Dr Zhivago
Member
Is it just me who finds it so difficult to put a wheel back on with the bolt method that seems favoured these days (I have a Panda 1.3 4x4 but I guess other cars too) - as opposed to the studs and nuts method. With the stud and nut method you could see the stud ends when they started to nose through the wheel holes and then hook the wheel onto the studs while you put a nut or two on before pushing the wheel fully home and getting the rest of the nuts on : the threads of the studs stopped the wheel slipping back off until then. I even painted the ends of my wheel studs white on another car to help me see them through the holes in poor light (eg roadside).
WIth the bolt method however I find the tapered guide pins on the hub little or no help, and even when you get the wheel on them it seems determined to slide back off while you are trying to engage a bolt. I can't see the alignment of the holes unless I lie on my side on the ground which makes it hard to lift the wheel, and even when they appear aligned the slightest amount off (like 1/2 mm) stops the bolt thread from engaging. What is the point of this method? Is it a millisecond quicker for the robots at the factory or something? It would be easier if the car were on a lift with the wheel at eye level, but I don't have one.
Another downside of the bolt method is that if an idiot strips the threads by over-tightening you need a new hub or half-shaft. With stud and nuts you only need to replace those, and the studs can be knocked out. For example, Dick Lovett, an up-market main dealer in Bristol, stripped the studs and nuts of my then Jeep Cherokee during a recall.
My method now with the bolt method is to put a couple of large rods (crosshead screwdrivers) through the wheel and hub holes and slide the wheel into place while I get a bolt or two in, but still not easy and really needs three arms. Does anyone know a better trick?
WIth the bolt method however I find the tapered guide pins on the hub little or no help, and even when you get the wheel on them it seems determined to slide back off while you are trying to engage a bolt. I can't see the alignment of the holes unless I lie on my side on the ground which makes it hard to lift the wheel, and even when they appear aligned the slightest amount off (like 1/2 mm) stops the bolt thread from engaging. What is the point of this method? Is it a millisecond quicker for the robots at the factory or something? It would be easier if the car were on a lift with the wheel at eye level, but I don't have one.
Another downside of the bolt method is that if an idiot strips the threads by over-tightening you need a new hub or half-shaft. With stud and nuts you only need to replace those, and the studs can be knocked out. For example, Dick Lovett, an up-market main dealer in Bristol, stripped the studs and nuts of my then Jeep Cherokee during a recall.
My method now with the bolt method is to put a couple of large rods (crosshead screwdrivers) through the wheel and hub holes and slide the wheel into place while I get a bolt or two in, but still not easy and really needs three arms. Does anyone know a better trick?
