GT wheel bolts

[MaserAndy]

OK so this has been discussed previously so apologies if I'm going over old ground.

I am now on my third set of wheel bolts and am getting tired of keep having to replace them. Some have been second hand so not A1 condition when they went on but with these harsh northern winters and the council salting everything in sight it's only 5 minutes until they rust again.

I've looked back at old threads and there has been some bad experience with stainless steel in the past so not keen on this idea. That leaves re-finishing or titanium.

I am speaking to a local metal finishers about options but then I came across these

Maserati Titanium Lug Bolts

For Maserati we have 2 styles of titanium lug bolt options, the difference being the head design. The standard head design which uses a 22mm wrench and the more aggressive looking 17mm internal hex head design. Both are M14x1.5 with a 77mm shaft. These will work in the Gran Turismo but not in...

www.acerracing.com

They work out at just over £250 delivered which is not far off the OEM steel bolts. Anyone got experience of these? They seem pretty cheap for titanium, does that suggest low quality? I'm a believer in you get what you pay for.

I read through a link to a discussion on titanium on ferrarichat that was pretty in depth. What I took away was that if your using Ti bolts then all surfaces must be clean and free of corrosion otherwise there is the risk of a nasty reaction <insert technical name here> which buggers them up. Seeing as all the work I've had done on my car has inolved cutting siezed bolts there's a good chance the bolt holes are not clean and corrosion free. Then there is the difference in torque settings and metal properties to consider.

I normally tend to stick with OEM on the basis that the factory made it that way for a reason and I don't know enough to argue.

Just to be clear I am not looking for performance gains or setting lap records this is purely cosmetic.

I am after wisdom from greater minds than mine...

 

[Zep]

I assume you are concerned about stainless steel is that they can crack and fail? Titanium also has this issue, in fact it is much more susceptible to galling resulting in cracks and failure.As you say, the threads need to be super clean or you end up with cold welding and then more trouble.

This, on the face of it doesn’t sound like a solution to the problem you have, namely cosmetic corrosion due to salt on the roads. Perhaps some quality stainless bolts would be better, or having the steel ones polished and then heavily plated to increase their life.

 

[MaserAndy]

That's interesting if titanium is more susceptible to failure than stainless steel. I guess it's best used in more controlled conditions like motorsport or on a more pampered car. An aging car used in all weather and temperatures will increase the stresses and risk of corrosion and therefore failure.

It may be best to stick with steel bolts and try to protect them better. I'll see what the metal finishers come back with.

 

[Lavazza]

OK so this has been discussed previously so apologies if I'm going over old ground.

I am now on my third set of wheel bolts and am getting tired of keep having to replace them. Some have been second hand so not A1 condition when they went on but with these harsh northern winters and the council salting everything in sight it's only 5 minutes until they rust again.

I've looked back at old threads and there has been some bad experience with stainless steel in the past so not keen on this idea. That leaves re-finishing or titanium.

I am speaking to a local metal finishers about options but then I came across these

Maserati Titanium Lug Bolts

For Maserati we have 2 styles of titanium lug bolt options, the difference being the head design. The standard head design which uses a 22mm wrench and the more aggressive looking 17mm internal hex head design. Both are M14x1.5 with a 77mm shaft. These will work in the Gran Turismo but not in...

www.acerracing.com

They work out at just over £250 delivered which is not far off the OEM steel bolts. Anyone got experience of these? They seem pretty cheap for titanium, does that suggest low quality? I'm a believer in you get what you pay for.

I read through a link to a discussion on titanium on ferrarichat that was pretty in depth. What I took away was that if your using Ti bolts then all surfaces must be clean and free of corrosion otherwise there is the risk of a nasty reaction <insert technical name here> which buggers them up. Seeing as all the work I've had done on my car has inolved cutting siezed bolts there's a good chance the bolt holes are not clean and corrosion free. Then there is the difference in torque settings and metal properties to consider.

I normally tend to stick with OEM on the basis that the factory made it that way for a reason and I don't know enough to argue.

Just to be clear I am not looking for performance gains or setting lap records this is purely cosmetic.

I am after wisdom from greater minds than mine...

Do you use a chemical wheel cleaner?

I expect that stuff doesn't do the bolts much good.

 

[Ewan]

This is probably of no help whatsoever (so no change there), but I’ve just bought a set of stainless bolts from Hill Engineering for my GT and they appear to be jolly nice. Time will tell, but I’m confident they’ll prove to be better than OEM.

 

[MaserAndy]

Do you use a chemical wheel cleaner?

I expect that stuff doesn't do the bolts much good.

Not that often. I think it's just general wear to the coating letting the water in.

I'm thinking that when i get the new set sorted I'll maybe coat them with something like ACF 50

 

[Scaf]

Not that often. I think it's just general wear to the coating letting the water in.

I'm thinking that when i get the new set sorted I'll maybe coat them with something like ACF 50

I imagine a regular squirt of WD40 for lowed by a swipe would be as good as anything.
No idea what bolts my GT had but they were perfect - no sign l rust at all

 

[La Rascasse]

For what’s it’s worth, I bought a few sets of these over a year ago. My GT is kept outside and no sign of tarnish or degrading. A bargain @ £8.39 and they haven’t flown off

20Pcs Universal 22mm Chrome Car Wheel Tire Nut Covers Bolt Caps + Tool | eBay

(Size: 22mm. 20x Wheel Nut Covers +1 Removal Tool. 4) Protects your bolt heads from corrosion. 2) Easy to fit,simply push down onto your bolts for a firm fit. Note: These covers will onlyfit the standard nuts/bolts on the vehicle, they willnot fit over any locking product you may have.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[allandwf]

No harsh sockets, or windy guns. Take care of them well, and they should last longer. Not saying you don't, but you may not know what the tire places do.

 

[Sam McGoo]

Mine were a bit tarnished and showing a small amount of corrosion when I got it.
I had the wheels off anyway, so gave them a good going over with autosol metal polish until clean and corrosion free, then gave them a good coat of FK1000. That was a year ago and still look very good after 5k miles including winter driving.

I reckon if you took them off one or two at a time, once /twice a year, cleaned and waxed them (or ceramic coating) they would stay pretty good.
I'd rather do that than pay stupid amounts for new bolts every couple of years.

 

[MaserAndy]

Thanks for the input folks, i guess i just need to a bit better care of them!

 

[Robin D]

Can any of you gentlemen tell me what torque setting for a 3200GT wheel studs would be or where I could find it?