GOLFMK8
GOLFMK7
GOLFMK6
GOLFMKV

SAFETY WARNING - FITTING WHEEL SPACERS

s7wag

Ready to race!
Location
Bedfordshire, UK
Just a heads-up based upon first-hand experience. I've recently gone through the process of fitting VWR springs (professionally) with spacers/extended bolts front and rear.

Last night my wife and I were off to London to see a show - journey around 45/50 miles to Hammersmith in London. Just got off the M4 by Heathrow to join the A4 (after journeying down the M1 and around the M25 orbital) and what appeared to be front offside suspension knocking noises started. Seemed to be OK in smooth surfaces but any holes/un-even surface and front offside (drivers side) of the car seemed to knocking/rattling. Bear in mind the VWR springs had been fitted middle of last week - four days previous. I suspected some loose fixing bolts...I did a visual check, pulled the wheels about and checked lock to lock - couldn't see anything. We continued slowly to get to and park outside the Novotel whilst we then went off to the "Dynamo" show...whilst preparing for VW Roadside Assistance at 10pm.

Anyway, great show and walking back to the car we called VW Assistance. Said they'd be there in the next 55 mins and will call 10 mins before arrival. 20mins later we got the call and the AA man was there 5 mins later...

Quick road test in the service road of the hotel and car then jacked-up....suspension all looks fine BUT front extended wheel bolts had all come loose!!! Now I know they were all torqued up to 110nm (as I watched it being done).

He then checked all the other wheels and all bolts although tight were not at 110nm still. He told me this was common when using spacers and after-market extended bolts. He also suggested using thread-lock (lock-tite) on three of the wheels bolts as another counter measure.

We were LUCKY so a heads-up for you all - if you're using spacers make sure you check the wheel bolts regularly and ensure they are at correct torque setting. If it doubt also apply some thread-lock to at least two/three of the wheel bolts..

Steve
 

Yomny1

Ready to race!
Location
S Florida
Thanks for the heads up, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy anything after experiencing such noises. Glad it wasn't anything more complicated and will definitely keep present to check the bolts torque often.
 

Carlos Fandango

Ready to race!
Location
Oxford, United Kingdom
Car(s)
2015 GTD DSG
I'm amazed the amount of people who don't bother to use thread lock. On my motorbikes I use thread lock and torque marker paint on all the safety items such as disc retaining bolts, wheel bolts etc. You'd be surprised how much vibrates loose
 

CarlosCanizares

Autocross Newbie
Location
Surrey, BC, Canada
Car(s)
Mk7 Golf R
Glad you got home safe!

Thank you for this. I'm considering spacers 10/15 (I'm afraid of dirt hitting my fender paint from my tires) and will make sure I use thread lock.
 

golfdave

Autocross Champion
Location
Scotland (U.K.)
Car(s)
Mk7 Golf GT Estate
Moral of the story - Check your nuts guys!

Preferably in a mirror & not in public...............:D



Seriously I never like spacers, much prefer getting alloys in correct ET.........

Longer bolts means more leverage to shake loose.........:cool:
 

Baldilocks73

Go Kart Champion
Location
Delaware, U.S.A.
Car(s)
2015 Golf R
Use NordLock washers. They never work loose on their own. Problem solved. :)
 

dwvw

Go Kart Newbie
Did you re-torque the bolts after 100km from the original installation?
 

RjRacing

Go Kart Champion
Location
Philly
I'm sorry to hear this happened, glad no one was harmed as a result of this.

This is exactly why I converted my wheel bolts to lugs/nuts. Many racing organizations deem wheel bolts un-safe and require you to convert them. Wheel bolts put most of the stress at the threads of the hub, when you add spacers thats adds leverage which adds more stress and can cause them to work themselves loose or break easier. Wheel studs actually take that pressure and spread it throughout the length of the entire lug causing the whole thing to stretch slightly (just like your head-studs that bolt your head and engine block together), much safer and more durable design.
 

2015WhiteGTI

Go Kart Champion
I did the same thing as RJ and converted to a stud rather than using longer bolts. I've been using studs on my BMW for 8 years with plenty of track time logged in with no issues ever (used spacers front and rear).

I got the stud conversion kit from ECS tuning and stuck with the larger M14x1.5 thread rather than downsizing to the more common M12x1.5.
I also got a set of titanium lug nuts. They're so light, they feel like plastic :D
 
Top