Wheel spacers for Golf TDI Highline

[3C4M Guy]

- Grease on bolt threads - good idea

This is something I've wondered about. VW are very specific about torqueing wheel bolts to 120 Nm. Seems a lot but that's another topic. I've often wondered whether a dry bolt torqued to 120 Nm will apply the same clamping force as a greased bolt? Surely a greased bolt will rotate with less friction and activate the signal of a torque wrench earlier or later?

[Guest001]

Answers from QLD TMR which seems pretty definite. I asked this but cant publish the answers but have put my own words in

Can an engineer overule the regs and certify a car to use spacers.
The short answer is NO at least not in QLD

Adapters which are different to spacers are not mentioned. They are bolted to the hub and have different studs for the rim to attach with They also have a center hub to locate the wheel that spacers generally don’t have.

Same as above

[HPRS230]

@ferret vrs
You were after information about this

[gldgti]

This is something I've wondered about. VW are very specific about torqueing wheel bolts to 120 Nm. Seems a lot but that's another topic. I've often wondered whether a dry bolt torqued to 120 Nm will apply the same clamping force as a greased bolt? Surely a greased bolt will rotate with less friction and activate the signal of a torque wrench earlier or later?

Yes - the lubricating effect means the bolt tension will be higher for the given torque spec - i.e., all other things being equal - you will end up with a higher clamping force when a bolt is torqued up with lubricant vs without.
120Nm is not that high for a high tensile M14 bolt. Most wheel bolts are at least Gr10.9 - given the torque specifications for smaller bolts on other parts of vehicles (head bolts for example, which are TTY (torque to yield) and require torque specifications far beyond 120Nm.

[gldgti]

Adapters which are different to spacers are not mentioned. They are bolted to the hub and have different studs for the rim to attach with They also have a center hub to locate the wheel that spacers generally don’t have.

Interesting about adapters - If I was to design an adapter, then the whole explanation I gave previously about clamping force etc no longer applies in a straightforward manner - you have 2 sets of bolts (probably different sizes from each other) and not only that, but you are also loading the adapter plate not simply in compression as with the spacer, but in a way that means the adapter plates stiffness and strength becomes critically important.

Thus the design of an adapter is far more complicated, far more critical, than for a simple spacer. Ergo more difficult to get right. I'd be interested to know how they are really catered for in the eyes of the powers that be. If I was going to choose either spacers or adapters to make across the board illegal, it would be adapters (not because it cant be done, but because it takes a lot more engineering know how to do it right).

[Guest001]

Interesting about adapters - If I was to design an adapter, then the whole explanation I gave previously about clamping force etc no longer applies in a straightforward manner - you have 2 sets of bolts (probably different sizes from each other) and not only that, but you are also loading the adapter plate not simply in compression as with the spacer, but in a way that means the adapter plates stiffness and strength becomes critically important.

Thus the design of an adapter is far more complicated, far more critical, than for a simple spacer. Ergo more difficult to get right. I'd be interested to know how they are really catered for in the eyes of the powers that be. If I was going to choose either spacers or adapters to make across the board illegal, it would be adapters (not because it cant be done, but because it takes a lot more engineering know how to do it right).

The red bits are my questions as I had already asked and they didnt respond so I rephrased the question to that.
I understand what you are saying but am merely repeating what the authority said

What they said was basically if it fits between the hub and the wheel its a big fat NO