Date:         Tue, 17 Oct 2000 18:15:56 -0400
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <ron@NETCARRIER.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <ron@NETCARRIER.COM>
Subject:      Re: Tire lug nut question..
Comments: To: dave <dave@SPARKPLUG.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <B6121138.C749%dave@sparkplug.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

> Today, I found I had a flat tire, and chose to change it in my driveway.
> When I dropped the spare, I found a Michelin MXT 205 R 14 tire, mounted on
> an ALLOY rim.
> Anyhow, when I went to put the spare on, it seemed like the standard lug
> nuts did not quite fit into the holes on the alloy rim. I could
> see a lot of thread left over on the spare.
> Do Alloy rims use the same lug nuts as standard rims? If not, is
> it safe for me to make the 2 mile drive form my house
> Also, has anyone heard of a 1991 GL come with all standard rims,
> and have an alloy rim for the spare? Seems out of place.


As you suspect, It's very likely that your van originally had alloys and
someone removed the other ones. The alloys do use a different lug nut, which
is quite expensive.  While I have driven on alloys using stock lug nuts for
a short distance in an emergency, I have to admit I was a little worried
about the fit. It would seem a bit silly to buy the specialized nuts and
bolts just to use the wheel as a spare. (Since the front uses bolts and the
rear nuts, and you don't know which end of the vehicle you'd have to put the
spare on until you need it, you'd have to buy a set of each.)  Unless you
plan to replace the other four rims with alloys, you might be better off
selling your one alloy (which is worth $100 or so if in good shape), picking
up a steel spare rim at a junkyard ('71-91 will fit), and using the money
you saved to buy yourself a new tire or two to replace the one that went
flat.

- Ron Salmon
 The Bus DepotŪ, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215) 234-VWVW

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