Types of fasteners
Here are the types of fasteners needed for alloy wheels:
- Bolts are metal rods with a screw thread at the end. Used to connect detachable elements.
- Nuts are round-shaped parts designed to fasten elements by screwing a metal die onto threaded rods.
Steel, aluminum or titanium alloys are used to produce products.
Titanium bolts are distinguished by high quality indicators. Black bolts for alloy wheels are made from steel with the addition of molybdenum or steel with a chrome or nickel coating.
Useful video
You can glean additional interesting information from the video below:
The appearance of the car, among other things, depends on the wheels installed on it. Stylish alloy wheels can transform the simplest and most unprepossessing car, giving it originality. VAZ car owners have access to a wide variety of rims:
For each type you have to buy suitable bolts to securely fix the wheel. These fasteners are made from numerous materials:
- black metals;
- nickel alloys;
- metals with the addition of zinc or chromium;
- alloys with molybdenum, etc.
When choosing wheel bolts, be guided not only by their appearance and strength, but also by their dimensions: length, head type, thread size and pitch.
Characteristics of bolts and nuts
Bolts and nuts differ in design features, so the choice is determined by the type of disk. The stamped disc is made from a durable type of steel. Moreover, it has a small thickness at the point of attachment to the central part of the rotating part. For an optimal connection, the bolt and nut must have a flat surface. The composition of cast wheels includes relatively light alloys. They have reduced reliability characteristics. The fastening system of the products is made in the form of a cone.
Thread
When purchasing bolts, you should pay attention to the threaded part. Not all elements have the same thread pitch. More often there are hardware with a thread pitch of 1.25 and 1.5 mm with a diameter of 12 or 14 mm. It is recommended to purchase new wheel bolts complete with rims or take into account the requirements of the car manufacturer's instructions.
Thread length
To select a bolt of the required length, the easiest way is to try it on site. This technique does not work if the bolt is coated with a coating that is difficult to scratch. Then another option will do; you will need to count the number of revolutions when unscrewing the old bolt. Next, the length of the threaded pin is divided by the resulting figure. The result will be the required length of the fastener.
Bolt Compatibility
VAZ owners are often interested in whether it is possible to install regular stamped wheels and secure them with bolts from cast ones. The opinions of motorists on forums differ. Some successfully install stamped wheels using bolts from cast ones, while others have to buy new fasteners.
When trying to secure stamped discs with bolts from cast ones, you will most likely encounter difficulties, since these fasteners are longer. If you previously had alloy wheels, the bolt was not screwed in as deeply as it will need to be tightened when installing stamped ones. For this reason, the threads in depth are likely to be affected by corrosion, which will make screwing in the bolts more difficult. This is the only reason why motorists usually buy shorter bolts along with stamped wheels.
How to measure yourself
Measurements must be as accurate as possible, since the indicators differ in close values with a distance of a couple of millimeters, for example, 98 and 100 or 110 and 112, and they are not interchangeable. To eliminate errors, it is recommended to use a caliper or ruler.
Adjacent holes
Here's how to determine the distance between bolt holes. The dimensions of the circle on which the holes are located are taken. The diameter is determined using compatibility tables or by measuring using a ruler. The resulting distance between adjacent fasteners should be multiplied by a factor that depends on the number of holes. The circumference of a VAZ is 9.8 cm, and that of passenger cars is 139.7 millimeters.
Far holes
A simple measurement method is carried out on models with an even number of recesses - for 4, 6, 8 fasteners. Parallel Hole Distance – PCD.
And here’s how the far holes of disks with five bolts are measured: the calculation is made between non-adjacent recesses, the resulting figure should be multiplied by 1.051.
Hub window diameter
Indicative data for the central hub window are indicated in the table and in the complete bolt pattern formula. In the absence of information, readings are measured with a ruler or caliper. The diameter of the hub area on the VAZ 2110 = 58.6 mm.
The bolt pattern is carried out taking into account the relative size of the vertical axis of symmetry of the disk to the area adjacent to the hub.
Corrosion protection
For reliable operation of the chassis, everything is important: the bolt pattern, the dimensions of all components, the alignment/camber settings, and even the protection of the arches from corrosion. It is the arches that are more susceptible to adverse factors than other parts of the body - from ordinary moisture during rain to reagents on winter roads.
To ensure reliable protection of the arches, it is best to install lockers (fender liners) on the VAZ 2110. Such protection will cost much less than subsequent repairs of rusted arches. It is important to choose the correct size of the lockers and ensure their tight fit in the area of the arches.
