Another tip is fo rthose "cutting" lug bolts (not trying to belittle anyone here).

If you put your thread chaser on before you cut, life will be easier for you. In cutting the end on a bolt, you may damage threads, just a part of life. And if you go to clean the threads up with a thread chaser (should be in your tap and die set) after you cut, you start the chaser on the bad part of the threads.

HTH


Justin

 

A good point. When I described what I went through I ad libbed a little.
I did the grinding and then used a belt sander to put a 60 degree chamfer on the 1st 2 threads. Spinning on a 12X1.5 die or thread chaser wasn't actually an option-I had neither. And it would have made an unholy mess of the thick chrome on those beautiful, expensive lugs I bought!

But it should be pointed out that if you have no experience shortening bolts, it is very easy to screw up those first few threads, and those will damage the female threads in the spindle. Let a pro do it. The guys that mounted and balanced my tires wouldn't touch them. That's why I did it myself. I've shortened more damned bolts in my life than I care to remember!

 

way to thick., k now the problem is not the lugs.,[at least not anymore] i took the spacers to a machine shop and had them cut the spacers to 20mm and they are still throwing the hub/wheels of balance., making a bad off balance noise as soon as i hit 25 mph., man... am tired of it, dont know if i should just take them off for good or if i should cut them down to 15mm ., i really like the way the tyres look with them on., but dont wanna mess anything in my car.,

 

WAIT!

don't cut your bolts. put them away incase you return to stock setup. my new bolts where dirt cheap at discount tire. just bring one of your stock ones in with you and tell them what you need and they should have it.

 

Not an option for me. The rims I chose were tapered seat. The OEM wheels/lugs are ball seat.

And don't mix the two!

 

no., i got the spacers custome made and they came with a set of shorter lug bolts and lug nuts., also i short'n them by 1mm i put the lug nuts in the bolts before cutting., but i think am about to give up and not use them, dont know, this has cost me more money than if i would had gotten an exhust or a nice set of lowering springs

 

I thought this info was made into a sticky?

Another member screwed up his rear end.

Dang!!!

OK it IS a sticky.
Now, if we can get more people to read it.

 

I'm running 10mm's on front & 20mm's on back with my Stren ST-8 Hyper mesh II wheels. Before I mounted them I done some measuring, the OEM bolts thread into the hubs 16 to 17 mm's. Then I ordered the spacers & lug bolts so that I was staying at the OEM length. I done the same thing when I bought the wheels for my Drag Radials and I'm running a 10mm spacer with them on the back. The 1st pic is how the car looks normally, the 2nd two are with the Drag Radials w/ 10mm spacers.

 

I don't see a difference. I am looking for how far the wheels stick out of the wheel well. Is this wrong. I figured with thicker wheels and tires they'd stick out further. Although that is subjective with backspacing being different from wheel to wheel.

 

There is a lot of variance's - wheel width, wheel offset and tire size. My rear Stern's are 9.5 wide with a 35mm offset and 285/35/19 with a 20mm spacer. They stick out just about even with the top of the wheel well. The wheels with the DR's on them are 8.5 wide with a 40mm offset and the tire's are 275/40/18, (less than a 1/4'" shorter than OEM 255/35/19) with the 10mm spacer and they sit out real close to where the OEM sit's.

 

In some countries it is ILLEGAL to use spacers, Im sure you can work out why...
sadly people still make and sell them as peeps who dont understand still buy them
Longer bolts, wheels that dont sit on hub square, , more strain on bolts etc.

Why dont peeps just get the Correct wheel set up and not try to hobble something not made for the job. I see so many unroadworthy vehicles and accidents from mods .
Sorry I needed to vent but its just plain ignorance.

Bazzle

 

"Peeps"?

Please explain?

And I am sure that MOST, if not all folks on the forum try to at least maintain a proper/safe offset.

It's just that there are quite few choices of 19" or 20" wheels THAT ARE AFFORDABLE with a 22 offset. At least I couldn't find any that I liked.

But I agree with you Bazzle, at least in part. Using excessive spacing, or worse, adaptors can be quite dangerous.
I have stated this in 2 other threads.

I see very little problem in using spacers if the primary function is to maintain proper offset, or perhaps to give acceptable suspension clearance. Nothing more.

If spacers are used to only extend a poorly chosen wheel or to merely make it LOOK better, I find this to be a dangerous and foolhardy option.

 

Longer or shorter wheel bolts/studs require a change in the torque setting that the bolts are put on with, the longer the bolt the more it stretches resulting in less holding power. Excessive increases in grip length could require a larger bolt diameter. Bolts that are not tight enough will come loose and not using the same torque on all studs is not good. Always use a torque wrench, and do not trust your local shop that their impact guns are set correctly .... because they are not. They use the same setting on your car and every other car they come across, no matter what the stud grip length or diameter is. I had nuts on a car one time that a 6 foot pipe extension on a wrench could not break and not because of rust, they had to be drilled alongside the thread and new studs and nuts put on.

 

I don't want to screw things up, so I'm just going to go ahead and ask...

I just purchased some Stern ST1 wheels. Fronts are 18x8.5 5x112 35mm. Rears are 19x9.5 5x112 35mm. I'm putting stock size tires on these rims.

Reading some of these horror stories, I'm scared to do it myself and I'm scared to have a porfessional shop do it.

I want the offset to be as safe and original as possible I guess, so can I go with no spacers in the front and 15mm hub centric spacers in the back and call it good?

Then the bigger question, if I do no spacers in the front and 15mm spacers in the back, are there specific lug nuts I can buy so that I don't have to grind anything down? I thinik Maxcichon said I would need tapered lug nuts for the Stern ST1's. Do I look for lug nuts of a specific size (length and width) for tuner wheels?

If different spacing or no spacing whatsoever makes it so I can easily buy lugs and not have to modify them, I am also open to that suggestion.

Sorry for the newbish questions. This is my first "fun" car and I want to have it right for when the snow melts and spring comes.

 

You can find good prices on Ebay for ball and tapered seat bolts. Lengths are what ever you want / need . Woody

 

Another option; I put 13mm spacers on the rear and the shop I went to did not have the right length bolt in stock.
Went to a conversion kit and changed to studs (loc tite a must) and open ended lug nuts. No need to cut or grind anything ! Also, much easier to change tires.
Just did this a few days ago, I'll let you know how its working out. So far, so good.

 

I knew about this option too, just didn't want to muddy the waters.
Very good point. Thumbs up.

 

update.... after about a year with my 25mm spacers i have had no problems with the car nothin., zero., nada., but if you do this , make sure you dont cut the bolts to short., it only need to be shorten about 3mm or you can ask whoever you order from to make them to size., i will post the mesurement soon!!!

 

any length measurements yet for the lug bolts

 

Check the style of spacer the Porsche guys use they have ones that are screwed into the hub so there is less of a chance for it move or shift. There style makes it more a true spacer thats as solid as you'll find and they run there cars pretty hard at the track with these spacers on since there trying to get as wide as track possble. Not way out of the wheel well but right at the edge.