VW etc. wheel hangers?
- Thread starter czgunner
- Start date
jjjrmx5
Well-known member
We do plenty of VW, Volvo, Saab, etc. service at work and I'm seriously considering a set of those wheel hangers I've seen for sale.
Let me get your opinion on them.
Anybody do a cheapo ground down bolt?
I;ve never seen sets of them for sale, but if you need pins for the M14 VAG cars just go to any junk yard or pull and pay and look in the flat tire repair kits.
They have the factory plastic pin in there and I usually grab one or two every time I;m there. You can get teh plastic pins new at the dealer as well quite cheap.
Snap-On sells them for the older M12 VW cars and I;m not sure if the Volvo stud size and if the M14 fine thread pins will work.
The aftermarket alum. pins get pricey at $15 each, but if used regularly they are worth the price. The same withe the Snap On hangers. Sold in singles or pairs and quite pricet ($23 ea.) and only come in 3 sizes so I;m not sure if that covers your needs.
Ground down bolt with a cut off head can take a lot of time and you hve to make sure you get all of the threads off to ensure you are not scratching the wheels nor wheel bolt hole. If you need several sets then it may be worthy of a DIY job. Threaded rod cut to length (or really long bolts cut into sections) and then tossed on a metal lathe may be an easier task than grinding.
Good luck.
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There's a company called Reverse Logic that sells a set (there's three thread pitches total) for about $30. They're a softer material than the bolts/common studs, but that's probably a good thing for protecting the wheels. COO is Taiwan.
It makes putting the wheel on a bit easier, but it's still a pain to get the first bolt threaded in. Best part of using them is probably that the wheel doesn't just fall to the ground when you undo the last bolt though (taking them off).
It makes putting the wheel on a bit easier, but it's still a pain to get the first bolt threaded in. Best part of using them is probably that the wheel doesn't just fall to the ground when you undo the last bolt though (taking them off).
devoncoolman
Well-known member
I took steel rod and chucked it up in our lathe and cut them down to size and then threaded them.
braol
Well-known member
I just use cut off bolts.
Humble Mechanic
Well-known member
+1 on the plastic one in the spare tire kit. The Touaregs came with an aluminum one that is pretty nice.
I have been working on Vws for about 10 years. I am so use to wheel bolts now, when I get a car with studs, it throws off my game LOL
I have been working on Vws for about 10 years. I am so use to wheel bolts now, when I get a car with studs, it throws off my game LOL
greasemonkey44
Well-known member
a gm hub bolt has the same thread and not much extra sticks out when its run in
and usually hubs come with new ones
and usually hubs come with new ones
Simz144
Well-known member
Cut off bolt then weld a set screw, and find a smal flat head screwdrive that fit de hallen hole
V70R
Well-known member
Majority of Volvo's since the 850 come with studs at each corner, have only come across one that had them missing but that was due to cheap Pegasus replicas. Grab some 14x1.5 all thread, available for roughly $4/ft
knocker
Well-known member
As a Volvo tech I un-mount and mount wheels w/ lug bolts all day everyday. I just don't see the point in these, I don't see how they would make my job any faster. I mean after u get a couple of bolts started you now have to remove the two tools when instead u can just set the wheel on the hub and put the bolts in, job done.
demonspeed
Well-known member
I'm with you 100% on this. Never saw the point of these, and I work on VW's for a living.
Granted, I have a lift which makes things a bit easier. I kind of turn my body and put a slight bit of pressure on the wheel with my hip, just enough to keep the wheel from falling while I loosen/tighten the lugs. It sounds complicated but I've just done it so many times that it has become natural instinct at this point. I will admit that changing tires on while the car is down low on jack stands can be a pain though.
shampoop
Well-known member
They are AWESOME for those cars with aftermarket non hub-centric wheels that don't have the little alignment stud poking out like volvos.
I have a set of large and small ones that were made from old brake caliper bolts a coworker had a stash of. I believe at least one of the sizes was from a chevy truck. They work great and look very similar to those "reverse logic ones" only a small threaded portion and the rest is smooth. About the same length.
I have a set of large and small ones that were made from old brake caliper bolts a coworker had a stash of. I believe at least one of the sizes was from a chevy truck. They work great and look very similar to those "reverse logic ones" only a small threaded portion and the rest is smooth. About the same length.
gibbon_guy
Well-known member
I did this too after paying for one set. I use 8 wheel hangers per car. Also get some 12x1.5mm bolts too.
jjjrmx5
Well-known member
The point of the hangers, take for example on Audi's, is that on several models the disc portion of the brake floats free from the bearing hub behind it that has the threaded holes into which the wheel bolts go.
What that means is that unless you use a alignment bar or a screwdriver, and are perfect at putting the wheel on the hub without moving the disc you cannot align the disc hole with the hub hole without taking the wheel back off.
YOu have three sets of holes in play. The wheel, the disc (open holes non-threaded) and the beraing hub behind that with the threaded holes.
It truely is a ***** to get things lined up without the hangers. Even in a shop it takes more time than and avg car but if you get a flat tire late at night in the dark there is no way you are gonna be able to align the holes to get teh spare on without the hanger.
On many if not most VW's, Toureg aside, the hanger can be worked around due to the brake/hub design.
On other cars it's a necessary.
As the owner of such a car that needs it, yes, it is necessary.
I can understand that you "don't get the need", but it is indeed there and it is real.
Cryptic1911
Well-known member
I need to get one of these for our garage.. we have a bunch of VW / Audi's, and it's such a hassle dealing with the stuipd wheel bolts. I never understood why they do them that way. I have a stud conversion on my gti, and I can just slap a wheel on there without worrying that it's going to fall off and break my foot
DiscoJeff
Member
I had a saved search on Ebay for the Snap On version and it was probably over a year before any showed up for sale.
I believe Porsche uses the same thread size, so this might be another option
https://www.suncoastparts.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Session_ID=8cf060c3e66d2df225dae179b86095f4&Screen=PROD&Product_Code=99957107430
I believe Porsche uses the same thread size, so this might be another option
https://www.suncoastparts.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Session_ID=8cf060c3e66d2df225dae179b86095f4&Screen=PROD&Product_Code=99957107430