Wheel Spacers...

[SteveC123]

Thinking of getting some of these for the rear wheels of my Ibiza.

Do they improve the handling much (if at all)?

Given they're moving the weight of the wheel away from the centre of the hub, has anyone experienced wheel bearings failing more frequently with these fitted, and are they any issues with uneven tyre wear?

I'm not that fussed about the way they make the car look better; I'm only interested in improving the handling.

I've not bothered to ask about fitting spacers to the front as I've heard they muck the handling / tyre wear right up.

TIA

 

[Gooner_Mike]

They are a good addition. Certainly add some stability to the rear, especially when cornering. Its hard to quantify really but its there...

I have these ones as do many folks on here and have had no problems so far (they are hubcentric which is important...) Coupled with a rear ARB makes for a much better handling Ibiza...

 

[Nick_A]

I have the Eibach (sp) rear 20mm on my 2004 cupra and lowered on coilovers

in my opinion the handlings ten times better (not sure what it would be like without the coilovers on).

the stance of the rear looks so much better now the wheels actually feel the arch with the spacer

 

[Lippo]

Definite improvement in handling. I've got the same as Mike - very good and worth the outlay. The car feels more planted on the road. Get 'em!!

 

[Chino_UK]

The 15mm versions of the above don't fit the Ibiza properly...I learnt this after my wheels nearly fell off. I have some 16mm Forge ones but haven't got round to putting them on yet.

 

[Lippo]

The 15mm versions of the above don't fit the Ibiza properly...I learnt this after my wheels nearly fell off. I have some 16mm Forge ones but haven't got round to putting them on yet.

Wow - did they come with new studs in the spacer or did you use the existing ones for your nuts?

 

[Gooner_Mike]

Wow - did they come with new studs in the spacer or did you use the existing ones for your nuts?

I think the 15mm ones don't clear the spigots properly and need longer bolts I... the 20mm ones don't have these problems and are fine (as you already know...)

 

[SteveC123]

They are a good addition. Certainly add some stability to the rear, especially when cornering. Its hard to quantify really but its there...

I have these ones as do many folks on here and have had no problems so far (they are hubcentric which is important...) Coupled with a rear ARB makes for a much better handling Ibiza...

Ok, noted - definitely going to get some spacers soon.

I read up on ARBs a while back - from what I read, the stiffer the ARB, the more your car will understeer?

I've got a standard FR front ARB sitting in the shed doing nothing - is it worth all the aggro to fit this in place of the standard Sport item or should I get something else if I decide to go down this route?

I find my Ibiza a bit twitchy at times if I am honest, and this is after I've made the PAS heavier.

 

[SteveC123]

I have the Eibach (sp) rear 20mm on my 2004 cupra and lowered on coilovers

in my opinion the handlings ten times better (not sure what it would be like without the coilovers on).

the stance of the rear looks so much better now the wheels actually feel the arch with the spacer

When I bought the car, it was lowered onto some generic cheap suspension; the ride was awful.

I've now got standard FR suspension in place - the ride is much better, but it's still a bit too bumpy at times for my liking (well... I am getting on a bit, you know ), but it's a lot more bearable.

Are coilovers a decent compromise between comfort and handling?

Recently I've been considering maybe getting rid of the car and replacing it with another Passat or maybe Mk4 Golf TDI, as these seem to ride much more smoothly over bumps, map just as well and in the case of the Golf, I believe the TT brakes and the Forge FMIC I have on the Ibiza at present will fit (albeit maybe with slightly different piping).

 

[Gooner_Mike]

I read up on ARBs a while back - from what I read, the stiffer the ARB, the more your car will understeer?

I've got a standard FR front ARB sitting in the shed doing nothing - is it worth all the aggro to fit this in place of the standard Sport item or should I get something else if I decide to go down this route?

I find my Ibiza a bit twitchy at times if I am honest, and this is after I've made the PAS heavier.

