octagonal spinners..

[rocket]

Have just replaced my 4 octagonal chromed wheel nuts with knock ons..anyone interested in buying the octagonal nuts? Good condition..

[ppnelan]

Are they for alloy (+2) or steel wheels?
Please PM me a price including postage if they're still for sale...

Thanks,
Matthew

[CBUEB1771]

Are they for alloy (+2) or steel wheels?
Please PM me a price including postage if they're still for sale...

Thanks,
Matthew

If they are for alloy wheels would you mind posting a photo of the surface which contacts the wheel? I think we have an unsolved mystery as to how the two types of wheel nuts differ.

[rocket]

I will post pic later,they are marked for alloy only,but as alloy wheels,well mine at least ,have a steel insert that the nut locks against im puzzled too???

[CBUEB1771]

I will post pic later,they are marked for alloy only,but as alloy wheels,well mine at least ,have a steel insert that the nut locks against im puzzled too???

The steel insert used with Brand Lotus alloy wheels is radiused in the same fashion as the inlet trumpet for a Weber carburettor. Minilites for Lotus knock-on applications have the same steel insert. My question is whether the "alloy wheel only" wheel nut has a radius that mates with this steel insert. The wheel nuts for the stamped steel wheel has a conical (non-radiused) mating surface corresponding to the shape of those wheels. What is annoying is that the workshop manual and service parts lists have no information at all regarding the "alloy wheel only" wheel nuts. The Brand Lotus alloys were very rare in the US and nobody over here seems to know much about them.

[ppnelan]

It appears that there may not be a difference - see the posting from Dave_Newcastle on www.lotuselan.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1967

Here are a couple of photos of examples of both types - the steel wheel version is on top. The cone angle appears to be the same, but the steel wheel version has a machined cone face, perhaps to mate better with the steel wheel cone

Matthew

[CBUEB1771]

It appears that there may not be a difference - see the posting from Dave_Newcastle on www.lotuselan.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1967

Here are a couple of photos of examples of both types - the steel wheel version is on top. The cone angle appears to be the same, but the steel wheel version has a machined cone face, perhaps to mate better with the steel wheel cone

Matthew

Thanks for the photos and the link to the earlier thread. I am still unsure as to how the "alloy" nuts might differ. I wonder if the threaded section on the "alloy" nut is longer (deeper) than on the other type. I bought a set of Minilites some time ago and found that the three-eared nuts I use with my steel wheels bottomed on the hub before putting any clamping load on the Minilites. Since then Minilite has introduced a thicker steel ring that solves the problem. The new steel rings are not very much thicker than the earlier ones so the wheel nut must still be close to bottoming on the hub. Could you measure the depth of the threaded sections on the two nuts and see if there is a difference there? Thanks again!