If you are looking for some good spacers for your 4x100 VW application, I would recommend H&R's line of hubcentric spacers.
Washers between wheel and hub seem like a really, really bad idea, regardless of whether or not the wheel bolts stay tight. All the lateral loads from the contact patches are transfered through those surfaces... A spacer that is properly engineered for the application will allow the wheel to contact the hub at all the surfaces it usually would, to prevent possible metal fatigue and failure of the wheel (deforming, cracking, breaking).
- go with the recommendation!!!
C
Taller than stock tires will actually amplify the lateral loads sent through the hub face, since the contact patch is farther away from the hub the "leverage" will be greater. Worst case scenario is in the middle of a high g-force turn at your outside front wheel.
Stock thick-steel wheels sound like a good thing though for durability in this case though. Steel might bend where aluminum will crack and give way with much less warning. They more contact surface your wheels have with the washers the better. Keeping the cornering forces conservative (and running hard, high treadwear type tires) will also help chances of getting by without a problem here also. I would periodically inspect your wheel centers around where the lug bolts are for signs of cracking bending if running improper spacers. Better to catch a developing problem early on before it causes an accident.
Good luck.
a quick and dirty method which works but doesn't provide good centering is cutting the mounting face off a set of front rotors and using longer bolts or studs. Seen it, never tried it.
well, having said that, I thought more and more about it. friday I put my summer wheels back on and went for an alignment. before doing so, though, i cut up a rotor and tried it on. There were enough threads on my studs to handle it, and plenty of hub left sticking out for centering. The wheel fit on nicely, so I made three more. They don't shake or vibrate in the slightest. I'm pretty happy with the cheapie wheel spacers all said and done.
Nice and very crafty, Dr. D!
hard to beat a free mod that works!! it's only an extra 10mm total, but every bit helps. maybe in another life when I have that rare extravagance called 'time' i'll do some before and after gtech g readings with and without them to see if it actually makes a handling difference. It does handle great though!
My appologies -
My years in undergrad Mech Eng were wasted - 20 years ago
C - cheers