Are you getting confused between an ARB (anti-roll bars) and a strut brace? ARBs tend to reduce roll (hence the name) and are attached to the bottom of the suspension. A strut brace is attached between the top of the suspension struts and reduces flex.

A front strut brace on its own does very little except stiffen the front up a bit. The addition of a rear ARB (as the Ibiza doesn't have one) helps to reduce understeer!

My FR used to understeer somewthing chronic, expecially when you go piling into a wet roundabout or power out of it. The addition of front strut brace, rear ARB and 20mm spacers on the rear wheels has made the car understeer less and it just "feels" so much more stable cornering now. You can really push it into a roundabout and even get lift-off oversteer now... (which is a slightly better alternative and easier to control... allegedly!)

 

[Chino_UK]

Wow - did they come with new studs in the spacer or did you use the existing ones for your nuts?

I think the 15mm ones don't clear the spigots properly and need longer bolts I... the 20mm ones don't have these problems and are fine (as you already know...)

As Mike says, they come with longer bolts instead of bolting to the hub. Problem is they don't sit quite flush on ibiza spigots...but they aren't far off...problem is I thought they were on flush...when they weren't, over time they work loose!

 

[SteveC123]

Are you getting confused between an ARB (anti-roll bars) and a strut brace?

No... got the latter as well already.

ARBs tend to reduce roll (hence the name) and are attached to the bottom of the suspension. A strut brace is attached between the top of the suspension struts and reduces flex.

I speak as something of a know nothing mong when it comes to tweaking suspension etc.

(Is it that obvious?)

What I said before is something I'd read when I was looking into ways to improve the handling on my Passat.

A front strut brace on its own does very little except stiffen the front up a bit. The addition of a rear ARB (as the Ibiza doesn't have one) helps to reduce understeer!

Ok... sounds like a rear ARB is worth considering then, ta.

My FR used to understeer somewthing chronic, expecially when you go piling into a wet roundabout or power out of it. The addition of front strut brace, rear ARB and 20mm spacers on the rear wheels has made the car understeer less and it just "feels" so much more stable cornering now. You can really push it into a roundabout and even get lift-off oversteer now... (which is a slightly better alternative and easier to control... allegedly!)

That sounds like exactly what I'm looking for in terms of improving the handling... although as per my other post, I'm keen to avoid making the car any harder ride wise.

 

[Gooner_Mike]

when they weren't, over time they work loose!

 

[Gooner_Mike]

I speak as something of a know nothing mong when it comes to tweaking suspension etc.

Ok... sounds like a rear ARB is worth considering then, ta.

That sounds like exactly what I'm looking for in terms of improving the handling... although as per my other post, I'm keen to avoid making the car any harder ride wise.

That's why this forum is so good... people can help you out 9 times out of 10 with sound advice from their own experiences!

Rear ARB transforms the handling... you can get uprated front ARBs from a Fabia VRS and even a front lower strut brace if you want to go the whole hog. In an ideal world...

 

[andypandypoos]

Are you getting confused between an ARB (anti-roll bars) and a strut brace? ARBs tend to reduce roll (hence the name) and are attached to the bottom of the suspension. A strut brace is attached between the top of the suspension struts and reduces flex

a thicker front anti-roll bar would tend to promote understeer, no?

 

[Gooner_Mike]

a thicker front anti-roll bar would tend to promote understeer, no?

If a stiffer front end means more understeer, then yes? I understand that uprating the front ARB can return some of the understeer characteristics.
I mentioned front strut brace, rear ARB and spacers as the mods I have done so can only speak from my limited experience. I have yet to experiment with lower strut brace and thicker front ARB.

I guess in an ideal world the best setup would be:
thicker front ARB
upper and lower strut braces
rear ARB
rear upper strut brace
uprated bushes all round
rear spacers

 

[RoSonic]

@andypandypoos: that is right, on a FWD if you want to reduce the understeer you'll go with an increased rear anti-roll bar