RE: Wheel studs?

[Steve Rosen <carsrme@li.net>]

The reason is that it's less expensive to manufacture wheel bolts than studs and nuts.  I put threaded studs on my 82TQC and I modified Porsche alloy wheel nuts to match the Audi Shape.

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From: 	Graydon D. Stuckey[SMTP:graydon@apollo.gmi.edu]
Sent: 	Tuesday, February 13, 1996 11:55 AM
To: 	G. Erickson
Cc: 	Quattro list
Subject: 	Re: Wheel studs?

On Tue, 13 Feb 1996, G. Erickson wrote:

> Graydon,
> 
> 	It might be worth it put up with those infernal wheel bolts.  I 
> had it explained to me one time that the wheel _bolts_ are self-torqueing 
> due to expansion/contraction or centifigal force or some such.
> 
> 	The opposite side being that the wheel _studs_ tend to loosen 
> their nuts over time.
> 
> 	If this is indeed true, then I'll happily put up with the 
> occasional nusience (sp) of dealing with the bolts if I know that I don't 
> need to worry about them loosening and falling off.
Gary,

	I have never heard that before.  In fact, every race car that I 
have ever seen that was not allowed to use a single knock-off style wheel 
nut, has had studs not bolts.  Granted that is also done primarily for 
convenience, but I don't think they have a tendency to loosen 
automatically.
	I have replaced bolts with studs on a couple RX7s with never any
loosening problems.  Mind you, I check them alot, because I change them
alot at autocrosses.  Most every other car in the whole world uses studs, 
so I don't know why VW/Audi and Mazda can't figure it out.

	Maybe someone else has some further input?

Later,								
Graydon D. Stuckey								
graydon@apollo.gmi.edu								
Flint, Michigan   USA
'86 Audi 5000 CS Turbo Quattro, GDS Racing Stage II				
'85 Mazda RX7 GS 12A-leaning-towards-a-13B-soon