wheel adapters

[BILL]

Are wheel adapters legal in ITB, are they safe, are they a good or bad idea?

[seckerich]

Yes,Yes, seem to work well on Jeff Youngs ITS Triumph.

[Knestis]

We've run them on the Golf since Day 1. Good hubcentric ones on the front, cheapo eBay ones on the back.

K

[shwah]

Wheel spacers, or wheel adapters?

[JeffYoung]

A wheel spacer. Which is free, so it can also be an adapter.

[tom91ita]

So we can change bolt patterns via "spacers" because spacers are free?

That seems a stretch.....

[JeffYoung]

Why?

We can add a splitter and undertray as part of a "free" air dam.

We can add heat heat shielding and ducting as part of a "free" radiator.

We can add all kinds of bars and arms to the rear suspension as traction bars.

You should see some of the "sway bars" that are out there.

The fact is the rules say the following:

1. If something is free, you can make it do what you want so long as it doesn't perform a prohibited function. You can't for example use "free exhaust" to run a turbocharger.

2. But if what you are doing with your free item isn't specifically prohibited, have at it. Otherwise, the idea that "if it says you can you can" means nothing and things like splitters and brake duct hose (rule says brakes may be ventilated, doesn't say how) and heatshields and ducting built off of radiators and air dams (ever see the front of a well-developed 2nd Gen RX7?) are all gone.

Here, my wheel spacers simply happen to have studs, just like some folks ventilated brakes have hoses, or their radiators have ducting, or their air dams have splitters.

[tom91ita]

D. AUTHORIZED MODIFICATIONS

The following modifications are authorized on all Improved Touring Category
cars. Modifications shall not be made unless authorized herein. No
permitted component/modification shall additionally perform a prohibited
function.


okay. i went back to the rules and i would agree.

although the rules does not say you can change the bolt pattern, the mod rule above says the permitted part shall not perform a "prohibited" function. and changing the pattern is not specifically prohibited by the ruleset.

i had thought the above section was more to the effect of 'could not perform an otherwise unapproved function'.....

and i suppose others would argue that they are free under:




o. Hardware items (nuts, bolts, etc.) may be replaced with similar
items performing the same fastening function(s)......

[JeffYoung]

Exactly.

I did my homework before I spent the jack on the adaptors and the Volks to go with them (TR uses 4X3.75 wheel pattern that no one wants to make.....).

[joeg]

You are not changing the wheel bolt pattern of the hub (the car part); you are changing wheels (bolt pattern, offset, track) which are "free" with what amounts to a bolt-on spacer.

[Chip42]

and for Bill, since you don't need ~15mm of the offset for the CR6 wheel, you have a lot of room to make this happen. I'd be happy to help find a good solution for you if you are interested.

[JeffYoung]

You are not changing the wheel bolt pattern of the hub (the car part); you are changing wheels (bolt pattern, offset, track) which are "free" with what amounts to a bolt-on spacer.

Good point as wheel. Arguably, the adapter is as much a part of the wheel (and free) as it is the hub (which remains stock).

[jhooten]

Since we are using convoluted logic, when you undo the lug nuts to change the tire does the adapter stay bolted to the wheel or the hub. I submit that since it is not removed with the wheel and stays bolted to the hub it is part of the hub and not the wheel.

[Ron Earp]

These discussions are what make the newcomer sad about IT.

Get some wheels, bolt them on the car, and go racing. If you want to add additional weight and complexity with a wheel adapter then go for it.

[Greg Amy]

...when you undo the lug nuts to change the tire does the adapter stay bolted to the wheel or the hub.
Irrelevant. Multi-piece wheels are allowed in IT; that's not an adapter, it's a part of my multi-piece wheels that happen to coincidentally convert the lug bolt pattern.

GA

[shwah]

Yep - agree part of a multi piece wheel.

I was just asking because the adapter is IMO "riskier" than just a spacer. That said, with both do your homework and use the right hardware, and it should be just fine.

[seckerich]

Not really risky. Many of our cars have cheap cast aluminum front hubs with studs pulled in. Good spacers are 6061 or a 5 series aluminum and are much stronger in .500 and up thickness. With good hardware they are a no brainer and allow more (insert cheaper) wheel options. Sure keeps people racing more than finding $200+ custom wheels.

[JeffYoung]

If you are increasing you track you might put more load on the wheel bearing but that is the only risky side of it I see. My spacers are alloy and clearly higher quality as Steve note than the crap hubs on my car that wear out frequently.

[Flyinglizard]

Offset is offset.The hub/bearing cant tell between wheel offset of spacer offset. As long as the tire is inside the fender, all good as far as the bearing is concerned.
We ran the tire well outside of the fender(13x8 , 2in back space), due to lack of rules in our ministock and never broke the hub/studs, nothing. 89VW jett. Stuffed the wheel inside the pas seat one time and stuff just bent.

[JeffYoung]

Sure, but that (offset is offset) is not the question. If you change the track and push the lever arm acting on the bearing/hub assembly out with a spacer, you will put additional force on it. You can minimize that by moving the wheel back in with offset but if you don't and you do take advantage of the additional track there will be more stress on the bearing.

[Flyinglizard]

Any stock fendered race car should use all of the track allowed. Spacers wheels, whatever.
Of course the farther away, the more load.

[BILL]

Oh my what have I started:) I was looking in to this because I can't find 15x6 rims to fit the mustang.

[JeffYoung]

No, it's good to hash this out. I've had people approach me in the paddock and go off on mine being illegal. I tell them to file papers. I'm confident they are legal (as this thread seems to suggest) and having this type of discussion here helps confirm that and also educate others.

In finding 15X6 wheels, do remember the weight of the adapter in figuring out what you want. I think Spinwerks will cut you a 15X6 wheel at about 10 lbs which may be cheaper and lighter than anything with an adapter.

[Andy Bettencourt]

No, it's good to hash this out..

Agreed. Like we said in the other thread, newbies read this stuff and most - not all, learn how to approach the rulebook and reset their line of thinking.

[Knestis]

Sorry for contributing to the confusion. I meant "spacers."

K

[StephenB]

reminds me of when I crewed for a wheelen modified team. They are only allowed so much stagger which they obviously try to push as much as they can. They are NOT allowed spacers of any kind. We had 2 washers width of "extra" space that we could use... went back to the tractor trailer and welded washers to the wheels. Rules state that custom wheels where allowed and that's what we did... customized them for a wider track! They came in second if I recall and passed tech.

Stephen