Wheel Spacers

[Stanger]

I am thinking of putting 1 1/4" wheel spacers on the back of
my '99 Covra Vert to push the wheels out and fill the wheelweels
out a little more. The whels look "tucked" inside the wheelweel
to me. Crow Automotive Products makes them with the proper hubcentric hole to mount properly. I am installing Steeda sport
springs, '03 Cobra Brace and Steeda Poly differential bushings
at the same time. I am just concerned that the added stress will damage the Axles, Halfshafts etc. Has anyone used these on an IRS Cobra ? Any thoughts ...

 

[quick01snake]

Originally posted by Stanger
I am thinking of putting 1 1/4" wheel spacers on the back of
my '99 Covra Vert to push the wheels out and fill the wheelweels
out a little more. The whels look "tucked" inside the wheelweel
to me. Crow Automotive Products makes them with the proper hubcentric hole to mount properly. I am installing Steeda sport
springs, '03 Cobra Brace and Steeda Poly differential bushings
at the same time. I am just concerned that the added stress will damage the Axles, Halfshafts etc. Has anyone used these on an IRS Cobra ? Any thoughts ...

well, i would think you would have to replace the studs also, and it shouldn't stress the halfshafts, only the studs, hubs, control arms, etc. i say just go for the 9" wheel (the '03s look AWESOME on my '01, lowered, I'll try to get some pics on soon) they fill the wheelwell almost perfectly..........

 

[cito]

If you have the hubcentric spacers, I have been told there should be no problem. I have 1" spacers on the back of my car and the look is significantly better. Plus, there is a real handling benefit. There is a fast bullitt mustang that autocrosses at the same events I do, and it has spacers on all four corners. I went this season on the spacers with no problems.

 

[Angus]

Originally posted by Stanger
I am thinking of putting 1 1/4" wheel spacers on the back of
my '99 Covra Vert to push the wheels out and fill the wheelweels
out a little more. The whels look "tucked" inside the wheelweel
to me. Crow Automotive Products makes them with the proper hubcentric hole to mount properly. I am installing Steeda sport
springs, '03 Cobra Brace and Steeda Poly differential bushings
at the same time. I am just concerned that the added stress will damage the Axles, Halfshafts etc. Has anyone used these on an IRS Cobra ? Any thoughts ...

I have the 1" H&R spacers & love them. They cost $150.00, but they were well worth it!
Here's a pic:

 

[Stanger]

Angus66 .. I agree your car looks great. I did get the
Crowe products 1 1/4". They only charged me $110
delivered. The difference is dramatic. The car now looks
the way it should IMHO.

 

[Stanger]

.

 

[Angus]

Originally posted by Stanger
Angus66 .. I agree your car looks great. I did get the
Crowe products 1 1/4". They only charged me $110
delivered. The difference is dramatic. The car now looks
the way it should IMHO.

COOL!
Your car looks SWEET with those spacers.

 

[Stanger]

Angus66 -- Hey I notice we have similar cars and you have
already upgraded to FMS 4.10 gears. How do you like
the 4.10 ? I've read a post that 4.10 gears may cause vibration ?
Did you change to an aluminum driveshaft ? Did you replace the
whole differential or just have the gears installed in your
original differential ? How is normal driving and cruising ?
Do you shift more than you would like ? Any highway drone ?
Sorry for all the questions but I am trying to decide between
4.10 and 3.73.

 

[akatherazor4]

Hey those spacers make the car look much better.:thumbsup: I was thinking of doing the same, But I am going to go with different wheels so the offset may make up for it.

Hey Stanger are those 03 side scoops on your car?:shrug:

Razor.

 

[Stanger]

Actually they are 35th Anniversary scoops .. which are the same
as '03 Cobra scoops but the 35th Anniversary scoops come
already painted from Ford. (Red, Black, White or Silver). There
is a 'How-to' article on Stangnet.com for installation instructions.
They simply snap on /off from outside the car. (No need to open
anything on the interior.) I like these much better then what came on the car. I Almost bought 'Bullit' scoops from Ford but they come only unpainted. If you do buy them the Grille inserts
are sold separately. Cost me about $140 for everything.

 

[akatherazor4]

Originally posted by Stanger
Actually they are 35th Anniversary scoops .. which are the same
as '03 Cobra scoops but the 35th Anniversary scoops come
already painted from Ford. (Red, Black, White or Silver). There
is a 'How-to' article on Stangnet.com for installation instructions.
They simply snap on /off from outside the car. (No need to open
anything on the interior.) I like these much better then what came on the car. I Almost bought 'Bullit' scoops from Ford but they come only unpainted. If you do buy them the Grille inserts
are sold separately. Cost me about $140 for everything.

O.k thanks for the info. I was looking to do the 03 scoops and a few other items when I get to the cosmetics of the car. That's on the back burner until the solid rear goes in.:burnout:

Razor.

 

[Angus]

Originally posted by Stanger
Angus66 -- Hey I notice we have similar cars and you have
already upgraded to FMS 4.10 gears. How do you like
the 4.10 ? I've read a post that 4.10 gears may cause vibration ?
Did you change to an aluminum driveshaft ? Did you replace the
whole differential or just have the gears installed in your
original differential ? How is normal driving and cruising ?
Do you shift more than you would like ? Any highway drone ?
Sorry for all the questions but I am trying to decide between
4.10 and 3.73.

FYI: The 4.10's (or any other numerically higher gear) does not actually CAUSE the vibe - it simply AMPLIFIES any unpleasant harmonics that are already present. The higher gear (numerically) you go, the worse any inherent "vibe" will get. MOST '99+ Cobras will get increased "vibe" with a higher gear - that's why the '01's came with the IRS damper from the factory.

With that said, I did get some increased "vibe" when I had the 4.10's installed - it was probably already present, but the 4.10's made it worse. (Some folks even feel the "vibe" with the stocks 3.27's by the way) It's only noticeable above 70 mph though.
There ARE ways to make the vibe less intrusive - like re-indexing the driveshaft - but I have yet to try any of these fixes (yet).

You do have to shift a little more often, but after a few times taking the car out, you'll never remember the difference. The only difference you'll notice is how much more FUN your Cobra is - the 4V motors should have come with 3.73's or 3.90's from the factory!!!

I do not have an aluminum driveshaft, but will be getting one when other mods are done. I see a T56 in my future, which takes a different driveshaft than the 3650. So I'm holding-off for now.

The IRS differential - or "Pumkpin" does not need to be replaced for a gear change. The shop you take it to MUST have an IRS case spreader to properly change your gears though - the IRS pumpkin case can be damaged if one is not used.

Normal driving and cruising is AWESOME!!! Like I stated above, the 4V Cobras should have come with a higher gear to begin-with. The Cobra is a completely different animal with a 4.10 or 4.30 gear.

My car does "drone" a little (not enough to bother me really & it's only present at a steady 2000 RPM), but that is exhaust noise, which has little to do with the 4.10's. When I had the 4.10's & the stock cat-back exhaust, I had ZERO drone. You may be thinking of gear "whine", which is due to improper installation of the gears. If you have an experienced mechanic do the swap, there should be ZERO extra noise heard.

I LOVE my 4.10's, and would recommend them to anyone who is NOT going to get a blower or nitrous in the future. If you plan to add either one, the 3.73's might be a better choice due to (lack-of) traction issues. You may even want to install 4.30's if you are going to stay NA (Naturally-Aspirated).

Hope this info helps!

:thumbsup:

 

[Stanger]

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate you taking the time.
That's what I needed to hear. 4.10 gears will be my
next mod !