How to choose wheel bolts and nuts

Most new cars get to their owners with the most common stamped metal rims. This option does not suit many motorists, so one of the first purchases of a car owner is alloy wheels that look great and are not subject to corrosion. Such a simple auto-tuning allows you to change the appearance of the vehicle and slightly improve its performance. Standard wheel mounts are usually not suitable for casting, and along with the question of purchasing rims, another one arises - how to choose bolts and nuts for rims? Very often, the entire set of fasteners for alloy wheels comes with them. But it also happens that you like the wheels that come without bolts or nuts, and the owner of the car has to choose these details.

Material

One of the most important selection criteria for both nuts and bolts is the material from which they are made. There are two requirements for it - high strength and aesthetic appearance. Find more information at https://autothema.de. The simplest products are made from ordinary metal, and the more expensive ones are made from high-quality steels. A lot depends on the metal, so it’s better not to save money and buy nuts for alloy wheels or bolts more expensive, made of good, high-quality steel.

Appearance and service life

The issue of appearance is also important, since ferrous metal mounts can easily ruin the look of the most spectacular alloy wheels. Products with a wide variety of decorative coatings are widely represented on the automotive spare parts market, so, as a rule, there are no problems with the choice. The industry produces chrome-plated bolts, as well as parts coated with molybdenum and nickel. Chrome products look the most attractive - they go well with polished wheels and shiny car body parts. In addition, there is an opinion that it is chromium that provides the best protection of nuts and bolts from corrosion, extending their service life. What does practice say? In fact, unfortunately, there is no direct evidence that coated disc fasteners last longer and experts say As for the appearance, any experienced motorist will tell you that the excellent appearance of even the highest quality coated nuts remains under our road conditions for no longer than one year.

Sizing

Having decided on the material and coating, it's time to move on to the selection of nuts and bolts according to their size. The main characteristics that you need to know when buying disc nuts and bolts are the length, diameter, and the type and size of the thread. The ideal option can be considered a "fitting" of hardware in place, if, of course, there is such an opportunity. But in order to buy bolts for alloy wheels online, this method is not suitable, and therefore, for the selection, you will have to resort to simple calculations. In order for the nut or bolt to provide maximum safety on the road, it is necessary to make at least 7-9 full turns of the key when tightening. To determine whether this can be done with a new bolt, you can use the old one already used on your car. We unscrew the bolt and count the turns. After that, we divide the resulting number by the length of the bolt itself. Thus, the length of one turn during twisting is determined. It remains to multiply this figure by the number of revolutions, that is, by 7.8 or 9, and the result will be the length of the alloy wheel bolt. It remains to be reminded that it is better to buy bolts and nuts for alloy wheels from reliable suppliers who guarantee the quality of their products and, if necessary, provide the most comprehensive information about their product.