Fozester Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 From having 28" Wildcat AT's on my Forester, there's maybe a 1/2" between the top of my tire and the bottom of my rear suspension mount. I know that it doesn't rub but I would like to space my tire a little further out to clear a little more of it and be able to fling mud better! What is a good size spacer and good company to buy them from? A 1/4" or 1/2" may be good but I'm not experienced enough in Subaru's to know whats a good idea and not. Thanks, Garrett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureSubaru Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 You can fab them up yourself or I think Paranoid Fabrications sells them. there aren't any spacers though that will widen the space between the tire and the lower spring perch. Wider tires however... will fling plenty of mud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozester Posted February 8, 2012 Author Share Posted February 8, 2012 It's not that I want more clearance (sorry if I didn't mention it in the original post). I was morning that not having as much tire under it would be better. And I don't fab, no welding experience yet. I am going to take a shop class at my college and then take a class called "work on your car." It has a professor who is a retired tech that will help you with engine and body work. And I get 3 credits for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisbad Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 You can fab them up yourself or I think Paranoid Fabrications sells them. there aren't any spacers though that will widen the space between the tire and the lower spring perch. Wider tires however... will fling plenty of mud. HUH? yeah, a wheel spacer between the hub and the wheel will push the tires away from the spring perch. also, using an offset wheel will do the same thing. i have wheel spacers on my car, and they do in fact create a larger gap. curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoupedUpSubie Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 Spacers will do what you need. It is a bit of a pain making them acurately but extremely possible. Be prepared to spend time with a round file. I made a set for the same reason on a rallyx car I drove. Just be sure you have enough threads on the lug nuts or get longer studs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman18 Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 What year Forester do you have? And what wheels are you running? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal_look_zero Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 Don't run spacers. Just don't. Buy wheels with the proper offset for what you want. Spacers are just disasters waiting to happen. Aside from additional stress due to amplified leverage on the bearings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozester Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 (edited) What year Forester do you have? And what wheels are you running? '98. I have the stock 5 spoke steelies. Maybe I'll just leave the bothersome thing alone until I can save up for offset wheels. I have a few cheaper but important things before I start to get little tedious things done. My lift is already putting strain on my axles. (I have to change the fronts) I don't want to buy nice rims if I'm going to be offroading my foz. I may just paint them black or gold and move on. Edit: And it was a VW, of course that would happen. I'm surprised that it didn't go up in flames from an electrical fire. Edited February 9, 2012 by Fozester Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal_look_zero Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 '98. I have the stock 5 spoke steelies. Maybe I'll just leave the bothersome thing alone until I can save up for offset wheels. I have a few cheaper but important things before I start to get little tedious things done.My lift is already putting strain on my axles. (I have to change the fronts) I don't want to buy nice rims if I'm going to be offroading my foz. I may just paint them black or gold and move on. Edit: And it was a VW, of course that would happen. I'm surprised that it didn't go up in flames from an electrical fire. :rolleyes: I was shooting at a drift event and had to do some matrix moves to avoid an XXR that was coming my way at a high rate of hooah; off a nissan 240. Stripped the hub out as a result of additional strain from a 1" spacer and launched the wheel mid transition. Not trying to tell you what to do, but wheeling is going to put a lot of torsional strain on the assemblies as it is. I'm sure you could find steelies in the offset you need and save yourself money and heartache in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozester Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 (edited) :rolleyes: I was shooting at a drift event and had to do some matrix moves to avoid an XXR that was coming my way at a high rate of hooah; off a nissan 240. Stripped the hub out as a result of additional strain from a 1" spacer and launched the wheel mid transition. Not trying to tell you what to do, but wheeling is going to put a lot of torsional strain on the assemblies as it is. I'm sure you could find steelies in the offset you need and save yourself money and heartache in the future. That sounds like a good idea. I want to keep the tires because they are fairly new so I would probably just transfer them. I'm looking for a bull bar like the stock one from my year. I don't have the money for a pretty chromy one:-p Edit: Fixed my terrible spelling because swipe on my phone is dumb. Edited February 9, 2012 by Fozester Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Garrett are you doing this on your phone? I see spelling mistakes up the arse. Hes got stock Fozzy wheels, and its close, super close... Hes got pics w/ NED in the New Member section (New from Oregon thread) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozester Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 (edited) My boss, who has a lifted '09 foz said i should get trailing arm spacers to give my rear tires some room from the front of the wheel well. Do they have any drawbacks? Edited February 9, 2012 by Fozester Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman18 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Honestly not sure how you're fitting 28 tall tires on a 98 Forester. The rear spring perch on the strut is too low and doesn't allow for anything bigger than a 215 60 16. I had to change mine out to the 03-08 style to clear the 215 70 16 (27.5"). Spacers are fine as long as they are torqued down properly. Make sure the mating surfaces are clean. People will argue all day about them, but they are used all the time on Subarus without any issue. But a better offset wheel would achieve the same effect. And trailing arm spacers are a good idea, but I am running a 2" lift on my 98 without them and they are fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisbad Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 i've never had any problems with my spacers and i do a good bit of "wheeling" with it. as long as they're made properly and installed properly i don't see any drawbacks to wheel spacers. curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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