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The dangers of wheel adaptors!!

Started by _rhysandhisLJ_ , Mar 18 2007 09:18 PM

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62 replies to this topic

#1 _rhysandhisLJ_

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Posted 18 March 2007 - 09:18 PM

Hello everyone,

Today i have encountered first hand the dangers of wheel adaptors. I bought some for my lx so i could use commodore wheels on my car...
I can't find who i purchased them off on ebay but after reading this i'm hoping you all will take my advice to stay on the safe side and stay clear of them!

I was cruising down the Hume highway at around 3pm this arvo on my way home from Kyabram when my steering wheel started shuddering, it wasn't a small shudder like i used to have in my torana but was rather vigorous. I braked and pulled off the road as quick as possible and just as i was about to stop and BANG!
The drivers side front wheel disconnected from the car and down she crashed onto the dirt.
Posted Image

It turns out the original studs on the torana stub axles snapped. It would have been from the extra pressure the adaptor plates was exerting onto them. Here is a picture.
Posted Image

Not only could this have seriously injured myself or others, but it completely destroyed my front quarter panel, which i'm going to attempt to repair throughout the week.
Posted Image

I'm completely devastated (i know she's not a right off but the biggest accident i've ever had), i should've taken the smart advice of Damo and Marc and taken them off... i thought "she'll be right for this little trip maybe when i get back". you IDIOT rhys!!!
Take care all.

Rhys.

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#2 LXdamo

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Posted 18 March 2007 - 09:24 PM

Tough way to learn a lesson mate,but you'll get over it
Good luck with your repairs and hope it gets back on the road soon

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#3 _Monkey_

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Posted 18 March 2007 - 09:45 PM

Shite, that sucks mate.
Your very lucky that could have ended a lot worse than it did.
I was tempted to say 'it'll buff out' but i know how shitty you feel so i didnt.

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#4 _why-psi_

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Posted 18 March 2007 - 09:49 PM

shite, i saw these adaptors on ebay and was thinking about picking up a set! guess i wont now!

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#5 LXdamo

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Posted 18 March 2007 - 09:55 PM

I think if rhys' little incident has put any doubt in anyone's mind about buying these shonky products,his post has definatly been worth while.

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#6 _radar_

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Posted 18 March 2007 - 09:57 PM

Hey Lxsl, at least you weren't injured. Cars can be repaired, lives can't.
Good luck to you with the repairs. Glad to hear that you are all alright.

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#7 rodomo

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Posted 18 March 2007 - 10:09 PM

Lucky you switched on to it when you did!
I've often wondered about those adapters.
Best of luck with the repairs.

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#8 _why-psi_

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Posted 18 March 2007 - 10:24 PM

Rhys are these the ones????
wheel spacers ebay link

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#9 _Yella SLuR_

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Posted 18 March 2007 - 10:32 PM

How tight did you do the bolts up into the adapter plate? What did you use to tighten them (rattle gun?)? What sort of bolts/threads replaced the standard studs?

Sorry, but I just have questions, personally I wouldn't use em, easier to change the stub axles and get the axles welded and redrilled, but you need precise equipment, if the PCD is out by the smallest amount you'll get bad results, i.e. wheels dropping off.

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#10 _rhysandhisLJ_

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Posted 18 March 2007 - 10:33 PM

Thanks guys i hope the repair goes well too, hopefully either get it done or find a spare panel before my final engineers assessment next saturday.

whypsi yep they're the ones, i even checked and that's the same ebay user who sold me mine. Thanks for finding that, i might send a polite email to wheel_inc.
The adaptors shown in the picture are much thicker than mine, it's not that the adaptor cracked or broke, it simply placed a much higher load on the original studs by bringing the wheel out this creates a large downforce on the studs, in turn THEY BREAK.

"Also used to clear large brakes and as they bolt on to your car more safe then using spacers!"
They are entirely different to wheel spacers which simply space the wheel out from the stub axle/disc and leave you with less thread on the studs.

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#11 _Azza_

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Posted 18 March 2007 - 10:38 PM

No way mate that sucks big time!

I got lots of panels if you cant fix that one. You in SA?

Good to hear your allright!

Cheers

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#12 rodomo

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Posted 18 March 2007 - 10:41 PM

Out of interest, how did you get it home?
Could you use the studs from the adapter?
And fit your spare?

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#13 _rhysandhisLJ_

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Posted 18 March 2007 - 10:44 PM

yella slur,
the nuts holding the adaptor plate onto the stub axle were done up using one of those four way "cross" wheel socket wrench, you may call it? They were done up rather tight, the same as what i do my wheels, not excruciating but really firm.
The studs on the adaptor plate were a little larger than the original ones and i'm pretty sure they're metric. When i purchased my new wheels they gave me a set of nuts which are metric (i'm pressuming new holdens are metric) and the thread is much coarser than the original ones.

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#14 dattoman

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Posted 18 March 2007 - 10:44 PM

Holden should really have stepped up to 1/2" studs like the Fords
I try to get my customers who intend doing trackwork to do it

Bad luck
Never been a fan of these things

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#15 _rhysandhisLJ_

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Posted 18 March 2007 - 10:50 PM

thanks azza but i live in Albury-wodonga, on the border of nsw and vic, haha quite a long way away from everyone on here!

rodomo luckily i was only 50km's from home so my little sister drove out and picked me up, drove me home where i unbolted the stub axle? i'm not sure i'm using the correct terms, well the part containing the disc and studs off my spare front end sitting in the shed. It was a little rusted but was only surface rust. drove back out, jacked her up (on the side of the hume highway mind you with big semi's rushing past at a million miles an hour haha) removed the caliper and then replaced the disc...

i didn't want to make the same mistake again so i used my original torana stud pattern speedy 15" wheel, bolted it on and eventually made it home safe and sound. quite an exciting afternoon i had!

