Installing wheel spacers?

[Lars]

Hi all!

First of all, many thanks in advance for any help you might provide!!

I've order some wheel spacers (H&R's, 10 mm for the front wheels and 15 mm for the rear wheels).

I've been doing a lot of research and I'm not afraid of the rear wheels (remove wheel, remove brake drum cover, bang the old studs out, sit the new studs in, reinstall wheel).

But I'm a little afraid of the front wheels! Is it possible that I will have to remove the disc brake thingy? Is it possible to get it out of the way without having to drain brake fluid or any of that potentially unsafe for noobs like me procedures?

Any light you might shed for me on this will be greatly appreciated :)

Oh, almost forgot, I've got a 2011 5 door european hatchback (model XP9F).

Thanks,
Bruno

[WeeYari]

You don't have to disassemble anything in the front. There is a spot in the knuckle where you are able to slip the studs in and out freely. I have a spare hub lying around. I'll see if I can get you a pic.

[WeeYari]

Here is a pic of the back side of the hub. You can see the half moon shaped recess in the dust shield. If you do find you need to remove the calipers, all you have to do is remove the 19mm bolt at the top and bottom of the caliper and slide it off of the disc. You can just let it dangle on the brake line while you address the studs.

[CTScott]

If your car has ABS, be very careful when pounding out the rear studs. Having them pressed out would be safer to avoid damaging the rear ABS sensors.

For the fronts the brake caliper can be left connected to its feed hose. Just use something to hang it from the spring to prevent it from hanging against the hose.

[CTScott]

If your car has ABS, be very careful when pounding out the rear studs. Having them pressed out would be safer to avoid damaging the rear ABS sensors.

For the fronts the brake caliper can be left connected to its feed hose. Just use something to hang it from the spring to prevent it from hanging against the hose.

[Lars]

You guys are life saviors...

I couldn't be more confident about installing them myself now...

And, what a coincidence, I just received them hahaha!! (Had them delivered to work, as there's usually no one at home).

Just need to go to the shop and get those washers and nuts to sit them in and I'll be installing them asap. I'll also be posting pics so that you can see the result :)

Cheers!!

[Lars]

If your car has ABS, be very careful when pounding out the rear studs. Having them pressed out would be safer to avoid damaging the rear ABS sensors.

For the fronts the brake caliper can be left connected to its feed hose. Just use something to hang it from the spring to prevent it from hanging against the hose.

CTScott, what if I very gently "pound" it with a piece of cardboard or something on top of it so that it is not so hard... would you say that is ok? Because I'm really not sure I can just push it in with my bare hands, can I??

"Hanging against the hose"... Sorry my mother tongue is not English and I'm not sure I know what this means... does this mean that if I do need to take it off I should somehow "attach it" to the suspension spring? So that all it's weight is not on the hose? If I do need to take it off I'll either have someone hold it while I take the studs out or I'll put maybe a box underneath so that the hose is not under a lot of stress, if that's what you're saying!

Thanks again!

[cali yaris]

He meant pressing them with a tool.

You can just let it dangle on the brake line while you address the studs.

Not a good strategy, in my opinion. Stressing the brake lines is dangerous. Better to hang the caliper assembly with some zip ties, wire or similar from a solid point above. But yes, it does slide off the rotor after the two large bolts are removed.

[WeeYari]

Just pile up something under the caliper to support it. Books, wood, whatever.

My fear for you is actually the rear studs. I have Ichiba 10mm and the studs they provided me with were way too long. Unless I was a completely brain dead blind idiot at the time, they was no way in hell there was enough room in the drum to slip those in. Had to go to an auto parts store and source out studs short enough to slip in, yet long enough to accommodate for the spacer.

[Lars]

Ok guys thanks!

WeeYari, I'll let you know :tongue:

[cali yaris]

I have Ichiba 10mm and the studs they provided me with were way too long.

They should be exactly 10mm longer than stock, to cover the thickness of the spacer only. Perhaps they packed the wrong studs with your kit. Did you buy it from us?

[WeeYari]

Bought used, never installed product. I've heard of other instances where the Ichiba supplied studs were too long. I think the packaged ones were actually 20mm (maybe 15) longer than OE. Don't have my OEs on hand to compare right now. They were HUGE!

Specifics on Ichiba supplied stud:

- threaded portion 48mm
- knurled portion 9mm
- head portion 5mm
- total length 62mm

[TOLMACH]

Bought used, never installed product. I've heard of other instances where the Ichiba supplied studs were too long. I think the packaged ones were actually 20mm (maybe 15) longer than OE. Don't have my OEs on hand to compare right now. They were HUGE!

Specifics on supplied Ichiba supplied stud:

- threaded portion 48mm
- knurled portion 9mm
- head portion 5mm
- total length 62mm

I would say 62 mm is a stud to go with aftermarket alloy wheels

[marcus]

not that hard although power tool, flat screw driver and a hammer will come in handy...

[WeeYari]

I would say 62 mm is a stud to go with aftermarket alloy wheels

Nope. OE stud length + 10mm is sufficient for alloys. The issue with 62mm is there is not enough space between the back of the hub and the brake mechanisms to angle the stub up and into the hub hole. OE + 10mm just makes it in. I suppose they could go in if you remove a brake pad. Then again, even if you got those suckers in, they may be too long for closed lug nuts.

[Jason@SportsCar]

Hi all!

First of all, many thanks in advance for any help you might provide!!

I've order some wheel spacers (H&R's, 10 mm for the front wheels and 15 mm for the rear wheels).

