Wheel adapters, need a fastening.

I bought some 4x110 to 4x100 adapters for my fb rx7 (ill buy some 4x110 wheels when I'm rich!).. My biggest thing right now is I need to get some bolts that fit between the wheels and adapters to mount them to the hub.. I'm thinking I should get some tapered flat socket caps, m12x1.5, anyone have suggestions as to where I would find them?? :) I searched online and at my local brofasco.

M12X1.50 is commonly used for wheel bolts and lugs but isn't too commmon for anything else and that makes finding what you are searching for difficult. When I was making 4X100 to 5X130 adapters the ONLY place that could get 12X1.5 socket head caps was Fastenal and they were a special order that took two weeks to arrive at the store.

The local fastener store that has been around since the 50's and usually dumbfounds me with what oddball stuff they can produce swore up and down that they would not exist.

Another option is to get a hold of adaptit-usa or another company like that and buy their fasteners for $8 each or whatever they want.

Nocones told me he put 4x108 wheels on his 4x110 hubs. (Or maybe it was the other way around) Anyways, I'm no help for your adapter problem.

I am serious when I use this name... have you tried Uneedabolt

Try Fastenal, or any of your local industrial suppliers.

First.

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Am I being paranoid/misinformed when I admit to being under the impression that socket head cap screws are usually too hard for an application like this? I mean that they are hardened to the point of being too brittle?

I really should have a specific document listing applications, hardnesses, hardware grades... A quick google and I couldn't find anything concise, so all I've got is my mental catalog of applications, assocations, and connotations...

ditchdigger wrote: Another option is to get a hold of adaptit-usa or another company like that and buy their fasteners for $8 each or whatever they want.

My thoughts as well.

It is a good question. I have never found the hardness of a factory VW/BMW lug bolt anywhere. 8.8? 10.9? I don't know.

90% of all black finish metric socket head cap screws are 12.9. I used them simply because that is what I have seen adapter suppliers use.

Anyone know the strength property class for OEM metric wheel bolts/studs?

Keith wrote:

ditchdigger wrote: Another option is to get a hold of adaptit-usa or another company like that and buy their fasteners for $8 each or whatever they want.

My thoughts as well.

And this illustrates my long held belief that adapters are very rarely a lower cost option to finding wheels in the proper bolt pattern. Even if you have a lathe and the skills to machine the aluminum you are out $128 for the fasteners to hold the adapters to the car, 5-6" aluminum stock is over $150 a foot and you still need to buy 16 press in studs and nuts to hold the wheel to the adapter. So say another $75 to 100.

And people always act offended when I tell them how much "buddy prices" are on making adapters for them. They always think because I have a lathe it is pretty much free.

The exception to this rule are aircooled VW's. Off the shelf adapters with hardware for $25 a pair

Not sure on BMW bolts.. but I know Fiat bolts are SOFT. Soft and fine threaded.. very easy to crossthread and strip

When you buy adapters from Adaptit, they do come with nuts. Just FYI in case anyone is costing out parts.

I might try the vw beetle air cooled bolts, they're 19mm head, shorter than the fb heads and readily available to me.. I also heard celica supra 4x114.3 wheels have large enough lug holes to run on 4x110 cars.. So one day when I've got time..

Shorter vw bolt vs Mazda bolt

CanadianTercel wrote: I also heard celica supra 4x114.3 wheels have large enough lug holes to run on 4x110 cars.. So one day when I've got time..

Sounds likje you just need some PCD variation bolts

As long as the wheels are hubcentric then these will allow up to 2.4mm offset per bolt.

I use them to run 4X100 wheels on my 4X98 car.

So my googling has turned up that most wheel bolts are 10.9 but I found more than a few places offering 12.9.

Perhaps that isn't an issue?

I have also seen flat socket head screws holding 2 piece adapters together

I just gave a quick look in Smith's "Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners and Plumbing Handbook" and couldn't find anything to validate my fear.

I'll be looking for particular confirmation rather than just continuing to fail to find a warning, but it may be that I was imagining things to worry about...

Mine use socket head cap bolts to the hub and MB bolts into the adapter. Works good.

So seeing as the wheels I plan to run (13x6 Exim's) have casting recesses in the mounting pad, i think i'm going to run these EMPI VW stud conversion kits that are laying around the shop, and then just trim the studs down so that nothing protrudes from the adapter (as long as the whole wheel nut is threaded atleast!) this way my solution is damn near free, and seemingly safe. I also found these bolts for mini coopers on ebay, which would probably work depending on height..

Mini cooper bolts

I friend of mine has those on his MCS... shallow they are not. More for show than anything functional.