red beast Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 8mm makes a difference original rims... 48mm offset new rims .......55mm offset spacer...........15mm difference........8 mm OUTWARD from original location the rims were on for 27,000 miles and the noise started 5,000 miles ago. so it took 22,000 mile for the wheel bearings to start to show wear. evident by the "growling" from the rear. yes BOTH SIDES in the rear were replaced so it wasn't a pothole. the only other option were the mechanics that put the spacers in. they could have banged the studs when they were on the car but, there was no noise back then and you do have to take the hubs off to get the studs out. heed this warning. if you plan to screw around with your offsets you may not be able to bear the consequences!!!!!! that 8mm outward does put stress on your wheel bearings!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rao Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 No kidding. Rob IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CAR YOU SHOULD NEVER DRIVE IT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red beast Posted May 4, 2007 Author Share Posted May 4, 2007 No kidding. 8mm didn't seem excessive my car will be going back to stock late this summer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanger Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 so it's not a good idea to put spacers, or is not a good idea to get low offset wheels? ○ ○ ○ Instagram: itshangertime :spin: ○ ○ ○ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red beast Posted May 4, 2007 Author Share Posted May 4, 2007 so it's not a good idea to put spacers, or is not a good idea to get low offset wheels? it's not the spacers, its the offset the higher the offset the more space there is between the back of the rim and the face of the hub. i filled it in too much and pushed the wheels out further. it also didn't help that the rim/wheel weight went up 10 lbs each corner. i have had no problems so far with the fronts and the right front took a big pothole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwiener2 Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 ^^ Spacers bad.. get proper fitting wheels Didn't take the hubs off when I changed my studs.... My Mods List (Updated 8/22/17) 2005 Outback FMT Running on Electrons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red beast Posted May 4, 2007 Author Share Posted May 4, 2007 if you "just fill" the space then the new rims would be in the same location and not put extra stress on the on the outboard edge of the bearing, as in my case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j0ebert Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 I know me and a lot of other members had bad wheel bearings on stock wheels, you sure it wasn't just another case of that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red beast Posted May 4, 2007 Author Share Posted May 4, 2007 I know me and a lot of other members had bad wheel bearings on stock wheels, you sure it wasn't just another case of that? i've had wheel bearings replaced on a outback sport three times. i can see one being replaced because of hitting a pothole real hard but two going at once? as stated, the only other thing it could be is if the mechanics who changed my studs. maybe they banged them loose with a heavy hammer then pulled the rear hubs. the fronts were done at the same time. so far there is no noise. i'm still doing a little on this one. i will probably will never know 100% but it does point to the rim offset. that is why i posted this warning thread. maybe other that have/had similar situations can chime in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red beast Posted May 4, 2007 Author Share Posted May 4, 2007 the next "thinest wheel spacer is the 5mm from h&r, which would make the wheels rub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rougeben83 Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 It's not 8mm, you put 15mm spacers. It's the fact that you moved the face of the hub so far away (over half an inch) from the face of the wheel is what caused your bearings to go kaput. It multiplied the forces being transferred to the wheel bearing from the forces being put on the wheel itself, sort of like a lever effect. Running proper 48mm rims will not have the same consequences. Why did you choose to run such a big spacer? The factory offsets of most subarus are around 53-50mm. You could've gotten away with running a smaller spacer and not have these problems... unless you're running a BBK that is >_> The generally accepted limit for spacers is around 5mm for subaru's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peepshow Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 Red Beast, what do you drive? This is the first I've ever heard of a Subaru having less than +50 offset on the OEM wheels... I think most OEM Subaru wheels are between +50 and +55. Why 15mm spacers? Were the tires rubbing on the struts or something without? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red beast Posted May 5, 2007 Author Share Posted May 5, 2007 these are the jdm spec b 3.0r rims 18x7 55mm offset as posted above my outback rims are 48mm offset 17x7 with the wheel in the proper oem position the negative space is 7mm. they make 5mm and 15mm spacers. 