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One of five lug bolts has black plastic vs steel conical seat
Hi All,
First time pulling wheels - for air filter, serp belt and plugs service - noted one lug bolt on each wheel has a black plastic conical seat vs steel on the other four. Bolt is otherwise identical.
Anyone know rationale, or has someone swapped them for some reason?
I think someone swapped them. You should have one bolt on each wheel with an odd splined head and a matching key in the tool kit to get that one bolt out. It's a security system that comes standard on all Porsches, at least as far as I know. Do you have spacers on the wheels?
The locking lug removal theory is probably accurate .., question is, why?
Then why replace with lugs that are different from the ones on it - and, then why are those different? And, good grief, why wouldn't the removed anti-theft lugs be left in the car somewhere?
I used magnet on the sliding conical seats - it sure seemed like the black ones were not ferrous, and the gold ones were.
Last edited by RennListUser01; 03-10-2024 at 10:44 AM.
The locking lug removal theory is probably accurate .., question is, why?
Then why replace with lugs that are different from the ones on it - and, then why are those different? And, good grief, why wouldn't the removed anti-theft lugs be left in the car somewhere?
I used magnet on the sliding conical seats - it sure seemed like the black ones were not ferrous, and the gold ones were.
They lost the lock. Had to break the lugs off and just replaced them with other lugs. They happened to be black. Maybe they were not OEM or maybe Porsche just changed them.
First time pulling wheels - for air filter, serp belt and plugs service - noted one lug bolt on each wheel has a black plastic conical seat vs steel on the other four. Bolt is otherwise identical.
Anyone know rationale, or has someone swapped them for some reason?
You should use a caliper to measure the length of both the "silver" and black bolts. Somebody went seriously wrong here.
As per factory the car comes with one anti-theft bolt per wheel, where you need a special socket (supplied with the tool kit) to loosen-/tighten the bolt. For some reason the anti-theft lugs were replaced with conventional ones, probably because damaged when loosening or tightening.
The standard OEM wheel bolts (44 mm length) come with a metallic (silvery ) looking spherical cap ring. If the car is equipped with 5 mm wheel spacers, longer 49 mm bolts are required for reliable operation. For clear discrimination of different bolt lengths, the OEM 49 mm bolts come with the spherical cap ring galvanized in black. No plastic .
The more, if you do not use spacers, use of the longer 49 mm bolts involves the risk of damaging the parking brake by protruding beyond the thread in the rear wheel hub.
You can find this information in the operations manual of your car.
Last edited by Autobahnschreck; 03-10-2024 at 11:29 AM.
So, you guys think I should buy replacements of the same length? Just double checked in car - don't see the ones the splined anti-theft versions they may have removed ... I have never noticed anything I could relate to the four longer bolts.
As to why someone would swap out the anti-theft bolts, in my case as an Autocrosser and occasional DE guy, I don't want to have to mess with the special socket when changing to my track set-up or torquing my wheels at the event site.
First thing I did when getting my Cayman and then trading up to my '15 911 GTS was replace them with the correct length standard bolts. I tend to avoid locations where I am fearful that someone will steal my wheels, but YMMV.
The GTS came factory with the 5mm spacers, thus the longer bolts, requiring that I had to order the correct length standard lug bolts to replace the anti-theft parts.
The standard OEM wheel bolts (44 mm length) come with a metallic (silvery ) looking spherical cap ring. If the car is equipped with 5 mm wheel spacers, longer 49 mm bolts are required for reliable operation. For clear discrimination of different bolt lengths, the OEM 49 mm bolts come with the spherical cap ring galvanized in black.
My car (2013 991.1 S) came with the 5mm spacer option from the factory, and the cap ring on my bolts is anodized RED (not black). Just thought it worth mentioning that I guess there are different colors out there. Mine are def original and genuine Porsche.
My car (2013 991.1 S) came with the 5mm spacer option from the factory, and the cap ring on my bolts is anodized RED (not black). Just thought it worth mentioning that I guess there are different colors out there. Mine are def original and genuine Porsche.
The answer is: you are right, but it depends on model year.
In detail:
When the 996/986 series was introduced the prior system of fastening the wheels with nuts was changed to the M14x 1,5 hexagon-head bolts with a spherical (not conical ) cap ring. The bolt itself was in a gray metallic colour, I assume zinc-coated. The spherical ring was looking like zinc-chromate (yellowish metal) colour. The specified fastening torque still was 130 Nm ( ca. 95 ftlbs), as had been for decades of 911 cars. And Porsche recommended to grease both the thread and the contact surface between hexagon head and the cap ring thinly with Optimoly A (aluminum paste).
For GT3 cars, and for other 911 equipped with 5 mm spacers, 5 mm longer bolts were used, with the spherical cap ring in red, or marked "GT3"). So this is, what you have with your 2013 car.
Some point in time later, but before 2015, Porsche decided to increase the fastening torque to 160 Nm (ca. 118 ftlbs ). The bolts now came in black, the spherical ring still in yellowish zinc-chromate colour. But the 5mm longer bolts now come with the spherical ring galvanized in black. This is what I have at my 2015 GTS, which per factory came with 5mm spacers, if not equipped with the GTS-standard central locking nuts.
Another change: now you are required not to use any grease, even Optimoly A, on the bolts.
03-10-2024, 01:12 AM
One of five lug bolts has black plastic vs steel conical seat
