derass

would like input from people that have used these. some pros such as dai yoshihara and walker wilkerson use them, but i have read of grassroots guys destroying their racks.





edit: 7/29/2017

Hah! I forgot about this post, I guess I can give an update.

So I ended up buying some a few years ago from Era-1 and they worked out great. Drifted on them for 2 seasons, about 25 events, without a problem. Never encountered any steering bind with my MA Motorsports knuckles and S13 +40mm extended LCA's. My setup pulled a whole damn lot of angle, the TC/swaybar was pretty much the bumpstop, so it's safe to say the spacers did their job.

I believe the Era-1 spacers were designed for LHD 240SX because no modification was needed to the steering rack (at least on my '91). When these spacers first hit the market (from Driftworks?), they were only for RHD and so new slots needed to be cut into LHD racks which left less material and the chance of the tabs breaking. So the Era-1 spacers were a much better choice in that regard. Early S13 have different slots than late S13 and onward, so be mindful of that. Part Shop Max is now making both types. Here's a pic from their website that shows the difference:



Installation is pretty straight-forward, I bought a 14mm hex bit in 1/2" drive for the socket head cap screw that's used to attach them to the steering rack. Just be sure to clean the inner threads on the rack with brake clean and use thread locker on the bolts since you have to eliminate the factory inner tie rod locking tab with these spacers. Same goes for the inner tie rod to spacer connection. Speaking of which, I needed to grind down an adjustable wrench to fit in between the spacer and inner tie rod to tighten it down.

As for my tie rod combination: my Era-1 spacers added 42mm to each side of the steering rack. That's why I chose to have my LCA's extended 40mm. I used stock S13 inner tie rods and DMax adjustable outer tie rods. Because of the shorter tie rod pickup on the modded knuckle, I had to extend the outers to their limit, but there was safe thread engagement everywhere an so I didn't encounter any trouble in the long run. I would avoid using the S13 inners in the future since they're thinner than S14/Maxima/performance aftermarket. I ended up bending a few. But those were from spinning out and the wheel slamming into full-lock. Not the fault of the spacers.

For tie rod boots, I was able to use the stock S13 ones. They fit over the spacers and can be secured like stock. You just need to push the outer (narrow) side "in", if that make sense. The boots were stretched to their limit, but they worked and did not rip. Mind you, mine were new from the dealer and only a few years old. 25 year old original ones probably aren't as flexible and might tear.

On a side note, I needed to extend the LCA because after adding the knuckles my tire was rubbing hard on the framerail (5Zigen FN01R-C / Falken Hanabi 17x9 +20 235/40R17). In hindsight, my LCA's could have been extended less, at S13 +40mm there was more than enough room to the framerail (10-20mm), and front camber was at -5* to -9* with the top hats maxed in or out. Perhaps S13 +30mm LCA is the sweet spot. Clearance to the framerail, less camber and more tie rod engagement (but plenty of longer inner tie rods are also available to correct this).

So all-in-all, a good experience and I would recommend these types of spacers. They're a good option if you want to prevent steering bind (over-centering) with modded knuckles, all without having to remove and modify the front subframe (as I wanted to avoid).

I think Era-1 has stopped making parts, but there are still multiple companies that make offset rack spacers. They're all pretty much the same design, so the choice is yours really.

Driftworks - The OG (not sure if LHD racks still require modification for these):



GKTech:



Part Shop Max (available for both early S13, and late S13 onward):



Circuit Sports:

godrifttoday

Some people just have more money so they can replace them easier than your average drifter

__________________
NEED Bolt kits for your car?

fliprayzin240sx

Plus throw in the fact that these are PRO level drift cars, the racks are probably pretty stout too and built to handle the extra abuse/stress. Not exactly the type to be using re-man'd racks from vatozone.

__________________

If you think Zilvia has too many assholes...
CLICK HERE!!!

conrad_s13.5

would love more input from users too!

Ive heard all the stories,...but all the people I personally know with them,.. havent had any issues or worries yet

__________________
cONtRol FReAkS

blueshark123

Damn i want that exhaust setup on Dai's car

deletedalien

i Have only heard negative comments on these,
Also negative stuff on Adam Lz's channel.

KAT-PWR

Only heard negative from a couple friends at the shop. 3-4 of them used em. I have had one sitting for a long time and recently changed my rack and did not put it in

__________________
MRP Manufacturing

!Zar!

Better to move the rack.

Using those spacers will work, but if you're using gigantic, heavy ass wheels, it will take it's toll on the rack.

Also, this thread is old as fuck.

__________________

derass

updated the original post

JM216S14

did someone bump this to say adam lz said negative comments on them.....

derass

adam lz isn't mechanically inclined, so i'm skeptical to take tech advice from him

1on1

When you run offset spacers, you need to have correct suspension components to be effective (lca extended, longer inner tierods, eccentric rack bushings or modified rack mounts (as Zar stated) and modded knuckles). In addition to the offset spacers once you have the correct parts, you would want the inner tierod to be parallel to the flca (view derass photo of the offset spacer).

__________________
instagram

!Zar!

Who ?

__________________

JM216S14

You don't want to know.