So I bought some Challengers...

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...And they are sitting way back in the arches and feels like the front brakes are catching. What gives?

I thought these were supposed to be a straight swap onto a 406 saloon running 225/45/17s but evidently not so it appears I'll be needing some spacers.

Anyone know what size to get?

Cheers

[GingerMagic]

Hi, mine were the same. The back ones are tucked right in and the fronts hit the calipers.

I have bought some 20mm spacers with longer bolts, but they don't quite fit, I need to give them a trim.

Depending on your budget, there are some ' Hubcentric ' spacers on eBay quite reasonable, £30 a pair, or some 10mm for around £20 a set. Lots to choose from.

Hubcentric means they are a snug fit over the hub and don't wobble about when trying to fit the wheels on.

[waue1978]

I think ideally you need 20mm spacers & hubcentric is definitely the way to go.

[grey]

Nice one, thanks for that lads. Not being the most mechanically minded person in the world could you perchance post up a link as to the ideal ones? Don't mind spending a bit more as I'd rather do it once and right and as is my motor is undriveable due to the brakes rubbing on the front wheels.

Also, I just walked around the car with a ruler and 20mm on the back would make it perfect but 20mm on the front would probably make it poke out of the arch due to the 225/45/17s that they're running on.

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How does this package seem:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290958666611? ... 26_rdc%3D1

[GingerMagic]

Try these;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/280692501534? ... 1438.l2649

15mm would be okay for front and back.

[GingerMagic]

You can also find a pair of 20mm for the back and a pair of 10mm for the front if it works out cheaper.

Sometime pairs are easier to find on eBay.

[grey]

That's how it looks at the mo. To those who've done it with 20mm all round did you have the same size tyres on (225/45/17)?

I ask as it seems the brakes need 20mm to be able to breathe as right now they are right on top of the wheels.

Also, I've noticed two types of spacers:

The ones that need extended bolts and sit between the wheel and hub using extended bolts and the other kind that bolt onto the hub then the wheel bolts onto the spacer.

Which ones are the best in the long run?

[GingerMagic]

The ones that bolt on first - then bolt the wheel to the spacer - are definitely better but more expensive.

Your car looks nice - executive? or maybe an '03/'04 'S' or 'SE'?

Mirror case gives it away.

My Challengers have 205/50/17 so not quite as wide.

[grey]

Yeah, its an SE. One thing I am wondering is if I get 20mm all round as has been recommended wouldn't the fronts start to poke out of the arches?

The back looks like its about 35mm in from the arch yet the front is much less, quite strange considering all 4 wheels have the same offset.

[GingerMagic]

True, but the offset for a 206 and a 307 are different to the older Pugs, only around 10mm I think - nearer to a Ford offset...!

I can't put Challengers on the front of mine at all as they properly hit the caliper, it seems a few folks have 20mm on the back and 10mm on the front as looks about right.

[grey]

True, but the offset for a 206 and a 307 are different to the older Pugs, only around 10mm I think - nearer to a Ford offset...!

I can't put Challengers on the front of mine at all as they properly hit the caliper, it seems a few folks have 20mm on the back and 10mm on the front as looks about right.

Tell me about it, I did about 5 miles back from the garage after getting them fitted and thought "something isn't right" all the way back. The calipers are actually hugging and kissing the wheels, they're that close.

Going to go and see someone on Monday about this as the consensus seems to be 20mm all round on the forum which also matches with the tyre advice so I'm gonna check out why the back looks so sunk in compared to the front.

[waue1978]

Going to go and see someone on Monday about this as the consensus seems to be 20mm all round on the forum which also matches with the tyre advice so I'm gonna check out why the back looks so sunk in compared to the front.

That's because that is how the wheels are set. It's just more obvious when you have wheels with an incorrect offset. If you look at this pic of my old one with 12mm offset wheels you'll see that the back wheels still sit slightly further in that the front ones:

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Now that makes a lot more sense, thanks for the pic as it really makes it clear. Going to get some 20s then and report back with how it looks.

Cheers

[grey]

Right, sorted out a deal with the folks at dcperformance for the following:

FK Automotive Spacers 40 Mm System B+

2 sets for £184 delivered for all 406oc members, if you fancy diving in and doing the same upgrade. That's about a £20 saving.

Not the cheapest spacers around, granted, but after doing some research over the weekend I found out that FK are a reliable manufacturer and I prefer the idea of bolting my rims onto a spacer that is in turn bolted onto the hub rather than going for the longer bolt System A option.

That said, if I'd known how much outlay this upgrade required in the first place I may have reconsidered, however I'm grateful for having picked up the wheels at a bargain basement price as eBay is currently flooded with them.