Safety issue with new wheels? What's sufficient stud/lug nut contact?

[tracy.andrews]

Half of the year I use studless snow tires, so I decided to find a second set of wheels so that I didn't have to pay for mounting and balancing twice a year. Here's the rub: the lug nuts on the vibe have an extra long shaft that sits down inside the mounting hole. I've tried two different sets of wheels now (the first didn't have enough offset and rubbed the brake calipers) and had to get new lug nuts to fit. The new lug nuts don't have the same shaft, so there is a lot less thread-to-thread surface contact with the studs. I need to figure our a.s.a.p. if I should return these wheels and start from ground zero. Any ideas? I know I'm not the first person to deal with this, but none of the tire shops I've talked to have had much to say about it. The attached image is a picture of the new wheel mounted.

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[tracy.andrews]

Here is an image of the original Vibe lug nut. Thanks for any help or advice.

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[lovemyraffe]

I'm not an expert on wheels but it looks unsafe to me.

[star_deceiver]

You're asking for trouble by driving on those.... Get new studs or choose another wheel!

[moonstonemike]

I agree get rid of those wheels. Did someone machine the second bolt pattern in because I've never seen a manufactured wheel with the dual pattern machined so close together. Its usually equally space. Doing it that close weakens the rim.

[dragon64]

I working in the tech dept of a aftermarket wheel mfgr. The general rule of thumb we recommend is the nut should engaged the stud at least by it's diameter or by about 12mm. Rather than trying to measure the stub protrusion just count the number of turns of the nut 7 complete turns would be safe. Also there is nothing wrong with a dual pattern bolt pattern being drilled so close it is very common when wheels made by several wheel factorys in China especially if there is a center cap covering the lugs.

[moonstonemike]

Quote, originally posted by dragon64 »I working in the tech dept of a aftermarket wheel mfgr. The general rule of thumb we recommend is the nut should engaged the stud at least by it's diameter or by about 12mm. Rather than trying to measure the stub protrusion just count the number of turns of the nut 7 complete turns would be safe. Also there is nothing wrong with a dual pattern bolt pattern being drilled so close it is very common when wheels made by several wheel factorys in China especially if there is a center cap covering the lugs. I agree and disagree with you. Yes if you count the turns 7 full turns should be a safe amount which is about 87% of the thread diameter or about 10.5mm of thread. 8 turns would be 12mm.But I disagree with nothing being wrong with the way the bolt holes are drilled. The cap covering it really doesn't matter because I am more concerned about the strength not the aesthetics. The hole is drilled close to the bore hole and the second pattern hole. These are stressed areas than can crack. Then there is the sharp corners where it was machined for the large diameter of the bolt which would also be a potential cracking point. If these rims were hubcentric alot of the weight is taken off the stud. If not there is all of the weight plus the force while turning on that part of the wheel. Im not an engineer so I wont argue about it, but Im just saying that I wouldnt feel comfortable if a family member was driving on those. So thats why I recommended returning them.

[ou.grizzly]

Quote, originally posted by dragon64 »I working in the tech dept of a aftermarket wheel mfgr. The general rule of thumb we recommend is the nut should engaged the stud at least by it's diameter or by about 12mm. Rather than trying to measure the stub protrusion just count the number of turns of the nut 7 complete turns would be safe. Also there is nothing wrong with a dual pattern bolt pattern being drilled so close it is very common when wheels made by several wheel factorys in China especially if there is a center cap covering the lugs. Those rims are dangerous, plain n simple. Backyard machining it looks like.

[tracy.andrews]

Hey all, thanks for your help. I took the car into several different tire/wheel shops, including one where I know the owner, to have them checked for safety. The studs and nuts had more than 1 stud diameter of engagement and each shop that looked the wheels over said they were safe for driving. Thanks again!

[star_deceiver]

Carry a torqure wrench for the first thousand miles and check those lugs regularly... And maybe have a shop sign something that says they're safe. I can see an argument with a cop over this and it not ending good for you!

[scherry2]

Quote, originally posted by dragon64 »bolt pattern being drilled so close it is very common when wheels made by several wheel factorys in CHINA well there's your problem