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#16 TerrA LX

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Posted 18 March 2007 - 11:16 PM

Arn't these things suppose to be engineered?

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#17 _CHOPPER_

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Posted 19 March 2007 - 12:18 AM

Looking at the marks on the Torana disc hub, it appears the centre bore was a touch too small on the adapter. This would prevent the adapter from bolting up to the disc properly. Which would of course eventually cause the failure shown in the pics. As I said, my view is merely from a visual inspection of the photos.

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#18 ls2lxhatch

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Posted 19 March 2007 - 12:49 AM

Arn't these things suppose to be engineered?

According to an article in Street Machine Dec 06 pg 127 "unless factory fitted, wheel spacers are illegal everywhere in Australia." This includes wheel adaptors.

I know that they are definitely not legal in WA.

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#19 _devilsadvocate_

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Posted 19 March 2007 - 06:46 AM

Is there a pic of the adaptor, was the adaptor wheel supported by the centre? no surprise that the studs broke off if it wasnt with the extra distance/ leverage provided by the adaptor.
With 20/20 hindsight it may have been possible to avoid the wheel coming off completely once you noticed the vibration, using the front brakes was possibly the worst thing that you could do in the situation.

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#20 _rhysandhisLJ_

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Posted 19 March 2007 - 07:23 AM

devils i bet if your steering wheel was violently shaking at 110km/h you'd hit the brakes just as i did.
it only took four or five seconds for the wheel to completely come off...
My engineer said if i can show that they are safe he'd write them off for me, also that the rules aren't very clear on the topic of adaptors, whereas spacers are illegal.

Chopper, the adaptor bolted up and sat flush with the torana disc hub, that i'm sure.

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#21 _devilsadvocate_

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Posted 19 March 2007 - 07:34 AM

devils i bet if your steering wheel was violently shaking at 110km/h you'd hit the brakes just as i did.
it only took four or five seconds for the wheel to completely come off...

lxsl76, please dont take what I said personally. I did use the expression 20/20 hindsight........which generally means from the comfort of my chair here....this is what you could have(and others who may experience the same prob) done differently.
Who knows what Id do in the same circumstance, however, I have had a front wheel come loose(after some idiot forgot to tighten the nuts after lowering it to the ground.......me) and the thought of not putting any extra force on the nuts while bringing the vehicle to a halt was uppermost in my mind(having instantly realised ......"the wheel nuts") as you would/should of made the connection between the vibration and your recently installed adaptor plates. So yes, I pulled up using only the handbrake to avoid the forces of braking on the wheel which possibly would have at the very least bent the studs.

Edited by devilsadvocate, 19 March 2007 - 07:43 AM.

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#22 _rhysandhisLJ_

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Posted 19 March 2007 - 07:45 AM

yeah sorry devils i did seem to jump on you with that one...
gonna rip my wheels off today + the adaptors and put my old speedy's on the rear and my stockies on the front.
i read somewhere the other day the rear shock mounting position can be modified, i'm definately going to need to do this as when fitting my 16x7, 235 wheels and tyres on the rear they rub on the shocks. I'll start a new thread in suspension for this...
cheers,
rhys.

Edited by lxsl76, 19 March 2007 - 07:46 AM.

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#23 orangeLJ

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Posted 19 March 2007 - 09:18 AM

i was under the impression, (well in NSW atleast) that adaptors are legal, but spacers are illegal unless factory fitted (ie. XU-1). So if i decide to purchase a set of adaptors (not off ebay mind you) should i replace my studs first? i know of a lot of cars round here (HGs, Ehs, you name it) running round with these things, using commy pattern wheels. I think the attraction is that you can still use your old wheels if you want, no actual change of stud pattern, and we all know how much a custom drilled set of wheels is worth.

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#24 ls2lxhatch

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Posted 19 March 2007 - 10:07 AM

Rhys,

I am sorry to hear about your accident. I doubt you would ever feel safe using the adaptors again but I think it would be worth posting some more pictures of the adaptors to see if someone can work out the cause of failure. Have you owned the front disc's from new or did they come with the car. It is possible that the studs had been fatigued or damaged by a previous owner.

I am not convinced that there is any extra load on the studs. I do not see the difference between having the correct offset rim and the Commodore rim with adaptor to make it the correct offset rim. If the track remains the same then what has changed?

Most mag wheels do not have centre bore locator's.

I suggest that anyone who does run adaptors or spacers should consider fitting Commodore studs to the axles and disc's as a safety precaution.

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#25 _wayneo_

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Posted 19 March 2007 - 04:04 PM

something has gone wrong here at my old work i sold alot of these adaptors to fit au+ wheels the pre au's being the 30mm diffrence the only problem which looks like it may have hapened here is the the nuts holding the adaptor on need 2 b recheaked after 100km's (just like new alloy wheels) because of how soft the alloy is they do need recheaking. the 911 wide bodys run this sent up from factory BUT legaly they r a very gray area