H&R Spacer... Lip shaved/broke off?!

CATCHINZZZS

see some pics

flashburn

If you're talking about mine, I posted some a few pages back.

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Current Ride: 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Centennial Edition Carbon Flash 6M
Previous Ride: 2009 Nissan 370Z Sport Platinum Graphite 7AT

fuct

i talked with and showed a coworker who is a structural engineer here both pictures of a new spacer and the broken posted by the OP. here are his quick findings::

1. its easy to shout out material defect since these are light weight aluminum alloy mixed materials. just a tad bit of iron oxide in the mix and failures on such a high toleranced part is bound to happen.

2. and this one is the most interesting one to me. there is a rather large relief cut right before the thin ring. that lets the rim sit squarely on the spacer. he mentioned if you were to get a small scratch or nick along that edge right around the relief area, it wouldnt take long for a small crack to form and for it to migrate completley around the hub as the wheel spun. causing a clean quick "snapping off" look that he saw in the pic posted. he said its very important that the wheel face and the spacer be free of any type of debree, and that it wouldnt take anything large to start that scatch that led to the failure. dirt/rock, metal shaving from the shops floor, ect....

too many variables to throw in but thats my version of stirring up this mess...

kenchan

fuct- cool info!

flashburn

Interesting, thanks for having your friend take a look fuct. I'll be sure to clean the spacers and wheel center whenever I take off those wheels.

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Current Ride: 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Centennial Edition Carbon Flash 6M
Previous Ride: 2009 Nissan 370Z Sport Platinum Graphite 7AT

fuct

no prob! yea i think the instructions even mention something about the area being extremely clean and whatnot..... ill have to check.

kenchan

flashburn- got my studs today, thanks again!

phunk

got the spacers today too. funny cause i was at the shop putting the ARP studs in, then i got home to see the spacers were here... damnit!! wheels coming back off again tomorrow to test the thickness and make some measurements for my inserts.

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spearfish25

Does Kics make stud replacement versions? I'd want 15 and 20mm sets to just place over my extended HR studs if an HR broke. I guess I could do that with the Ichibas but the name keeps reminding me of beer.

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2013 Cadillac V-Wagon, RIP Z

kenchan

Spearfish- I don't think Kics makes stud replacement versions. "Ichiba" reminds me of farmer's market. not sure why the chinese puts japanese names on their parts..I do but.. Should call theirs ochinchin...o wait that's still japanese.

spearfish25

Any chance you guys who experienced broken spacers might have removed/loosened your lugs before jacking up the car?

Today I was swapping brake pads and was loosening the fifth lug on my rear wheel when I realized the car wasn't jacked up yet. I started to see the car settle lower and about had a heart attack when I realized the weight of the car would be sitting on the spacer lip. Fortunately I caught it in time and jacked the car up before fully removing the last lug. I could definitely see this sheering off the spacer lip though.

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2013 Cadillac V-Wagon, RIP Z

ChrisSlicks

I break the torque seal on the lug with the car partially jacked but the wheel touching the ground. The wheel is still on there good and tight and then I lift it the rest of the way and use a cordless (or air) impact wrench from that point.

Both of my failures were on front wheels, which I think is no coincidence. Both failures were after track/auto-x sessions. The 15mm is the weak design, if you have the 20mm I think it would be ok, but I'm not using spacers on the track ever again.

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kenchan

first off i always break my lugs loose while the car is on the ground. this is so i dont accidentally move the car while it's on jacks using my long-handle rachet. i dont loosen the lugs much, just enough to break it loose.

the purpose of the lip is to support the weight of the car. that is the hub-centric design. it shouldn't break off if constructed correctly.

spearfish25

I disagree. The spacers are aluminum which is much too soft to support the car's weight. The lip is designed to align the spacers and wheels. Once you tighten the lugs down, the spacer lips probably experience no force at all.

With the privilege of an impact wrench, I don't loosen my lugs until the car is in the air now.

__________________
2013 Cadillac V-Wagon, RIP Z

kenchan

ahh so you see, while they appear hubcentric by design they are not functionally hubcentric at all. it's only used to aid centering the wheel during installation... like how lug-centric wheels come with plastic centering rings. you dont put the vehicle weight on the plastic rings.

if that's the case it's buyer error. you bought the wrong parts for your application. I suggest you remove them for safety and get proper hardware that support the weight of the car as it should for those hub-centric wheels.