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[Saab_c900] Wheel spacers for use with Ronal/Shelby wheels?

Hi everyone,

I've been having problems finding lugnuts the right length to use with the Shelby wheels fitted to my 1983 900S. I've had to install additional washers under the lugnuts on a couple of the wheels as the nuts have bottomed out (only just) on the brake disks.

Short of trying to track down special lengths of lugnuts, I'm looking at wheel spacers as another approach. There are quite a few places selling wheel spacers that work with 4 x 114.3 mm wheels, but very few seem to have the openings large enough to accept the lugnuts that the Shelby wheels require (with a shank going all the way through the wheel to keep them positioned properly). If the lugnut openings are slightly chamfered it's probably a moot point as the nuts that bottom out would only be going too far by 0.5 mm at the most! Come and explore our site, and check out our web-forums, mailing list, etc.

The closest thing I have found which is actually made for Saab's on Ebay is this listing:

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But the seller has written back to me saying they're not suitable for 4 x

114.3 mm wheels. That's a pity since the look to have bolt openings which are big enough to suit the lugnuts used to hold the shelby wheels in place, but since the nuts are exactly the same depth as the hub section of each Shelby wheel, it probably doesn't matter.

In any case, I've been checking out a few others, namely:

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and

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Spacers that are about 10 mm or under would be fine I think as they won't move the wheels out too far from the stock position but still allow the current bolts to be used. As a benefit the lugnuts would sit a short distance away from the brake disks but not have too little threaded section of the bolts to bite onto.

What are your views on this idea? None of the auto part places around this area carry lugnuts that are slightly shorter than the ones I'm using now, so using spacers would give the car a slightly wider track and allow the lugnuts to secure the wheels properly without having to use multiple washers under some of the nuts.

Regards,

Craig.

Reply to
Craig's Saab C900 Site
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I am sure you'll get many more responses on SAABnet. At least you can search through the archive if you are not allowed to post there.

Reply to
yaofeng

Craig,

I am just guessing here... Don't the 'Shelbys' had a straight shank (Mag Style) nut with a washer just below the hex?

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You may need to buy a set of lug nuts which are the right thread pitch then machine them to length so that they tighten down properly. There are different lug nut washers. I would NOT use a spacer if I could avoid it. You have a set of rims which are dimensionally correct and do not rub on your car when the wheel mount flange is against the rotor face. I know I went through this with a friend that had an older set of Saab rims a couple years ago. I think we found something at Jegs, IIRC. By the way, 114.3mm is exactly 4.5in... Determine the stud diameter and pitch (12mm x 1.25mm?) and desired shank depth and see what Jegs and Summitt have.

good luck,

Keith

Craig's Saab C900 Site wrote:

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Reply to
KeithG

Yes that isn't how I'd describe it, but that's right. 8-)

I've thought of simply taking a grinder to the base of each lugnut and shaving off a very small amount (maybe 1 mm or so). I'm not sure if grinding the metal would affect the integrity of the nuts though - it'd be like heat-treating the ends which might make the metal in the shank section weakened. Anyone with metalurgical knowledge able to shed any light on this?

I am not keen on spacers either, but at the same time I'm not keen on taking grinding, etc. tools to the lugnuts which would alter the bonding between the metal atoms due to the excessive heating of grinding off the metal.

That's why I've asked the question since I'm not sure which is the better way to go. I'm tempted to try the grinding route but would prefer to find lugnuts which a slightly shorter shank to try out first.

Regards,

Craig.

Reply to
Craig's Saab C900 Site

Grind away! Try not to get them too hot, though, to maintain the heat treatment. Dip them in cool water periodically while you are doing this. If you have a friend with access to a lathe, that would be better. 1mm is nothing. Take 2 to make sure you get a good clamp.

KeithG

Craig's Saab C900 Site wrote:

Reply to
KeithG

I'll make sure I clamp each onto into a large vice which should aid heat dissipation. Haven't got a grinder yet, but that's on the way. 8-)

Regards,

Craig.

Reply to
Craig Ian Dewick

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