[s-cars] Stripped wheel bolt

[Cody Forbes]

While I agree with not using an insert on a hub, I disagree with the proclamation that missing a wheel bolt is certain to end in bad stuff. Do I suggest leaving one off just for the hell of it? No. However...

I'm not proud of this, but when I bought my black 5ktq it only had 4 bolts in the left rear wheel and it took me about 6 years before I got around to buying a tap to fix the damaged first thread. In the meantime I *added* about 400hp, put over 50,000 miles on the car, did maybe 100 drag strip passes with full on smokey diff-locks-on all wheel burnouts, and multiple track days - once the speedometer even found its way to where the digits stopped. See I had BBS wheels with center caps and simply forgot about that missing bolt and nobody in tech ever bothered to pull the center cap to check them. I changed the tires a couple times and each time would have a "oh sh*t" moment and SWEAR I would buy a tap next time a tool guy came in to the shop, then I'd forget and go on my merry way for a year or so. It wasn't until I got different wheels without covers, and mature quite a lot during a time when the car sat for about two years surrounding my sons birth, did I remember and finally fix it. Like I said, I'm not pleased with myself for the happenings, but it happened and never once did I have an issue.

-Cody
(Sent from my phone, if a word doesn't fit blame Siri)

On Mar 26, 2012, at 11:36 AM, Scott Justusson <qshipq at aol.com> wrote:

> 
> IME, when the first bolt falls out, the others are usually not far behind.  The reason is, when the a rotor is not evenly clamped, it usually manifests failure identification by subsequently removing the 'other' wheel bolts "without the aid of wrenches" (-tm Pizzo).  Er, for the very same reason every wheel should be tightened with a torque wrench?  Used S car hubs are readily available for 50 bux, I put a few in my 4kq 5 bolt conversion at less than that price....
> 
> I'm up for creative fixes, but an insert into a wheel hub?!  For real?!  IMO, that's just a sure way to get me out of lurk mode reading the stupidity of that recommendation.
> 
> SJ
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Harold McComas <haroldmccomas at comcast.net>
> To: s-car-list <s-car-list at audifans.com>
> Sent: Mon, Mar 26, 2012 10:24 am
> Subject: Re: [s-cars] Stripped wheel bolt
> 
> 
> Scott,   I totally understand what you are saying, wrong app for the 
> product, but....
> 
> You  do realize that for "... the wheel passes you on the highway..." ALL 5 
> bolts would no longer be holding the wheel on the car.   ;-)
> 
> 
> Harold
> 
> 
>> From: Scott Justusson <qshipq at aol.com>
>> To: cody at 5000tq.com
>> Cc: mtgadbois at aol.com, s-car-list at audifans.com
>> Subject: Re: [s-cars] Stripped wheel bolt
>> Message-ID: <8CED9713B175EA8-1128-1470E at webmail-m098.sysops.aol.com>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>> 
>> 
>> Ok, I'll jump in from the back of the class.... DO NOT TIMESERT OR 
>> HELICOIL WHEEL HUBS....  That's the craziest thing I've read here in a 
>> while.  If the thread is damaged enough to require more attention than a 
>> tap thread chase, it's time to replace the hub.  I can't think of a shop 
>> that would even consider thread-repairing a hub with an insert, for good 
>> reason.  Accepting liability for that repair failing is plain negligence. 
>> Further, my concern would be a insert coming out with a wheel bolt, 
>> destroying the wheel before you realized what happened.
>> 
>> Neither works better for this application, it's just the wrong 
>> application.  When that DIY hack fails as the wheel passes you on the 
>> highway, expect the consequential liability to be all yours.
>> 
>> My .02
>> 
>> Scott J
>> 
> 
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