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Will installing the spacers get rid of the vibration? Or would just swapping in AP2 axles solve the problem? I've read conflicting info on here regarding the axle lengths of AP1 vs AP2.
okay im like SoCalAP2 is there a certain process on doing the spacers? or just loosen the 6 bolts and take off 3, slide in the spacer and then the same for the other 3 then tighten? or something special i need to do?
Originally Posted by dubcac' date='Jan 19 2009, 05:11 PM
Will installing the spacers get rid of the vibration? Or would just swapping in AP2 axles solve the problem? I've read conflicting info on here regarding the axle lengths of AP1 vs AP2.
yes, spacers will solve the problem as long as you (or previous owner) didn't have spacers before. The vibration is from the bearings inside the cup pitting the surface of the cup. The spacers just move the bearings in the cup a little to a new fresh (unpitted) surface.
Having 2 halves is MUCH easier to install than the 1 piece.
I believe that the AP2 shaft fix is a myth and is just providing "unpitted" surfaces. It will eventually happen with the AP2's also.
I just got mine from ebay. It's not a very difficult piece to make. as long as the dimensions are consistent and true, you won't have any problems. I just cut mine in half and installed it. VERY EASY.
Originally Posted by negcamber' date='Apr 27 2008, 02:54 PM
This question comes up so much there really should be a sticky.
The short answer is no, you do not have to get spacers. There are other solutions.
Let me show you what is happening that causes the vibration.
Here is a pic of the CV bucket and the "spider" (the set of 3 roller bearings that go in the CV bucket).
When the car is new the spider rides on a smooth surface in the CV. But as time goes on it makes a wear spot. This starts to happen by around 20k miles or so (this is very rough estimate based on folks who have complained about the vibration after lowering). The pic below shows what the wear spot looks like:
When you lower the car, it moves the spider to a new spot where it normally rides. Based on the geometry, the new spot is very close to the old spot. The vibration is caused by the spider sliding over the edge of the new spot into the old spot. It trammels back and forth there.
A spacer takes care of the vibration by moving the spider far enough away from the old wear spot so it can't trammel into the old spot. Swapping the cv buckets from right to left and vis versa fixes the vibration by giving the spider a new surface to create a new wear spot.
This is also why ap2 drivers didn't think they needed spacers. It wasn't until the ap1 was a few years old that they would have a wear spot and when owners lowered the cars after they had 20k+ miles on them they got the vibration. At that time the ap2 was brand new...and they didn't have wear spots yet.
Now, older ap2s have wear spots too and can get the vibration for the same reason the older ap1s did.
Is a spacer better than swapping the cv buckets? It depends on your mechanical skill and wallet. Swapping cv buckets is free, but does take time...you have to pull the axles. The 2-piece style spacers can save time and are easy to install, but they are $175-200. The 1-piece style are useless as they take about as much time to install as it does to swap the cv buckets.
There easy to put it i'd do it for longevity and a slightly wider stance in the rear. More contact with the tire to the road my car rides better with them IMO.
Vito...you talking about wheel spacers or axle spacers? This thread is about axle spacers and they won't move the wheels out at all and their impact on CV longevity is questionable.
