Most might not have a problem with aluminum nuts, but the engineer in me screams in terror at the thought of reducing the safety factor of a part whose failure will literally cause a wheel to fall off.
Most might not have a problem with aluminum nuts, but the engineer in me screams in terror at the thought of reducing the safety factor of a part whose failure will literally cause a wheel to fall off.
Tyler H wrote: BTW...If you need long studs, I have some new 92MM studs and lugs for BMW that I would part with exceedingly cheap.
Tyler - Tried to send you a PM, but it appears to have been rejected. If the OP doesn't want your nuts, I'll take them (First time I ever said that). My low budget E36 track rat came with studs in the parts pile but no nuts. Thanks! Glenn
BrokenYugo wrote: Most might not have a problem with aluminum nuts, but the engineer in me screams in terror at the thought
This is why I only use brass. They're much better if a bit noisy. They make a loud clanking sound.
Also lately it dawned on me there's an easy button for bolt-on wheels. Buy one stud the right size. When it's time to bolt the wheel back on, install the stud hand-tight-ish in the upper most bolt hole. Then use that one stud to align the wheel onto the center hub ring and the bolt holes are all lined up. Put in the other bolts, then pull the stud and thread in the last bolt. It's so easy, I now only use studs when I need to use wheel spacers to dial in my offset.
Loose nuts trash studs. Loose bolts trash hubs. Plus thread-in studs are even better than splined on most 'normal' applications in that you can replace them on the car easier. I've never seen a BMW race team that still uses wheel bolts.
For street use, it doesn't really matter since you can't rotate most stock BMW wheels (staggered widths, directional / asymmetric tires.) If you're just taking the wheels off for brake jobs or tire replacement, don't bother.
http://www.prestigewheel.com/
I bought my studs & lug nuts from these guys. I race my car and have had no problems with the hardware they sell. I also was able to get both tapered and ball nuts to fit both stock and aftermarket wheels to the car.
Planning to swap the rabbit over to bullnose thread in studs. Need to get both conical and ball seat lugs for her. Changing tires at the track is annoying with lug bolts.
One comment I have in the back of my mind is that I've never seen a broken lug bolt...
I do this, but I just cut the head off a long bolt that I had laying around the garage. The long smooth shank eases wheel installation I made two, so putting wheels on and off goes quickly.
JBasham wrote: Also lately it dawned on me there's an easy button for bolt-on wheels. Buy one stud the right size. When it's time to bolt the wheel back on, install the stud hand-tight-ish in the upper most bolt hole. Then use that one stud to align the wheel onto the center hub ring and the bolt holes are all lined up. Put in the other bolts, then pull the stud and thread in the last bolt. It's so easy, I now only use studs when I need to use wheel spacers to dial in my offset.
Great idea and a lot easier to find than an extra stud. Thanks.
You'll need to log in to post.
