Brake clearance - Quick help needed please!!

[V-Dubstar 0]

HI guys,

 

Just in the process of putting some new rims on. They're 7j, et30, 16inch. Backs went on fine, I've managed to put a front one on by spacing it out as much as my spacers allow right now. The problem being is that the clearance of the caliper to the rim is less than a mm. The wheel turns freely tho, is this something I should be worried about? Will the calipers expand with the heat etc and end up not clearing the rim? :confused4:

[pete_griff 0]

i have seen wheels/brakes run with this sort of clearance before.

 

it's not advisable, i'm not certain of the exact figure, but a guideline of 2-3mm is generally talked about afaik...

 

also, wheels spacers are horrible, nasty, evil things. if you can get away without running them then you really should do (unless they're just spacing an aftermarket wheel to the same ET as a standard item, but even then it's not that nice).

they cause odd tracking/steering and premature bearing failure due to the increased loads. HORRIBLE THINGS!

[swiftkid 1]

I may be getting confused and you will probably know this anyway but are you running mk3 or mk4 brakes as i think they have different offset calipers? I really wouldn't advise spacers unless they are proper hubcentric ones but if you must use spacers get the longer wheel bolts. I had a close call when i used a spacer and upon having a bit of steering wheel wobble discovered that 2 wheel bolts were loose and 1 had come out!

 

I have seen people taking a grinder to the caliper to trim off a little for clearance, not sure how thick the metal is but maybe food for thought

[V-Dubstar 0]

Cheers guys. Have got a 13mm spacer on each side now, and the wheels now clear the caliper by at least 2-3mm. They're hubcentric ones, and unless I grind the caliper, as u say Swiftkid, then unfortunately I need to use a spacer Pete! Im using longer wheel bolts, same length as the originals (28ish) plus the 13mm, im using 40mm bolts.

 

Went on the motorway earlier today tho for the 1st time, braking is fine, only when doing speeds of around 60-70mph and I brake, Im getting a fair amount of juddering through the steering wheel! This must be related surely, could it be the spacers?

[coullstar 0]

It does sound they are not perfectly central. Not a huge fan of spacers either. You can take some material of the calipers but not a lot.