actually on aluminum rims especially, it is good to doable check the torque, especially when they are NEW, and never been mounted before; and reason being is that the aluminum around the lug nut holes can kinda compress some, basically making the lug nut loose, so the reasoning behind doable checking the torque

 

see...and here I was making assumptions.

 

i mean kinda compress after driving on them some , from the heat, and weight/pressure on them, compressing it ever so slightly more, then just torquing the lug nut by itself





btw, you know if you put a little anti-sieze on the studs, it makes it a breeze to loosen, and retighten those lugnuts, i do it to most cars at work actually (and when we got the wife's newer car, the first time the wheels were off, they got antisieze put on them

 

thank god this thread was bumped because my ichiba spacers were on backorder so i cancelled it and got these. saved me a good amount of money! i know cheaper doesnt always mean better but in this case it seems it. mine shipped in real fast over ebay and they work and fit fine. no problems so far.

in terms of double checking the torque my friend recommended i drive about 25 miles and then double checking it.

Overall I was very satisfied with my product. Im not the most educated in terms of auto parts and accessories but as a noobie i still recommend these as a good alternative to those that are looking at ichiba and H&R spacers.

 

and maybe at like 200 miles or so ALSO, and you should be good

and for especially for those first 25 miles, pay especial attention to any sort of vibration or anything along those lines, that may develop; it may indicate a loosening wheel, which basically means pull to the side of the road ASAP (or next safe area slowly with caution) and assess why you are getting it

 

^ on top of that dont get paranoid like I did lol. I thought every little bit of vibration was bad but my streets were bumpy and terrible. it wasnt fitment or any sort as it turned out. best to test it out on a fresh tarmac for best results.

 

Its still the same but probably moved a little bit. Will check torque again on my next rotation.

 

lol... Vibration is the key thing to keep an eye out for. Came across some wheel vibration in the left-rear wheel when I was test-running a pair of 15mm a couple weeks back. Pulled the wheel off and found 4 of 5 spacer nuts loose enough to turn with my fingers. That started the paranoia. Definitely something to keep an eye on for the first couple hundred miles of these things on your car. Things adjust over time.

These Akata spacers look to be great alternatives to the stalewart Ichiba brand. Save a few bucks and spend it elsewhere!

 

what are you guys torquing your lugs at? i put mine at 100lbs but i read 80lbs is the aim of it somewhere

 

tighten them until they are tight

What you have to be careful with is when you first get brand new spacers, and got to tighten them, the pressed in studs get pressed in more. So you tighten them in a normal pattern as you would your wheels and tighten them until you feel they are not moving any more. I have had mine on my stock wheels and then on my new wheels for combined time of 50 000km and I have never had a problem, vibration, or anything coming loose. And also no torque wrench. I do double check on them once every few months, or when I do my oil change.

 

I will advise to use a torque wrench and keep it at 80 ft pound. I tried the "tighten till tight" method on my spacers and I stripped one of the nuts. Was able to get it off...but this last go around, a buddy put them back on with an impact gun and I stripped one nut I can't get off...so I have a permanent spacer on there now.

I once tightened my lugs while sitting down not realizing I wasn't putting enough torque...drove down the block and it was VERY obvious they weren't tight. You'll know immediately.

 

oh I am not saying Jump on the freaking wrench when tightening these haha And where is this 80 lbf x ft coming from? Is that the recommended specs for tightening the wheels?

 

I see they have the 20mm with studs but no other sizes come with studs, where would you go about getting studs for the spacers?

 

It's a type of spacer that has the studs in it...for some reason I don't see the type 2 15MM on ebay right now. I would try contacting the seller directly and see if maybe they are out of stock. I know there WERE 15MM type 2 spacers on there before though.

About the 80 ft/lb...for the wheels, I want to say it was
01tl04, or I Hate Cars...can't remember but someone knowledgeable that quoted the torque specs. The 80 ft/lb for the spacer I believe I got from the ichiba website. But applied it to akata.

Dude...definitely not jumping on the socket wrench, I mean, I barely used a breaker bar and put a little extra torque on it and the damned thing stripped...twice. I promise you the nuts that come with these spacers are super soft.

 

Yes, 80 ft-lbs is the oem spec for the wheels so the spacers should be tightened to the same spec.

 

I got some spacers 3 years ago from a member and he shipped me spacers with 5 stripped nuts and 4 ok ones. Notice how that adds up to 9? haha I couldn't find any replacement ones so I just put them somewhere. So I know that they are pretty soft but these new spacers I have, I have no problems with them.

 

Well I have brand new ichibas...and it happened to me twice.
So we'll both agree that you CAN hand tighten them, just don't overtighten them.
Since I picked up a sweet 1/2" torque wrench from harbor freight on sale for $9.99, I've been a torquing whiz!!! I used to just guess...but it's nice to know it's to spec if you have the means.

Savvy?

 

$75 shipped? Not bad. I shall pick myself up a set...

 

In for the info!

 

so i jus got my akata wheel spacers in the mail but they didnt come with any instructions..now i want to attempt to put them on myself..is there a DIY i could look up.

i am putting them on my stocks for now. 2008 acura tl. i think they are 17"...

what tools do i need
what size studs do i need for the front spacer which are 15mm and where can i buy them.

