Nissan X-Trail - Wheel nuts - alloy v steel

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Sun 16 May 2010 17:10
Nissan X-Trail - Wheel nuts - alloy v steel - Reentrant

In today's Sunday Telegraph, HJ warns an X-trail owner that if he buys a spare set of steel wheels for winter tyres, he'll need different wheelnuts than those for the standard alloys.

I have an X-Trail with standard alloys, but the spare is steel. No extra nuts were provided (I've had it from new) and I'm pretty sure the nuts fitted when I had a puncture and fitted the spare. So is the "spare" steel wheel different from the "base model" steel wheel? Or is it OK to use the "alloy" wheelnuts temporarily on a steel wheel.

ie, is the problem that the nuts are different sizes, or something to do with corrosion of dissimilar metals over time?

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Sun 16 May 2010 21:52
Nissan X-Trail - Wheel nuts - alloy v steel - davmal

Are we talking nuts, or bolts?

Some alloy wheels are thicker at the hub than pressed steel wheels (hence requiring a longer bolt) and the supplied bolts can bottom out in the hole before they are tight when a steel wheel is fitted.

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Mon 17 May 2010 08:58
Nissan X-Trail - Wheel nuts - alloy v steel - jc2

It does not matter whether they are bolts or nuts;it DOES depend on the vehicle.I had a Fiesta with alloy wheels.and the workshop manual(genuine Ford one)stated that the nuts used on alloys could be used on steel wheels but not the other way round.There are alloy-wheeled vehicles that come with a set of nuts/bolts for use with a steel spare.It is not that bolts bottom in the hub so much as that they protrude from the back of the hub and interfere with the brakes.

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Tue 18 May 2010 14:10
Nissan X-Trail - Wheel nuts - alloy v steel - Glaikit Wee Scunner {P}

My Octavia runs on 17" alloy wheels. The spare is a 16" steel (not a space saver) with a different profile tyre.

I asked the garage whether there should be different bolts for the spare. The answer was a definite no. My old Jetta used the same bolts for the alloys and a space saver and I think my Corrado ditto.Maybe the VW group have thread to spare to allow for different wheel types?.

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Thu 27 May 2010 01:43
Nissan X-Trail - Wheel nuts - alloy v steel - davmal
Of course it depends on whether they are nuts or bolts, a through nut will run down the thread irrespective of the thickness of the wheel, and providing the stud is threaded far enough down, it will clamp the wheel on. Overly long bolts will bottom out and not foul the brakes if the holes are blind
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Wed 26 May 2010 21:41
Nissan X-Trail - Wheel nuts - alloy v steel - xtrailman

I am on my second xtrail, both had alloys with a steel spare, the same nuts are used for both.

HJ is wrong.

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Thu 27 May 2010 10:13
Nissan X-Trail - Wheel nuts - alloy v steel - Andy P

It depends if the taper and the shape of the seat on the bolt is the same for the alloy and steel wheel.

www.priracing.com/section.php/73/1/wheel-nuts--bol...s

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