Wheel Bolts

[SmokeyBoyer]

Recently got my first Porsche. It is a 2004 plate, Lapis Blue 996 C4 Tiptronic with 74000 on the clock and a full OPC service history apart from the last major service at an indie I won't name. It is an epic car and makes me smile every time I press the go pedal.

I had a TVR Chimaera 500 and TVR S3 before this, which were very good cars. The Chim500 was brutal and brash in every way and incredible at the initial launch and low and mid-speed acceleration. The 996 is quick and keeps pulling where the Chim would start to run out of steam.

Did Porsche get TVR to make some of their components, bolts and fasteners from the scrap and leftovers TVR discarded from their chassis tubes on a rainy day in Blackpool?

On my long list of things to replace and fix are the wheel bolts. I was shocked to see how badly the floating collar had corroded when I took the wheels off. How this car got through a major service less than 12 months and 1000 miles ago is beyond me. A few of the bolt collars were more dust than metal.

So, the reason for the post, what to replace them with? I am looking for 16 standard bolts and 4 locking bolts, ideally with 19mm hex heads and want to retain the floating collar to prevent damage to the wheels. Wheels are standard silver alloys so will perhaps avoid the black bolts.

Do I go for a cheaper set of eBay specials, zinc plated bolts and locking bolts for about £70?
Do I stick with the Porsche/OEM style - a full of OEM bolts and Porsche locking bolts from FrazerParts is about £120?
Are the DesignTek bolt kits worth the money at £185 from Design911
Original Porsche bolt sets are approx £220 I believe.

Is there any other supplier or bolt type I should consider.

Thanks in advance of your replies and guidance.

[SmokeyBoyer]

Is there anyone there????

Opted for a full set of genuine Porsche wheel bolts including locking bolts from Leicester OPC. Figured that was my safest bet - the bit that keeps the wheels attached to the car is not something to compromise on really.

[Sean Smallman]

I have a car of similar vintage and there is no corrosion on my wheel bolts and I have never heard of them corroding like that. They get a bit scuffed up on the head.

I agree that original is probably best, after many years of ownership i decided that i will generally only fit Porsche approved parts. We get a decent discount from the Porsche Centres and parts come with a 2 year warranty.

[allanjenkins]

I've had this issue with my 997 on two of the locking bolts, spoke with the local OPC who were aware that this occurring at a very low incident rate. Fitted an OEM replacement set.

[brownspeed]

all of mine were spalling. I bought a 2nd hand set off e-bay with good collars. The existing collars can be removed (e.g. from locking wheel bolts) by a bit of heat to increase inside diameter and then knocking the bolt thorough the collar (rest the collar flange on open vice jaws) reinstallation of the replacement collar onto your wheel bolt is the reverse; heat the collar up and knock the bolt back through.

[allanjenkins]

I admire your enthusiasm!

[pete b]

For nearly 9 years I kept a 993C4 (between 05 and 14) and I recall a post from a chap with an engineering background at Toyota swapping out his wheel bolts because of corrosion. Unfortunately the non-original bolts had been made to a slightly different pattern and were not identical to OE. They failed and the supplier (well known as an OE as well as a parts supplier) discovered a number of really serious shortcomings. I believe that it caused quite a panic - the bolt heads were unable to provide sufficient grip between the wheel and the boss despite being torqued correctly.

I would not use anything other than originals...

The corrosion tends to be caused by the use of alloy wheel cleaners I'm told.

[sam]

For nearly 9 years I kept a 993C4 (between 05 and 14) and I recall a post from a chap with an engineering background at Toyota swapping out his wheel bolts because of corrosion. Unfortunately the non-original bolts had been made to a slightly different pattern and were not identical to OE. They failed and the supplier (well known as an OE as well as a parts supplier) discovered a number of really serious shortcomings. I believe that it caused quite a panic - the bolt heads were unable to provide sufficient grip between the wheel and the boss despite being torqued correctly.

I would not use anything other than originals...

The corrosion tends to be caused by the use of alloy wheel cleaners I'm told.

996 uses steel wheel bolts, your 993 was using the alloy wheel nuts as used on the earlier cars, but still best if you stuck to the genuine item.