5mm wouldn't work leaving me with the 15mm spacer. the tires are a little wider than oem tires. so the wheels are only 8mm out from the proper oem rim position. from what information i could find, at the time, 8mm wasn't a big problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peepshow Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 The OEM Outback rims are only +48? Huh, that's surprising. So, with no spacer they were rubbing on something inboard like the strut assembly or something? I dunno about the new Legacies, but coming from the GC/GM/GF chassis Impreza world +40mm is right on the border of asking for bearing problems, but the previous generation Legacies were the suggested replacement bearings to use when they went out. So, I would expect the Legacy bearings to be stronger. Sorry to hear it man, hope you get it sorted soon. Maybe you could have a metal shop machine you a set of custom spacers at 7-8mm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red beast Posted May 5, 2007 Author Share Posted May 5, 2007 the NEW wheels would rub on the strut areas, front and rear. i was thinking the same about machining the spacers but all new studs would have to be cut and replaced. you don't reuse wheel studs. or i could get replacement rim, which would suck because i never found a set of rims i really like for this car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rougeben83 Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 They had to move it outward most likely because of the taller tires on outbacks. I know of someone who tried putting taller tires on his legacy and got rubbing problems on the strut because of it as well. If you went to stock LGT tires size the rubbing won't be that much of an issue. (for peepshow, not for red beast) It also depends on where you drive. If it's crappy roads and lots of bumps and stuff (or you go offroad) those will accelerate bearing wear as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreoSTi Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 This is the first I've ever heard of a Subaru having less than +50 offset on the OEM wheels... Just FYI - the Forester also uses a +48mm offset. -Mike- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSFW Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 original rims... 48mm offset new rims .......55mm offset spacer...........15mm difference........8 mm OUTWARD from original location So effectively you had 40mm offsets. That's pretty low by Legacy standards, our wheels are 55mm stock and I hardly ever see people posting pics of offsets under 48mm. I wonder if your findings are directly applicable to the Legacy though.... Do the Outback and Legacy share the same part-that-the-wheel-bearing-goes-into? I gather that the OB sits on spacers that raise the body up from the subframes, but are the unsprung parts all the same? I'm guessing they are, but that's totally just a guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peepshow Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 Just FYI - the Forester also uses a +48mm offset. -Mike- Duly noted. I guess we all know what happens when you assume.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peepshow Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 the NEW wheels would rub on the strut areas, front and rear. i was thinking the same about machining the spacers but all new studs would have to be cut and replaced. you don't reuse wheel studs. or i could get replacement rim, which would suck because i never found a set of rims i really like for this car. So the question is: How much do you like the current wheels? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peepshow Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 Red Beast, these look similar to the 3.0R spec B wheels, no? http://www.tirerack.com/images/wheels/asa/swap/asa_jh3_ci3_l.jpg 18x8 and +48mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwiener2 Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 Those are my winter wheels dirt cheap too My Mods List (Updated 8/22/17) 2005 Outback FMT Running on Electrons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IwannaSportSedan Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 I am starting to faintly hear a howl under the tire noise, above 65mph... I wonder if that is indication of failing wheel bearings... Do subaru dealers have those in stock? could I have those replaced under warranty during a one-day visit? (I REALLY don't want to leave my car overnight at a dealership, if I can at all help it.) BTW, I am running stock wheels, and for a little while, the car was using 48mm offset exels... I plan to go to 18x8 48mm offset rotas soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red beast Posted May 7, 2007 Author Share Posted May 7, 2007 Red Beast, these look similar to the 3.0R spec B wheels, no? http://www.tirerack.com/images/wheels/asa/swap/asa_jh3_ci3_l.jpg 18x8 and +48mm no and i photochop them years ago along with scores of others for 4 months Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red beast Posted May 7, 2007 Author Share Posted May 7, 2007 you'll be fine with the same offsets if it's the bearings, they will be covered under warrenty. they did mine in the same day I am starting to faintly hear a howl under the tire noise, above 65mph... I wonder if that is indication of failing wheel bearings... Do subaru dealers have those in stock? could I have those replaced under warranty during a one-day visit? (I REALLY don't want to leave my car overnight at a dealership, if I can at all help it.) BTW, I am running stock wheels, and for a little while, the car was using 48mm offset exels... I plan to go to 18x8 48mm offset rotas soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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