Date:         Sat, 25 Oct 2003 19:20:51 EDT
Reply-To:     BenTbtstr8@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Ben T <BenTbtstr8@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Lug Nuts for Audi 5000 Turbo Wheels
Comments: To: bbeasley@MIX.WVU.EDU
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

In a message dated 10/24/2003 7:37:32 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
bbeasley@MIX.WVU.EDU writes:
OK, I promise, this is the last question about the 5000T wheels.  What lug
nuts are you Audi wheel rollin' Syncros using?  The wheel is a ball-seat but
all of the VW alloys use cone-seat nuts.  Audi uses lug bolts rather than
nuts, which won't work on VW hubs.  Can I use my good ole steel ball-seat
lug nuts on the Audi alloys.
Ben B.,

The wheels don't care whether you are using bolts or studs. The only thing
that matters is the seat. Depending on which Audi wheels you are using, it is
possible to find both ball and cone seat lugbolts/nuts on them. Same can be said
of VW alloys. There are also two different size bolt/stud used by both
companies -- 12 mm or 14 mm. The ball seat on the smaller stud/nut is proportionally
smaller.

Your lugnuts from your steel wheels can fit an Audi alloy wheel with lugholes
for a 14 mm stud/bolt. You problem will be the length of your stock studs. I
have not been following this thread so excuse me if this question has been
addressed previously. The mounting pad on a steel wheel is much thinner than most
alloy wheels for obvious reasons -- strength. As a consequence alloy wheels
require a longer stud (and bolts for 2wd). To solve this problem, VW went to
conical seat lugnuts and bolts which "reach in" further than the stock ballseat
lugnuts and lugbolts. Same will be true with the Audi wheel.

If you are going to leave the Audi alloys just as the are, you will need to
use longer studs and/or bolts to give you the minimum safe number of turns for
a good thread engagement (7.5 turns per VW). If you will using spacers to
correct your wheel's offset, then your stud/bolt length needs to be increased as
well.

BenT
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