Wheel bolts

[Dino D]

Hi all,
Looking to get a new set of wheel bolts (and locking nuts).
Came across these:
http://www.precisionautoparts.co.uk...-16-wheel-bolts-4-locking-wheelnuts-nuts.html

Any thoughts on the quality and price of these?

I may get spacers in the future but if I do they will be the ones that bolt to the hub first so will still only need the standard length bolts.

 

[t-tony]

You will need hub centric spacers but not all types are like the ones you describe.

 

[GazHyde]

I fitted McGuard locking wheel nuts when I fitted spacers, but they come in standard lengths as well. They have a chromed end on them.

No experience of the set you have linked to though.

 

[Dino D]

You will need hub centric spacers but not all types are like the ones you describe.

Re the spacers, I found these from google searching (via a thread on here or another BMW forum, can't remember).

 

[GazHyde]

You can get hub centric in the style you are looking at, which bolt to the hub first.

Took me a minute to find it, but @TaffZee posted up this link a while ago https://www.dvbcaraudio.co.uk/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=z3 wheel spacers

In this thread http://zroadster.org/threads/rear-wheel-spacers.940/#post-9649 for reference!

 

[Dino D]

Yes those are the ones, I see my link to it didn't paste!

I need new standard length bolts anyway so this saves me buying different lengths when the time comes.

 

[zedonist]

They are electro zinc plated, I would avoid em like the plague, you can buy brand new febi Bilstein items in the correct organic finish on ebay for the same price

 

[zedonist]

Here you go:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-1-3-5...arts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3a67e172c6

 

[Brian4]

Something to bear in mind if you fit the bolt on spacers they will be a minimum of 20 mm thick each side as you need this much metal to bolt the wheels to and a bit of space at the rear of the wheel bolt so that it doesn't bottom and try and push the spacer off the disc. Any thing less than 20 mm will use extended bolts.

 

[Dino D]

Here you go:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-1-3-5...arts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3a67e172c6

Thanks for this.
Don't know much about the metals used will have to read up.

Not sure about the OEM finish ones though.
The OEM bolts I have now somehow get extra tight (I tighten them myself by hand and then after the car was standing for winter they were nearly impossible to get off).

I had some after market chrome looking ones that never did this (I left them on a Z that I sold by mistake...).

Is the OEM material prone to some sort of corrosion or something?

 

[Dino D]

Something to bear in mind if you fit the bolt on spacers they will be a minimum of 20 mm thick each side as you need this much metal to bolt the wheels to and a bit of space at the rear of the wheel bolt so that it doesn't bottom and try and push the spacer off the disc. Any thing less than 20 mm will use extended bolts.

Thanks for that Brian, yes noticed that it's min 20mm for those. I need to measure properly after I adjust my ride height but right now as is 20mm will be perfect and about the max I could go (with the Beyern wheels).

 

[zedonist]

The oem item ones are fine, you need to torque them to the correct figure.

The issue with the nice shiny ones is that the bolt material is heat treated to high tensile grade 10.9 and then electro plated, the plating process can induce hydrogen into the material, which if not removed caused the bolts to fracture and the heads to pop off. Because the hydrogen removal process is not fool proof, high tensile bolts in the automotive industry are not electroplated, and they use organic or mechanical methods to coat them, these processes do not use strong acid, so do not introduce hydrogen.

As they are the only thing holding your wheels on, I would not take the chance.

 

[hard top]

I could Phosphate them for you if the material is carbon but the problem with this is that it will only last until you remove the bolts and then you will have to do it again.

 

[zedonist]

Trouble with phosphate it is porous, so only provides shelf life really, you can dip it in oil and will last a few months only, it is mainly used as a lubricant on the bolts, especially engine bolts to endure the correct torque is achieved consistently. In terms of salt spray resistance this finish gives 24 - 72 hours

The shiny zinc plated ones give around 180 hours max.

The oem black ones are rated 450 hours minimum which equates to a real world scenario of 3 to 5 years

The newer finishes on chassis items on new cars today give 800 - 1000 hours salt spray resistance.

In reality they are all a lot less as the coatings get damaged when the part is fitted / removed, the salt sprat test is done on fresh undamaged parts.

 

[hard top]

True @zedonist but we do it to all our offshore related kit and these are big tools but we do have a big tank and it works pretty well against salt water rust corrosion but the more often you use this procedure it will harden the material but its main function is its anti galling properties on the threads. It is used on car parts but they will normally be powder coated after treatment.

 

[zedonist]

Agree HT, it's the friction properties of phosphate that most industries utilise. Not many automotive parts phosphate and powder coated these days, preference is ecote better substrate adhesion and corrosion resistance, a good example of this is the Z3 body, reason not many rusted.

I imagine you use a log of sheraplex coated parts in the deep sea game?

 

[hard top]

No, we keep it pretty simple. The only reason we treat the whole tool is that it saves us having to paint them as most (USA Brainwashed) company's still do. Saves us a shed pile of money and they look bloody good (we spray some PE100 on them) when they go out all black and shiny.

 

[hard top]

On a side note, we get the high ranking red necks come in and say "well boy, you got one good looking set up here (spits out some chewing tobacco on our floor that you could eat your dinner off)
and how the hell do you boys get that stuff from being all $hitty black looking to shiny like the things parked up over there" (pointing at brand new equipment that has not been worked on yet) and you feel like saying, no you dumb ph***, the other way around, but you don't, you just explain the way it all works, again and again and...

 

[t-tony]

On a side note, we get the high ranking red necks come in and say "well boy, you got one good looking set up here (spits out some chewing tobacco on our floor that you could eat your dinner off)
and how the hell do you boys get that stuff from being all $hitty black looking to shiny like the things parked up over there" (pointing at brand new equipment that has not been worked on yet) and you feel like saying, no you dumb ph***, the other way around, but you don't, you just explain the way it all works, again and again and...

My brother has the same problem Mike working for a company in Lincoln they don't sometimes see the obvious he tells me. Also he told me last night about the problems they're getting from sourcing " cheap " bolts etc. from China that are currently letting the quality of their turbines down with some awful consequences.

 

[oldcarman]

The old adage you get what you pay for comes to mind. China is now a world power from selling cheap knockoff everythings. Look good, perform badly. JIM