Isn't a grade 8 the highest rating for a bolt? I also have unilugs for my front wheels. After reading all these posts I need to check the stud length! They are the factory studs with front drum brakes. I am using the correct washer and I'm pretty sure I have the ¾" lug shank, but it never hurts to check such things!
No, Grade 8 is not the highest bolt rating..................and most of the grade 8 stuff you buy at Home Depot, ACE and others actually come from China.......................Grade 8 is supposed to be 150,000 psi tensile but have seen some tests that where less than 120,000. Military used designations of AN/NAS/MS, which range from a tensile strength of 160,000 to 180,000 psi. I use ARP studs which are rated for 200,000 psi.................................you get what you pay for......IMHO
Also, please don't take my example above of a 3/4" shank length to be the correct length for your wheels. Shanks come in many lengths and diameters. I have seen 2 wheels from the same manufacturer that required different length/style of nuts and shanks for the same style wheel. You need to measure the depth of your wheel, every one of them, and make sure the shank is as close to that length and still remain just under the depth of your wheel. SPark
Agreed 100%! You definitely have to pay for the good stuff. I personally would never mount a wheel on a regular bolt of any kind. I've never been a fan of the uni lug wheel either. Ok for the street if mounted correctly with the right hardware but as a teenager, I had a set on American Racing 200's, the local tire store mounted tires for me and refused to run them up and torque them by hand so by the time I made it 5 miles, I only had 2 lugs left on the RR when I pulled over. I remember that smug attitude I got from the tech. I always checked the torque in the parking lot after any sort of service and rechecked them again after a few hundred miles.
As stated by Im14...It has been my exp that the un-informed (Which you are now, not) and improper use/installation are most of the reason not to. But...I dont feel there is enough material in a unilug wheel around the lugs to adequately secure/support a big torque/high HP launch on slicks repeatedly. The shock loading on a wheel/lugs/studs is really quite tremendous with a good hook/holeshot off the line in a drag car.
Thanks for that info! I learned something today!!! I remember when I got the lugs that I put the washer on and inserted the lug in the wheel and had about an ⅛" space to the drum. They also fit snugly into the hole. ( no side to side play ) Now I need to remove a lug nut to see if the stud comes out past the wheel far enough! Thanks for posting this!!!
The ET unilug was a better system than the Cragar style. ET used a oval washer that fit into a recess in the wheel, Cragar washers fit against a rib. The ET style nut has a beveled edge that matches the bevel in the washer, plus it protudes through the washer about 1/2". I ran the same set of ET's for years on three or four different vehicles without any problems, even doing some strip time with them and some sticky 60's.
I'm not really sure what brand my wheels are. I'm using the oval washer that has a flat hole and the lugnut has a flat face to match the washer. I'm going to have time this weekend to pull off a lugnut to check the wheel stud length. I hope I don't have to change all of them! Here's a photo of the wheel. Some of you may know who made these!
The center caps are from an early Ford Ranger. They are screwed onto the wheel. You can see two screws, the other one is hidden from view. Notice Craig's Maverick medallion! I'm going to paint a thin line around that ridge outside the medallion. I think it will make the medallion appear larger. Anyway, I may just pull the wheels off, as I wanted to install the upper control arm grease fittings I got in a kit from " Drakes ". That will give me more room to do that and I can inspect the wheels for a makers mark or some kind of id on them. If I can't find a mark on them I'll post pics of the wheel without the cap, front and back views. Everyone have a great weekend and remember the vets! I'm one too!
