From digest.v6.n663 Wed May 14 19:50:55 1997
From: rbrowne_at_erols.com
Date: Wed, 14 May 1997 16:21:45 -0400
Subject: <misc>aftermarket wheel lugs

Brett wrote:

>All 5 stud BMW wheels up until the releas of the E39, and this includes >E38, have 72.5mm hub centres, E39 wheels have 74mm hub centres.
>What does this mean ? Well, physically, you cannot fit early wheels on an
>E39, but you can fit E39 wheels on an earlier car, the stud pattern is
>identical.
>The problem ? BMW wheels are HUBCENTRIC, meaning that the hub carries the
>stress of the cars weight, not the wheel bolts ( lugs). If you install an
>E39 wheel on an earlier car, the hub will not be carrying any weight, it
>will all be on the lugs.
>So what, thats how my chevy does it ? Thats because chevy's ( and others )
>are designed that way, the lugs are much thicker and are fixed into the
>hub, these cars are built to handle the stress through the lugs, BMW 's are
>not. Installation of E39 wheels , or any aftermarket wheels that do not
>have 72.5 mm centres, can cause problems, the most noticable is usually a
>shimmy that cannot be gotten rid of. The worst case scenario is loss of an
>outboard wheel during a hard corner, when the lugs are under the most
>stress.
>Your choice, would I do it ? Not even if your life depended on it :-)
>
>Brett Anderson
>
>BMW and ASE Master Technician
>
>
>
>

So are you saying that the installers of my brothers TSW Hockenheim-R rims should have used the bolts that came with the TSW's as opposed to re-using the stock lug bolts? Should we assume the aftermarket lug bolts are stronger than the factory lug-bolts?

Thanx for the info..

Ron Browne
1992 318is
Bowie, MD