Yes, exactly re: passing tech at the driving schools. Not to mention increased stresses on the car using it as I plan. The sting of losing my original wheels is totally eased as it dawned on me (doh!) that there is a brisk market in these older “original” wheels coming off same-era parts cars, coming off cars getting upgraded wheels, etc. So my aim will be to replace my damaged wheels with truly comparable ones, and whatever else inspection reveals is necessary to put me in the same shape I was when I drove into the shop.
please ejumacate a novice in these ‘spacers’ are they safe? although they widen the wheel width of the car for stability, do they put unnatural stress on the hubs and axles?
and princess, i am not sure the rims are bad, just because of the wobble. but i for sure would have the studs replaced, especially since they are elongated. i dont know who could analyze the rims unless they were right in front of them to do so. why not ask a porsche dealer? if they are porsche rims they should know.
Why not ask Tech inspection at the track? They have no interest in selling you rims.Or at least ask someone connected to the safety inspection,maybe cars with spacers and elogonated studs are prohibited
I’m just home from the shop where I had my wheels checked out. First of all, all four of them were way out of balance. This could have happened from their rough ride when the wheels were loose, or it could have just been badly done to begin with, no way to really tell. They are now balanced.
Secondly, the hubs and studs are all OK. There is no damage to the threads on the studs, and the tapered lug nuts are not damaged. Finally, the driver’s side rear wheel has elongated stud holes and should be replaced. The other rear wheel shows very minimal wear and no elongated stud holes. Replacement optional. The front wheels are fine.
So there we have it. I think it may be a few days before I get back with the shop, but I will come back with an update after I talk to them.
What does Tech inspection at the track say about spacers and elongated studs?
I thought I entered this reply earlier but I don’t see it, sorry if I’m duplicating.
Passing Tech Inspection is different from club to club. I run with 3 clubs and have passed tech in all of them with my current spacers. Spacers are generally considered safe within limitation. There are a couple of different ways to deal with the studs, either special order longer studs, or inserts that add the necessary length. The single-piece ones are, I think, generally considered a better option. There are many different opinions about if and how spacers move the load-bearing points of the studs & wheels, and how this can affect the performance of the studs. I am sorry I don’t know enough about it to discuss it intelligently!
From what I can tell, for the purposes of “tech inspection” at a track event, spacers create more of a class/category issue than a safety issue, depending on the clubs rules. Some consider spacers wider than stock spec to be a modification that would move a car from a “stock” class to a “prepared” or other class.
FYI spacers in a few different sizes were a stock option offered on my car when it was new.
OK, you are running spacers! Those lugs look too long to extract without removing the axle… I read your follow-ups so you did get another opinion that they are undamaged. That’s good peace of mind. Keep in mind when running spacers, if the hub interface is not extended and providing a tight fitment to the inner wheel, you essentially are running lug centric and so the lug holes in the wheel become more important. That amount of offset does place more stress on the parts but I’ve seen greater offsets run without issue.
From the picture of the damage, fuzzy as it may be, it looks like the damage is limited to the stud (probably all 5, of course). Of course, the entire car is probably trashed and you should just drop it off in my driveway with the keys and signed paperwork. (Hey, a guy can try, can’t he?)
To the non-Porschephiles out there: The use of spacers at the rear wheels is common practice on these cars. It allows wider than standard wheels to be used while maintaining proper rear suspension geometry.
While it looks like the metal grindings in that photo came from the stud, in fact, the studs are clean and the threads are (miraculously) in fine shape all around. The metal grindings seen in the pic are from the wallowing of the stud hole. The stud holes are now all elongated out of round on that wheel. SNIFF! I’ve got a date with the shop that did the original “work” tomorrow to sort it all out.
And yes, a guy can, and should try! Don’t blame you a bit. It’s a sweeeet ride -especially with the wheels attached 