Dan Juday Posted February 16, 2005 Share Posted February 16, 2005 Just an FYI here. MSA advertises in their catalog that their thicker (25mm) bump steer spacers will fit with 15" rims. Perhaps this is so with steel rims but not with billet rims. After completing my front suspension rebuild on Saturday I started to bolt up my wheels and found that the tie rod end hit the rim. I ordered the thinner (19mm) spacers on Monday and had them overnighted so I could still make my alignment appointment tomorrow. Everything bolted up and the tie rod end just cleared the rim by about 3/32" Now, of course, there are other variables: wheel back spacing, steering knuckle length (the shorter quick ratio knuckles should easily clear the 25mm spacers), and possibly manufacturing differences between brands of tie rod ends. Just wanted to pass this along to anyone it might help. As a side note, besides the thickness, the differences between the 25mm spacers and the 19mm ones are vast! The 25mm ones are machined from an aluminum billet and anodized with a nice gloss black finish. Fit to the strut and knuckle are excellent. Beautiful pieces. The 19mm ones are a rough aluminum casting that are machined only on the bottom (i presume to make them parallel) and then the edges look like a monkey used a bench grinder on them . No finish. They look like crap. Fit to the strut and knuckle is also poor. I did a quick check with the calipers to check for parallel and they check out good. I slapped a coat of semi-flat black paint on them to try and hide the poor workmanship. The final kicker is that MSA asks $3 more for the 19mm spacers. Go figure? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synlubes Posted February 16, 2005 Share Posted February 16, 2005 I used the 25mm spacers with some 14x7 wheels. I used a 1/4 inch spacer to move the wheel out some. It`s close but works. And yes all the above matters. Just more info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74_5.0L_Z Posted February 16, 2005 Share Posted February 16, 2005 I encountered that same interference problem with my Centerline Billet Scorpion wheels after I installed the 25mm spacer. My 16" wheels clear fine. Both sets of wheels are 8' wide and have a 5" backspace. I think the clearance problem is caused by the combination of diameter and backspace. The manufacturer probably envisioned a 15" wheel with the stock 3 7/8" backspace when they established fitment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rc's240z Posted February 16, 2005 Share Posted February 16, 2005 Dan, Next time check with DP Racing. http://www.designproductsracing.com they make a number of these parts for other vendors. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaleMX Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 Dan, what are you going to do with the 25's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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