We hope that by completing all the repair work yourself, you will provide your VAZ 2110 with many years of trouble-free service on the road.
Full and abbreviated bolt pattern formula
Manufacturers provide detailed wording that reflects all important meanings. Motorists use abbreviations that do not fully describe the product.
Abbreviated
PCD (Pitch Circle Diameter) is a short formulation that includes two parameters. It is indicated: 4×98 – wheel bolt pattern on a VAZ-2110. The number of four indicates the number of bolt recesses. The number 98 was obtained as a result of the transverse method of measuring their circumference.
Full
Let's look at an example: the full bolt pattern formula is indicated on the rim: 7.5 J×15 H2 5×100 ET 40 D 54.1.
Decoding of alphanumeric groups means:
- 5 JX 15 – rim width 7.5 inches and diameter 15 inches;
- X – indicates that the disc is made by casting or forging;
- J – it is recommended to use the product on single-wheel drive vehicles;
- JJ – marking of all-wheel drive models;
- H2 – the number of protrusions that secure the tires. Models with one protrusion - H1. Absence of protrusions - marking AN;
- Hump - indicates high-quality rubber retention; this feature eliminates depressurization.
Is it possible to install alloy wheels on bolts from stamped ones?
Previously, standard alloy wheels on the VAZ 2108 and “classics” were secured with M12*1.25*30.5 S19 bolts, and for stamped ones the following bolts were used:
- for the G8 - M12*1.25*23;
- for “classics” - M12*1.25*27.
When Priora appeared, factory alloy wheels were installed using lightweight M12*1.25*27 S17 bolts, but stamped ones on Kalina, Priora and Samara cars were also attached to the same bolts. Thus, bolts from stamped wheels may not be suitable for cast wheels due to insufficient length.
Consequences from another bolt pattern
Using inappropriate bolts is a safety hazard. When a bolt pattern occurs, an axial displacement of the entire wheel relative to the hub occurs. At high speeds, the wheel spins unevenly, the car will shake, which is accompanied by a beating in the steering wheel.
When installing wheels, car enthusiasts often encounter such a problem as a discrepancy in the diameter of the fasteners. In this case, eccentric bolts with a movable conical part are suitable, which will eliminate discrepancies in size.
Tightening fasteners on alloy wheels
Before installing the bolts into the mounting recesses, it is recommended to treat the hardware with graphite lubricant. As a result, when it comes into contact with the disk, the head of the bolt or nut will rotate and make full contact. This will prevent blocking during starting power due to friction between the disc and the mounting system. Bolts are produced that compensate for minimal deviations in fastener dimensions. A loose connection will lead to cyclical failures in the fastening system; the bolts and nuts will begin to unscrew themselves.
Locking bolts for alloy wheels
Secret bolts for alloy wheels are another subtype. If you install locks, car tires will be protected from theft. You won't be able to remove the wheel with a regular wrench. To unwind the secrets, you will need a key that comes with them in one set.
When selecting fasteners for wheels, you should remember that cast products are relatively thick. Accordingly, longer bolts are selected for them than for stamped discs.
Everyone knows that bolts are used to secure wheels on many domestic cars, in particular on the “nine”.
Without exaggeration, the life of the driver and passengers depends on the wheel fasteners. Therefore, you need to select wheel bolts for the VAZ 2109 with all seriousness and it is better to purchase them from official dealers of automakers. Only correctly selected wheel bolts guarantee reliable fixation of the wheels.
What nuts are needed for stamped wheels?
Today, on some domestic cars, as well as foreign cars made in the USA and Japan, disks are secured with several types of nuts:
- Open,
- Closed,
- With or without collar.
Closed wheel nuts protect the hub from dirt. They are made, similar to bolts, from different materials.
The most commonly used are stainless steel or titanium. When choosing a wheel nut, you need to take into account the most important parameter - thread matching.
Nuts are also made of aluminum. They are designed for mounting wheels on sports cars.
The parts are distinguished by their low weight and increased softness of the metal. Such nuts must be constantly monitored and tightened.
Open type cone nuts are also used to fasten stampings. For wheel tuning, titanium nuts are installed. Their main difference is considered to be high strength and low weight.
However, titanium is a noble and not cheap metal, so not everyone can afford them - their cost is an order of magnitude higher than similar fasteners.
What types of wheel bolts are there?
Let's look at what a VAZ 2109 wheel bolt is.
Standard fasteners have:
- hex head;
- conical clamping part;
- threaded part.
