# Lug bolt holes on wheel are "out-of-round", can anything be done to fix?



## Clean PG (May 9, 2005)

_**I apologize for the length of the post**_

This summer i've noticed that my wheels have developed a very slight in and out wobble, some more than others.

I took the worst one of the 4 to get balanced and checked for being bent. The shop did re-balance the wheel and said it was slightly bent but still "Road Approved", which i'm guessing just meant it wasn't _that_ bad (yet).

Then he told me that the lug bolt holes aren't perfectly round anymore and in time it's only going to get worse. He thinks this is likely the cause of my wobble now, as some of the lug nuts may not be seating perfectly straight. Upon further inspection it was obvious that they were starting to oval. I've also noticed recently that if i torque the wheel to just 80lbs, a week later it'll take what feels like much more than 80lb's to crack it loose. i almost wonder that, even though the wheels are hub centric, the studs on my adapters are still allowing the wheel to "shift" and the lug nuts aren't staying seated straight. About 2 months ago i did run into an issue where the wheel must have shifted, like i mentioned could be happening above, and i had to have a shop do some work just to get a 3 of the 5 lug nuts off, as they managed to overtighten themselves. (i have been using the correct seat lug nuts for the 5 summers i've run these wheels, so i dont think that was the cause) but i wonder if this may have been the root of the damage to the lug seats or the bored holes.

What i'm wondering is, is there a way to fix this? the lug bolt holes on the wheel are bored to 14mm. if it was 12mm then i could probably get them drilled out to 14mm and just run bigger studs, but since theyre 14mm already, is there anything i can do to fix this issue or will i be forced to shelf the wheels after this season and turn them into coffee tables?

thank you for the help, i really appreciate it :thumbup: :beer:

pic of car for those who are probably sick of looking at text by now...


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## afawal2012 (Jan 9, 2013)

Nice wheels and ride.

Ok, the answer to your question, is equally as lengthy. I find it surprising the the wheel bolt holes would deform this much with only 5 summers on them, perhaps they were not heat treated properly to get the required material properties during manufacturing. Are all 4 wheels showing the same problem?

I doubt the shop you bought them from would do anything at this point, but it might be worth a shot.

I am not aware of any products out there that can remedy this type of issue, and therefore to get the wheel properly repaired is a lengthy and expensive process. Essentially you would need to strip the finish off the wheel, fill in all wheel bolt holes with the proper weld procedure/wire, heat treat the wheel, re-machine new bolt holes, and get the wheel re-finished again with the desired paint/coating. This entire process will likely cost you more than the wheel itself and therefore may not be worth going through the hassle.

Unless anyone else has another suggestion, this is all I can think of.

Good luck, keep us posted.


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## Clean PG (May 9, 2005)

afawal2012 said:


> Are all 4 wheels showing the same problem?


thanks :thumbup:

i havent inspected the lug bolt holes on the other 3 wheels, but all wheels do have a very slight in-and-out wobble to them while driving. i checked this by attaching a video camera with a suction cup on each fender and recording the video to review afterwards. the wheel i took in to the shop was the worst of the 4.

the fix you mentioned sounds quite labor intensive and, you're right, probably would cost more than buying a replacement. i did send a price quote request to the shop i originally bought the wheels from to see what a single new wheel would cost and also for a whole set. if all my wheels are wobbling (regardless if theyre bent or have the lug bore issue) i don't know if it'd be worth replacing them one by one since it seems rather inevitable they'd all need to be eventually.

i didnt even consider explaining the problem i was having to them, because it's been so long. but i will ask if they've ever come across this before and if there's anything they can do to help. never hurts to ask i suppose, thanks again :thumbup:


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## afawal2012 (Jan 9, 2013)

You want to be careful going forward. If you're starting to get vibrations, you want to do something sooner than later as it could cause other mechanical components to get damaged as well. All car components are vibration tested to replicate "real life" driving, but they are in now way built to sustain constant vibrations over a long duration.

If you're going to replace them, then do all 4 at once would be my recommendation. Maybe even switch back to stock until you get the issue resolved.


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## Clean PG (May 9, 2005)

afawal2012 said:


> You want to be careful going forward. If you're starting to get vibrations, you want to do something sooner than later as it could cause other mechanical components to get damaged as well. All car components are vibration tested to replicate "real life" driving, but they are in now way built to sustain constant vibrations over a long duration.
> 
> If you're going to replace them, then do all 4 at once would be my recommendation. Maybe even switch back to stock until you get the issue resolved.


i actually don't feel any vibration on the car at city or highway speeds. the wheel i had rebalanced apparently also puts out a vibration low enough that it's still considered "safe" on the road.

i drive the car only 5 miles a day, so i think after a local car show at the end of August i'll be going back to the winter wheels. thanks for the advice, appreciate it :beer:


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