I've been doing a lot of research and I'm not afraid of the rear wheels (remove wheel, remove brake drum cover, bang the old studs out, sit the new studs in, reinstall wheel).

But I'm a little afraid of the front wheels! Is it possible that I will have to remove the disc brake thingy? Is it possible to get it out of the way without having to drain brake fluid or any of that potentially unsafe for noobs like me procedures?

Any light you might shed for me on this will be greatly appreciated :)

Oh, almost forgot, I've got a 2011 5 door european hatchback (model XP9F).

Thanks,
Bruno

Front is no problem thanks to that notch, much easier than the rear. Granted we used very long ARP studs, but we had to remove the rear hubs because the ARPs would not pass with them on the car.

[Lars]

A little picture of them, got them yesterday as I told you :)

So the rear can really be tricky heh? I guess I'll find out soon! I might postpone this to spring time though... as it is friggin' cold around here now :D

Cheers

[WeeYari]

OE stud total length is 45mm, so the ones shipped with 10mm Ichiba spacers are 17mm longer. Hopefully they have rectified this.

[WeeYari]

I might postpone this to spring time though... as it is friggin' cold around here now :D

Pop one of your front wheels off and slip in a spacer without changing the studs. You should have enough exposed thread to temporarily tack the wheel in place. That will at least let you know if 10mm in the front is what you're looking for.

You won't have enough stud length in the rears to do that though with the 15mm.

[Lars]

^ So... mine should be 15mm longer... not a big difference to 17mm longer... you're saying there's no way they will fit in the rear wheels? :iono:

[WeeYari]

The 62mm studs, no I could not get in. I'm borrowing the following pic which shows, like I previously mentioned the possibility of having enough room by removing a shoe.

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11750&stc=1&d=1226442984

I found an extra extended stud that I had purchased when I discovered the Ichiba ones were too long. Despite what I had mentioned a few posts back, I ended up getting OE + 5mm (50mm). These I was able to wiggle in, and still had ample thread for the 10mm spacer. That said, you should be fine with a 55mm stud in the back. Any longer than that and I'd say you'd be in the same boat I was.

This is becoming an horribly long, and potentially confusing discussion on stud length. Hopefully some others will chime in eventually as plenty of 10mm+ wheel spacers have been installed in this community.

[Lars]

But I got 15mm spacers for the back, so if I understand correctly from what you're saying, I'm headed for disaster, but I will let you know :tongue:

EDIT: Not confusing... for 10mm spacers you should have a 55mm stud, for my 15mm spacers, I guess I have 60mm studs, because OE studs are 45mm... What's confusing about this? :biggrin:

And, you're saying that I should have problems with studs bigger than 55mm, which means spacers thicker than 10mm... in the back.

[WeeYari]

Yes, I am well aware that you are putting 15mm spacers in the rear. What I am saying is a 55mm stud back there should be ample for those spacers. Any longer than that and I'm thinking some tear down will be required in the drum to get them in.

How about you measure the length of the studs H&R shipped and we'll see what you are faced with.

[Jason@SportsCar]

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11750&stc=1&d=1226442984



Its only four bolts to pull the entire hub, and then you don't have to screw around with the rear brakes at all - I find it a much bigger pain in the @ss to fight those drum brake springs/clips than it is to pull the four hub bolts. Added bonus when you take the hub off, you can stand at your work bench and replace the studs instead of sitting on the floor. :thumbsup:

[WeeYari]

Good info Jason. I thought that those 4 bolts released the entire drum/hub assembly from the axle beam. Didn't realize that the hub would then also separate from the drum. Thanks.

[cali yaris]

Correct. Also the way you install the hub spacer!

[Jason@SportsCar]

Good info Jason. I thought that those 4 bolts released the entire drum/hub assembly from the axle beam. Didn't realize that the hub would then also separate from the drum. Thanks.

It does release all of it, but between the parking brake cable and brake hardline the drum assembly will stay in place. :thumbsup:

[Lars]

So you're telling me that if I unscrew those four bolts that can be seen from those big holes on the plate where the studs are (I'm guessing that's what you call the hub?) I can just take the hub away from the "wheel" and replace the studs? That's surely good info if I can't make the stud fit somehow.

Just measured the stud. 62 mm, so not very different from the 60 predicted!

[Jason@SportsCar]

So you're telling me that if I unscrew those four bolts that can be seen from the those big holes on the plate where the studs are (I'm guessing that's what you call the hub?) I can just take the hub away from the "wheel" and replace the studs? That's surely good info if I can't make the stud fit somehow.

Just measured the stud. 62 mm, so not very different from the 60 predicted!

Exactly, makes it much easier. *If you have ABS you will need to unplug the wire on the back.

[Lars]

Exactly, makes it much easier. *If you have ABS you will need to unplug the wire on the back.

Great, thanks for that. I'm guessing the wire on the back should be easy to spot and unplug, but would you be so kind as to post a picture of that, if possible? :tongue:

[Lars]

Yes, I am well aware that you are putting 15mm spacers in the rear. What I am saying is a 55mm stud back there should be ample for those spacers. Any longer than that and I'm thinking some tear down will be required in the drum to get them in.

How about you measure the length of the studs H&R shipped and we'll see what you are faced with.

Welll.... ok!

Let me dig this up! It has been about half a year now? :D

I've just posted a thread in the Wheels/Tires/Etc section with my "walkthrough"...

Interestingly enough, as you predicted, WeeYari, not enough space for the 15 mm spacer studs... and, by mistake :p I installed the 15 mm spacers with the studs from the 10 mm spacers lol... I get about 7 complete turns with this combination. Do you think it's ok?

Let me know! Thanks!!

[Lars]

Delete!