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View Full Version : Wheel inserts - changing wheel bolt patterns


e30cabrio
04-10-2008, 03:08 AM
Has anyone ever done this before? I was talking to RB about fitting some wheels onto a car, and they told me about this. Instead of running adapters, converting the hubs, or drilling out the wheels, they suggested that I used wheel inserts.

What they basically do is elongate the hole in the wheel and then put in these steel wheel inserts to effectively change the wheels' bolt pattern.

The advantage to this is you can't tell that the wheel was ever converted over. However, apparently the disadvantage is that it will cause possibly pre-mature wear on the wheels. Since the steel insert and the aluminum wheel would be expanding at different rates. Even though it isn't very likely for something like that to experience or cause too much of a problem, it is still possible.

Anyone have experience with something like this?

racerjake
04-11-2008, 03:23 PM
Sounds absolutely crazy and dangerous. Start messing with an alloy wheel like that and it will be weak. There are much safer ways to get the look you want.

Re-drilling alloys is more common and probably safer - but I also wouldn't recommend it.

RightWheelDrive
04-11-2008, 05:53 PM
Get wheels with the correct bolt pattern. It is not worth it.