 

Ok...since it'll be easier for all.
This is what they look like when installed.

Very straightforward, it is just 5 bolts. If unclear or you have a hard time with it, I would highly recommend you have someone that knows what they are doing get them on, and torque to spec for you as this is a major component and would hate for you to have any problems with it. Make sure you have a thin walled 21MM socket handy to install the akata's. Ichiba and other's use nuts that are traditional 19MM like the lugs.

 

These weigh quite a bit more than H&R wheel spacers, which are made of the lightest possible alloy basically. And on the hub, every ounce you feel... If your not concerned with weight, yeah, go for it...

 

^^^lmfao...
thanks for sharing.

 

Hey what's up man
I was wondering how u got the stripped nuts off of the studs ?
I just installed akata 10mm spacers on my car today. I only did the rear. I have 05 base TL wheels and my original lug nuts w one lock nut per wheel. Both of my lock nuts ended up getting stripped :-(
I thought that I just installed one side wrong, then I got to the other side and the same thing happened. I was using a torque wrench and torquing the nuts down to 80 ft/lbs. The other lug nuts went on and torqued down just fine. No matter which way u turn the nuts just keep spinning. I believe that the stud is okay. Not 100% sure though, but that's what it seems like. They won't tighten or come off. Are the spacers not meant to be used w stock lock nuts ? Do u have any idea on how I can get the nuts off?
I'm gonna have to ride the car w 4 nuts per rear wheel for right now..

Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks.

 

Hey man...honestly, I just left it like that. I've been riding with 4 lugs on one spacer for over 6 months now. It's fine. If I ever decide I NEED to get the spacer off I'll end up using a drill and trying to cut out the nut without damaging the stud...worst case...cutting wheel and cut the stud off and call it a day. Only problem is damage to the spacer and losing a stud. Not a great proposition but there is a fix to every problem.

If you were torquing to 80 ft/lb I highly doubt you could have stripped it. My idea would be that since it's just spinning around use a pressure plier to lock onto the nut...then use a happer to try and knock it off the stud. I find what you're describing hard to be possible. Good luck!

 

I went straight to a tire shop this morning. I don't understand exactly what happened, but let me see what u think...

Last night my friend suggested that I go to a tire shop and that the nut would probably come off w the air gun. I arrived and told my buddy what was wrong. He tried taking it off and the nut just kept spinning. He then raised the car and took off the 4 lug nuts , then pulled on the wheel while he was trying to loosen the nut. After pulling the wheel from a fee different angles, the lock nut finally came out to reveal that neither the nut thread , or the thread on the stud were damaged. The stud was very loose and slanted. He lightly hit the stud and it popped right out of the spacer. Same thing happened on the other side. The stud was also very loose and it was coming out of its base.
So I just put my wheels back on w the same nuts since they weren't damaged. This only happened to the studs that the OEM wheel lock nut/lug nut went on. Why did it do that ?
Can you not use the locks on the spacer ?

 

You should be able to without a problem...my guess is that the lock must have been slightly dirty and maybe when it jammed on the thread of the stud it spun the pressed stud out of it's perch and allowed it to spin. At least it didn't break!

 

Vossen Wheels would like to introduce Akata Wheel Spacers

- Hub Centric
- High Grade Aluminum
- Multiple applications available for all makes!

Contact: akataspacer@gmail.com
305.877.3927

 

Ha ha...thanks for "introducing" it...

PS...spacer still going just fine and strong on fiances 08 Accord.

 

Don't wanna scare you guys.. but thought I should share this link on an ICHIBA spacer failure. Its the main reason I'm still chicken shit to run spacer even though I want them badly.

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-s...2-spacers.html

 

Thanks for sharing, bud...I wonder what he torqued them down to?!?! That would definitely be scary!

 

i was JUST ABOUT to purchase a set of 20s and 15s for my Aspecs, but wow that thread scared the hell out of me now...

 

why don't they ship to Canada....we always get stumped!!

 

Nevermind I spoke to the seller and they are willing to ship to Canada FTW

 

just an update for all i am running akata 20mm (almost typed inches smh!) in the front since summer time and there have been absolutely NO problems at all. i also drive pretty aggressive. i currently have on stock honeycombs and so far so good. i did not get a set for the rears because they ran out when i tried to reorder but i will definetely buy these spacers again when i get new wheels.

 

just bought the 15f/20r spacers from akata on ebay...the seller is very responsive and answered every quetsion i have. he said i would need a 19 mm thin walled socket rather than a 21 mm...anyone confirm this?

also, do i need to get an alignment and rebalance done after the install, how many people had that done after installation?

excited about the spacers! (and only for $155 total)

 

My ichibas had a 19MM bolt...i'm almost positive the ones I posted above were a 21MM but maybe they were an early iteration of it and they've since switched to match their higher cost counter parts.

About needing an alignment...you shouldn't...you're widening track not chaning any of the geometry for going in a straight line like when you lower the car.

 

r these still running strong for u guys?

 

I had them on my girls car from the date I posted this thread until last week. Traded with a forum member cause he wanted 20's and I wanted his 25's...NO issues the whole time and no problems when I removed them. Can't beat the price.

J.

 

im thinking about getting 25's ..if the 25's interfere with the drop then ill remove em...20's werent enough?? lol