Shearing spacer & wheel studs

Shearing spacer & wheel studs

Author
Discussion

Rob175kks

Original Poster:

169 posts

152 months

Monday 10th November 2014
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Hi guys,

This has happened to me twice now. After driving on track for a while all of a sudden something it will feel odd and not under control at the rear…………the nearside rear spacer's spigot(?) shears, and a stud or two will snap off, leaving the remaining ones loose.

When I first bought the car it had wheel studs and 10mm hubcentric spacers on, they sheared so I bought some Eibach spacers & extended Drifworks bolts to replace the studs, thinking they may both be better/stronger than the originals.Nope! They both sheared off in just the same way.
I’ve been lucky not to have a massive accident. I don’t want it to happen again.

In each case the wheels had been put on by different garages, the last was motorsport alignment company.

Does anyone know what could be causing this? Any help much appreciated.

Rob

Snake the Sniper

2,544 posts

201 months

Thursday 13th November 2014
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Were the wheel nuts checked for tightness before heading out on the track? With only a 10mm spacer, this seems unusual!

PhillipM

6,518 posts

189 months

Friday 14th November 2014
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Overtorqued? Too much offset?

BritishRacinGrin

24,690 posts

160 months

Saturday 15th November 2014
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My guess? the spacer is of poor quality and the spigot isn't concentric with the bolt array.

TheRealFingers99

1,996 posts

128 months

Saturday 15th November 2014
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That would be my guess as well. You could try holding the spacer in place on the hub and seeing if you can move it up and down, side to side, same with the spacer on the wheel.

Something is allowing, I'd think, the studs to take the weight of the car.

There's an outside possibility of over-torquing or duff studs, but they have to be pretty remote.

BritishRacinGrin

24,690 posts

160 months

Saturday 15th November 2014
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I reckon what's happening is the wheel is placed over the spigot and then the tapered nuts are torqued up, and as the bolt holes and the spigot aren't concentric this is placing a huge radial load on the spigot which then shears, allowing the wheel to move. Thinking about it, it could also be the wheel's fault as if the wheel bore and stud hole array aren't concentric it'd have the same effect.

Of course none of this could happen were it not for the spacers as the original wheel spigots on your car are part of the hub and they are manufactured from an appropriate material and a standard of quality which is up to the job. This is one of the many reasons why spacers should be avoided IMO.

Editting again, the fact that the issue has repeated itself with two different spacers suggest that it is indeed the wheel which is faulty.

Edited by BritishRacinGrin on Saturday 15th November 03:29