Titanium Wheel Bolts, anyone have experience with them?

[nachob]

I saw that there are now titanium wheel bolts. I see HRE sells a set made by a company called TIKORE. I also see IND sells them. I worry about strength, some people mention marring problems, some loosening, etc.

I am familiar with the 10.9 Grade on steel bolts and TUV ratings but these have nothing like that. Is there a TUV rated titanium wheel bolt for BMWs?

Anyone have long term experience with these?

[Shmelgy]

I have the MRG titanium stud conversion kit and have zero problems after 12,000 miles. I track my car and so far no issues with the constant switching of wheels

[NorCal f80]

i got this quote from an earlier thread

Originally Posted by Signature Wheel BMW

I had a few customers asking me about wheel studs so I thought it would be informative for the community to understand a bit more about this topic.

Why wheel studs? European cars' wheel bolts are great for the anyone who never have to change/service their own wheels/brakes, but here are the struggles with OEM wheel bolts:

Hard to align the wheel into position
Even harder to align with spacers
Easy to cross threads
Under extreme heat (i.e. Track), likely to cease and break off


Wheel stud benefits:

Easier to align the wheels, even with spacers
Harder to cross threads
Easier to extract if broken (lower torque required)
Less wear on wheel hub with repeated wheels removal


What is the proper wheel studs torque? 18-30ft-lb, depending on the wheel stud manufacturer's suggestion. For the wheel nut, refer to your standard torque specified by your owner's manual (F8x = 105ft-lb).

*I don't recommend using any thread lockers with wheel studs, if you must choose a high temp red Locktite. If they break, you'll have a lot of drilling to do.

How to decide on wheel studs length? Measure your existing wheel bolts.

Are all steel studs created equal? No. Only buy steel wheel studs that tested and meet 898-1 specs for class 10.9 wheel fasteners (i.e. Macht Schnell, Motorsport Hardware, and Bimmerworld). The strongest wheel studs on the market today is MSI Wheel Studs, used by NASCAR (4340AQ chrome molly steel and heat treated for maximum strength). MSI wheel studs are a bit on the pricey side ($239 a set from Turner), overkill if you don't track much.

*Make sure the wheel studs are Zinc coated for maximum durability.

Should I consider Titanium Wheel Studs? No. Ti is stronger than steel by "weight," but NOT by "volume." Plus, you'll have to take preventative measure to prevent galling. The 1lb+ unsprung weight savings isn't worth it. See red E92 M3 below, learn from his lesson around Ti wheel studs.

*No matter what you read and how well Ti wheel studs are marketed, they're not stronger than steel. Don't be fooled, save your money.

Thanks for reading, we hope this post is helpful.

[tom @ eas]

Seen titanium studs in action:



Most of these kits are under different brand names, sourced from China. Earlier discussion in this thread: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?p=20327563.

[nachob]

Thank you all, and I assume similar issues with bolts, but our cars use bolts and I was asking about bolts not studs. Did that M3 have bolts or studs? Also scary because I actually have 1M which has more torque, earlier than E90 M3. Anyone with Titanium bolt experience or expertise? HRE has some and it seems that some Ferraris use titanium bolts.

Thank you.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by NorCal f80

i got this quote from an earlier thread

Norcal, I read the piece and it mentions galling and TI not stronger overall. That helps. Thank you.

[MasterP]

Mclaren and lamborghini also use titanium wheel bolts.

I've just been extremely careful with my titanium studs.

no air impacts. start threads by hand. I use an impact driver rated to about 59 ft pounds and finish off with a torque wrench.

They're not quite a year old but i will be going back to steel eventually. I don't like having to be so careful.

[Fugazii]

I just did a 54mm steel stud conversion kit from IND why Titanium? I $pent $470 w/discount Titanium has to be more expensive I would think.

[schnell325]

[catch]

Originally Posted by schnell325

ya... defiantly need the story here. I doubt all 20 studs or bolts or whatever this car had, failed at once

[tom @ eas]

Originally Posted by catch

ya... defiantly need the story here. I doubt all 20 studs or bolts or whatever this car had, failed at once

That's an old clip, the wheels were never torqued before going out on his session. Has nothing to do with titanium hardware.

[catch]

Originally Posted by tom @ eas

That's an old clip, the wheels were never torqued before going out on his session. Has nothing to do with titanium hardware.

Thats what I thought.

I'm not pro or anti TI bolts or studs. Just really couldn't see this happening due to hardware failure lol

[schnell325]

Originally Posted by catch

Thats what I thought.

I'm not pro or anti TI bolts or studs. Just really couldn't see this happening due to hardware failure lol

I posted @ 1:23 am. I think I was tipsy

[smr123]

My company machines titanium all day and with my racing backround, I can assure you the part is not the issue in these cases. It has to be either over tightened using an impact or strong arm, or not tight using only the 5mm allen key to insert. This said, why would anyone pay the extra price for titanium studs in the first place?

[MPOOR]

Just purchased some proper Ti lugs from Russia.
Gade 5 Ti with hollow head finish with 3 stage heat treatment and then cold forged threads and then DLC coating to improve durability. CANT WAIT to install them. One Lug weighs approx 30g

[BikBlekGui]

Sorry for reviving an old thread, but this is for anyone who might be in the market for MRG Titanium Studs. Steer clear from them! They may potentially kill you, and their customer service is absolutely terrible when confronted with it. They'll just block and ignore you.

Read here:
https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1676684