What's up with car manufacturers and their wheel bolt patterns ????????

[LVSteve]

Oldman45

That sort of state interference with messing up your car would not fly here in NV. Some of the sins I see out here inflicted on cars, old and new, would make your hair curl.

On the subject of large diameter rims and braking, here is how I understand it can be a problem. The stock rim, say a 16 inch wheel, combined with the stock tyre has a certain rotational mass AND a certain rotational center of gravity from the center of the wheel. I am sure there is a proper term for this, but bear with me. Bubba now fits 22 inch rims and very low profile tyres. Even if this combination weighs the same as the stock item (doubtful, usually heavier) the rotational center of gravity is further from the center of the wheel as the metal of the rim is further away from the center. This makes the wheel harder to stop once it is turning, adding to the strain on the brakes. It is like putting a cheater bar on the end of a wrench or socket bar, there is more torque. Given that most cars on the US market have marginal brakes and a hugely underbraked by European standard, you can see how it is easy to kill the brakes simply by fitting huge rims, especially as the new combination often weighs more than the stock wheel and tyre as the rim section has to encompass a far greater circumference.

 

[venomballistics]

I would focus on "meets or exceeds" OEM spec ... wheels dont last forever and do take a lot of abuse.
when replacing them we need to keep our eye on the ball more than ever seeing as the latest trend in style seems to favor spider web thin spoke patterns

 

[Ogandydancer]

Should have been around in the olden days; ALL Chrysler products left side wheels had left hand threads and all right side wheels had right hand threads. This didn't change until the late 70's. Never could understand that brilliant idea.

 

[wamalo]

In the Fifties, Chrysler used lug bolts as opposed to studs with lug nuts as well.

The left side left hand thread/right side right hand thread was done because the bolts (and later nuts) would tend to tighten as the vehicle rolled forward. Chrysler wasn't alone in this practice.

The engineering knowledge of fastened joints has improved vastly over the last 50 years. That's why you rarely see a locking device (lock washer, lock nut) on most automotive joints today. They use torque based elastic range bolt stretch instead, something unheard of in the fifties.

 

[JcMack]

In the Fifties, Chrysler used lug bolts as opposed to studs with lug nuts as well.

The left side left hand thread/right side right hand thread was done because the bolts (and later nuts) would tend to tighten as the vehicle rolled forward. Chrysler wasn't alone in this practice.

The engineering knowledge of fastened joints has improved vastly over the last 50 years. That's why you rarely see a locking device (lock washer, lock nut) on most automotive joints today. They use torque based elastic range bolt stretch instead, something unheard of in the fifties.

Ha .... I learned this the hard way when I was 16 and working in a gas station ("in the olden days"). I nearly busted a you know what trying to remove a left handed lug nut the wrong way.The concept also applied to foreign sports cars with wire wheels and knock off hubs. Corvettes had knockoff hubs in 66-67, same deal I think.

 

[therevjay]

Ha .... I learned this the hard way when I was 16 and working in a gas station ("in the olden days"). I nearly busted a you know what trying to remove a left handed lug nut the wrong way.The concept also applied to foreign sports cars with wire wheels and knock off hubs. Corvettes had knockoff hubs in 66-67, same deal I think.

Ahh sheeet, you jus getcha a big long ol cheater bar. Then ya can snap them left hand thread lugs right clean off. I musta done two or three, b' for the old guy next door quit laughin' and 'splained to me 'bout Mopar wheels.