Wheel clearance with Bilstein B6?
 

I was planning on going going a bit bigger with aftermarket wheels. I've read that the stock suspension spring perches kinda limit you on size. I purchased Bilstein B6s and was wondering if that gave me any more room under there for larger wheels/tires?


For reference I'm thinking 18x8.5 +45 with 225/45ish tires.

This is a useful tool.

www.ft86motorsports.com/wheelitfit

That setup will be quite tight to the strut. I have 17x8 + 46 with stock tire sizing and this is the clearance for reference.
https://imgur.com/a/TFXrsER

No.

The large OE springs and spring perch are what limits clearance.

Thanks! Does that whelitfit website account for the strut size?
:edit: Nevermind, I see where it tells you suspension distance.

I think the B6 is out of stock everywhere

I actually already got the B6's.


The wheelitfit website is saying I'll have about 2mm of space between tire and suspension. Should I consider a spacer?

try it and see. How are your wheel wells looking. Would spacers help in that area?

We have a couple sets in stock. :)

- Andrew

Worth a try to see, but a spacer wouldn't hurt. 3mm is about all you can do without extended wheel studs. It's possible to fit 2.5" ARP studs on the rear if you can't get the hub off. Minor Dremel work.

If you want to add camber bolts at any point, that gap will be even Tighter.

I'm only seeing a minimum of 5mm spacers from "reputable" brands. Any recommendations on 3mm spacers? I've found a couple, but I don't recognize the brands and can't seem to find any reviews on them.

3mm is pretty minor, so long as it's hub centric at 56mm any should work.

I have a set of FT86MS 3mm aluminum spacers on my girlfriends 2020 Impreza for caliper clearance. They are hub centric.

I run their old design 10mm slip on spacers. New design has 56mm hub rings added to center the wheel on the spacer.

How are those compared to the stock dampers?

I got a set of 3mm spacers from Counterspace Garage earlier this year.

They're better in every way. The OEM dampers kinda go overboard on the "feel stiff to feel sporty" approach which isn't necessarily good for handling and definitely not good for ride quality. Just a much more advanced shock with the Bilsteins and a better overall valving profile.

Really looking forward to putting the set next to me on my car, but waiting on a certain set of springs.

- Andrew