full-bounce' and full lock to lock.
Note that if you use a wide spacer (e.g. an inch ?) then you will need the appropriate extended wheel bolts to accommodate them. Whatever you do don't try and get away with a bolt that only locates by virtue of three or four threads once the spacer is on.....that's lethal.
One significant down-side is that the use of spacers changes the loading centre on the wheel bearings.......i.e moves it outwards so that the wheel acts like a lever increasing the load on the bearing(s) which with wide spacers usually means premature bearing failure.
Moving the wheel's centre line in relation to the rest of the steering and suspension components can affect the overall geometry setup and give rise to some 'quirky' handling.......e.g. tyres 'screaming' on full steering lock and accelerated tyre wear.
Very wide spacers used with standard wheels and tyres can give the car a rather odd 'roller-skate' look.
I've used spacers where a small amount of "adjustment" has been necessary for clearance purposes (e.g. 1/8 or 1/4 inch) but by far the best approach is to fit approprately sized rims and tyres and keep the wheel centre bolted right up against the hub.........where its supposed to be.
Regards,
Spiro'
Haven't used them on a Merc' but spacers were / used to be a common approach to getting the right 'look' on custom build.
You must of course be very careful in your selection of spacer(s) in respect of clearances, particularly on 'full-bounce' and full lock to lock.
Note that if you use a wide spacer (e.g. an inch ?) then you will need the appropriate extended wheel bolts to accommodate them. Whatever you do don't try and get away with a bolt that only locates by virtue of three or four threads once the spacer is on.....that's lethal.
One significant down-side is that the use of spacers changes the loading centre on the wheel bearings.......i.e moves it outwards so that the wheel acts like a lever increasing the load on the bearing(s) which with wide spacers usually means premature bearing failure.
Moving the wheel's centre line in relation to the rest of the steering and suspension components can affect the overall geometry setup and give rise to some 'quirky' handling.......e.g. tyres 'screaming' on full steering lock and accelerated tyre wear.
Very wide spacers used with standard wheels and tyres can give the car a rather odd 'roller-skate' look.
I've used spacers where a small amount of "adjustment" has been necessary for clearance purposes (e.g. 1/8 or 1/4 inch) but by far the best approach is to fit approprately sized rims and tyres and keep the wheel centre bolted right up against the hub.........where its supposed to be.
Regards,
Spiro'
