i bought a set of these wheels at a steal some time ago, but all of the original bolts didnt make it...previous owner said he sent them and must have fell out of the box

anyways, i was wondering how necessary these bolts where since the two halves were welded together...i know they are a true three piece wheel, but the two shells are welded together with the face sandwiched in the middle...im thinking there is a possibility that the face would spin without any bolts, but since i only have a few of the originals left i was wondering if having some blank spaces would be ok?

to be precise, there are 30 holes per wheel...there will be 6 original bolts per wheel, as well as 12 BBS RS spike bolts per wheel (all i could afford), so that leaves 12 blank spaces

also, the BBS RS bolts are M7s, where as the original bolts are M6 (i think)...i was planning on drilling out the holes to allow the M7 bolts to fit...is this ok? what would be the best and most precise way of doing this?

thanks

 

The face isn't sandwiched in the middle, if memory serves me right. The face mounts to the backside of the lip on the barrel. So, in short, yes you'd need all of the bolts. The welded portion, is just on the barrel, not on the mounting lip of the barrel.

 

yes, the face is sandwiched in the middle...im not trying to be a dick, but my eyes are probably better than your memory...i can post a pic if you would like

 

You mean a picture like this one?



That trim ring under the nuts is not part of the barrel.

 

Do not drill out the holes. Save up and get the rest of the correct size bolts.

 

i believe it is...there is no indication of a break in material on mine...it looks like the barrel just rolls up to form that mounting ring...and if you look on the inside of that ring, you can see a break in material where the face is at, and it looks like the face actually goes in behind that ring...also, if you look into one of the bolt holes you can see the three different levels: the outer lip, then the face, then the inner lip...you can tell that it goes in that order because of the color

assuming you are right and the face is actually mounted on the back side instead of sandwiched in the middle, this would mean i would be able to take the faces out without cutting the barrels apart, correct? and assuming i was right, there is no way to take the faces out without cutting the barrels apart...later today i will try to take the faces out...whats the best way of doing this? rubber mallet? just beat it out? is heat required?

also, assuming i am right and the face is indeed sandwiched in the middle, are all of the bolts necessary? i need to know soon, Import Alliance is this weekend

 

any reason not to? other than resale value...i do not currently plan on parting with these wheels...they have become my project

 

Yes, you would be able to remove the face without cutting the barrels.


I'll be honest, I've never heard of a wheel having (essentially) a floating face sandwiched between the mounting lips of a 2-part barrel. There's just so many problems with that idea, that I cannot fathom why a manufacturer would even attempt it. Not to mention the fact that it negates the reasoning behind having a multi-piece wheel.

Either way, you would need all of the bolts for safety reasons. I wouldn't risk driving on a set of wheels that didn't have all of the mounting bolts, whether or not the wheel's barrel was welded together. You, technically, could drill out those holes to accept a slightly larger bolt. But, do not exceed the existing holes by too much, as you run the risk of weakening the structure of the wheel.

PS. I'll be at IA, so if you want me to look at them then... that's fine as well.


I would try some PB Blaster and a rubber mallet at first. Add heat, if it's budging, but needs more motivation.

 

only going from an M6 to an M7, and only on the hole that will be using the spike bolts that i have...i already bought them, just dont want to waste them

thanks, but hopefully i will be rolling on them then...dont want to be caught on a set of rotas after all of this work...

dang, cant post a link to an outside forum...look for the Desert Sage Metallic 4th gen prelude at IA

thanks, ill let you know of the outcome

 

the face is sandwiched...no doubt about it...if you look where the valve stem goes, you can see it is in fact between the two outer lips...i forgot to take a picture before i left the shop, but i will get a picture tomorrow

so now that there is absolutely no question that the face isnt falling off without the bolts, will i have any problems?

 

yes, on some or most 16" i have seen the wheel is totally sandwiched together and welded shut. i have a set in my shop atm and currently i fitted some gold plastic rivets on them lol but matt does have a point:

the bolts were there for a reason whether it was strength or looks or both..not sure but i wouldnt risk it.

instead of trying some oem m6 bolts ( which are almost impossible to find and arp's are way too expensive) try mcmaster and carr's 1/4 " flange 12point screws but you would u need to plate or paint them later so the alloy steel wont rust.. not sure on the length though.

 

hmmm i got a set of ssr gp0 too! and im tryin to take the faces off!! but its sealed up too!!