# wheels spacer effects on handling? input please



## nightshiftgarage (Sep 19, 2012)

Hey guys , my question is this. How does putting spacers effect handling? positive ? negative? 
Ive heard that mk4s have a wider rear track than in the front. True? I know racing karts have a similar wheelbase like this and they handle insanely well , i consider the fact that they are only inches of the ground and there tires are much wider than mk4 golfs considering their size. Does widening the track of a golf effect body roll ? maybe im overthinking this , but the car feels less prone to body roll since i installed my wheel spacers. Please discuss.


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## Gregv (Aug 9, 2013)

nightshiftgarage said:


> Hey guys , my question is this. How does putting spacers effect handling? positive ? negative?
> Ive heard that mk4s have a wider rear track than in the front. True? I know racing karts have a similar wheelbase like this and they handle insanely well , i consider the fact that they are only inches of the ground and there tires are much wider than mk4 golfs considering their size. Does widening the track of a golf effect body roll ? maybe im overthinking this , but the car feels less prone to body roll since i installed my wheel spacers. Please discuss.


It shouldn't have any effect on body roll in relation to the wheels, if cornering (lateral) forces are the same. But it does give a wider footprint over which the weight and cornering forces are applied, which will effectively reduce the weight and compression on the outside wheels, which will translate into less yaw if you include the unsprung bits.

basically it's like lowering the CoG of the car artificially by widening it, but it's only happening on the unsprung bits and not the body. It can however chew up wheel bearings faster.


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## Tdi love (Sep 11, 2013)

ive never had good luck with wheel spacers on any model car. they always seem to create a little wobble I cant stand. maybe I buy bad quality or just have bad luck.


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## Pinkmaggit (Jan 30, 2012)

I've noticed it helps a little with cornering but definitely puts more straight on the wheel bearings. This was with 10mm spacers on the rear on 17x8 et35 with 225 semi slicks.


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## Gregv (Aug 9, 2013)

nightshiftgarage said:


> Hey guys , my question is this. How does putting spacers effect handling? positive ? negative?
> Ive heard that mk4s have a wider rear track than in the front. True? I know racing karts have a similar wheelbase like this and they handle insanely well , i consider the fact that they are only inches of the ground and there tires are much wider than mk4 golfs considering their size. Does widening the track of a golf effect body roll ? maybe im overthinking this , but the car feels less prone to body roll since i installed my wheel spacers. Please discuss.


Wider front track is always good for turn-in. New 911 has a huge reduction in understeer now that they bumped up the front track by a whopping 5cm.


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