Moreover, the edges of the head turn into a cone. M12 thread with pitch 1.25 and thread length 22 - 24 mm. Thread pitch is a very important parameter. If you forcefully screw in bolts with a different pitch, you can ruin the threads in the hub, and then you will have to change it.
Such hardware is used for wheels with stamped discs. If cast (light alloy) wheels are used, then for the VAZ 2109 the wheel bolt must be longer (27 - 33 mm). Chrome plated with a conical rotating washer is often used. This washer, located under the head, protects the surface of the disc when the bolt is tightened. Its threaded part must completely fit into the hole in the hub, but no more, so that when the wheel rotates, the bolts cannot touch stationary parts.
It is worth emphasizing that you cannot put old stamping hardware on new alloy wheels. In this case, the bolts can easily unscrew under load and the wheel will fall off while driving. I don’t even want to talk about the consequences.
The clamping part of the bolt can be spherical, but it must coincide with the profiles of the holes in the wheel rim to ensure wheel alignment.
Bolts for forged wheels VSMPO
You can install new VSMPO forged wheels of the ANTARES model on a VAZ using the bolts that hold the standard VAZ alloy wheels. These fasteners are similar in length, but differ in the shape of the skirt. There are original bolts for forged wheels, but even with standard fasteners from factory casting they will hold securely. Many VAZ owners confirm this on specialized forums, but some still purchase forged wheels along with a set of new bolts.
In all modifications of the VAZ 2110, the bolt pattern in the factory configuration is 4x98. “Dozens” rolled off the assembly lines with stamped wheel disks - diameter R13, as well as with cast ones - diameter R14.
The wheels were fitted with tires measuring 175/70 R13 or 175/65 R14. However, if the sizes of wheels and tires are relatively clear values, then what a bolt pattern is is a big mystery to many.
Wheel parameters and bolt pattern for VAZ 2110, 2111, 2112
How to avoid wheel theft
To protect wheels from theft, some use “secrets,” as they are called. This is a bolt that cannot be unscrewed with standard tools, but only with an individual special key, available only to the owner of the car.
Various methods are used to protect such fasteners. For example, the head of a bolt can be made in the shape of an irregular polygon or a completely arbitrary figure; one of the profiles is sometimes shifted to the side. A perforated profile with holes of various diameters and depths is also used. You cannot determine the reliability of secrets by looking at their profile; it is more important to use products from proven and reliable manufacturers.
Usually, in order not to ruin the secret bolt, it is tightened with less force. Because of this, such wheel bolts in the VAZ 2109 are placed one on each wheel. Unfortunately, in our country there are still people who like to “take off” your car’s shoes, so the topic of secret locks remains relevant for now.
All these secrets make it difficult for lovers of easy money to remove the wheels, they make it difficult. Because if you have time, you can unscrew everything, but thieves have little time.
Therefore, in order to most effectively protect your wheels, you should follow several rules.
- It is better to buy expensive secrets, this helps to avoid matching products. Because when producing unique secrets, after some time the cycle repeats, and there is some chance of repetition of parts. But in expensive products such coincidences are excluded.
- If you buy alloy wheels, it is better to choose ones in which the secrets would be “recessed” inside the disk rather than on the surface. They are more difficult to unscrew.
- It is worth purchasing bolts with a flat pattern at the top of the head, which is not sharpened to a key. (For example, an asterisk or a heptagon). That is, the drawing should be as unusual and flat as possible.
The price on the Internet for regular wheel bolts is from 14, and for “secret” ones from 160 rubles.
Sometimes car enthusiasts use bolts for VAZ 2109 wheels with an offset center. They are easy to find in online stores. Such bolts are used if there are no original disks and others have been installed with slight differences. The eccentric bolts allow you to align all the holes and securely fasten the wheel.
Bolts are made from different materials. This can be steel with an admixture of molybdenum or steel coated with nickel, chromium, etc., sometimes even titanium. Coated bolts have a nice appearance. But don’t think that this is the best choice. The problem is that any bolts are susceptible to corrosion. And the technology of nickel or chromium coating with sufficient stability has not yet been created. After a year, coated bolts will inevitably lose their beauty. Therefore, the appearance of the bolts is practically unrelated to their operational data. The most important factors are strength, thread pitch, length and type of bolt head.
To change wheels yourself, you need to know how to properly unscrew and tighten the wheel bolts. To do this, you should look at the photos and videos. There are a lot of such materials on the Internet. There are also instructions online for tightening bolts using a torque wrench. It is especially important when installing new bolts after approximately 50 km to check the tightness of all bolts. Most likely, some of them will have to be tightened up!
