Here are the basics when buying the literal lug nuts and bolts for your car. There are multiple bolts to choose from and if you need a particular bolt, you should research in regards to its type and diameter.
Is it a mag and screw-in bolt? Or is it a tapered bolt? Maybe it's a ball seat bolt? Bolts for certain car parts on your carburetor, HVAC system, engine, or battery as well as everything else under your hood come in many shapes and sizes.
Before buying such bolts, make sure you're getting the right one. With that in mind, here are the most common bolt types you can choose from along with other notable things to remember.
Your Guide to Bolt Shopping 101 for Wheels
- Mag and Screw-In Bolt: The lug nut known as the mag and screw-in bolt is characterized by its appearance. They're usually present in cars manufactured in Germany. This lug nut variant is a screw-in style of bolt that tightens around the rim and secures itself unto the female connection of the hub. You can also cap it off using a tapered or conical head that resembles other styles of bolting. These nuts and bolts are different from other types because of their rim penetration that doesn't require pressing.
- Ball Seat Bolt: This is the kind of nut and bolt that secures your vehicle's wheel with its rounded shape around the rim. The ball seat standard is followed by many cars in the Asian and European markets. It's a very international kind of bolt. You can also avail of close-ended or open-ended bolts for rims with or without hubcaps. You can even get color variants for the bolt for good measure if you avail of them through the online aftermarket sites as well as certain brick-and-mortar auto stores.
- Tapered Bolt: The tapered bolt type of lug nut is the most common type of bolt. They're also known as bulge or acorn lug nuts due to their rims having bulges right on them that are the shape of an acorn. It's a bolt that's available in multiple diameters and thread patterns to make sure you're getting a secure fit that won't pop off easily for multiple applications. This wheel bolt type is used by various car and truck models, particularly those with rims on the hub that are centered upon the axle.
- Bolt Thread Size and Pitch: Bolt patters might contain holes 4 to 8 as well as studs. In terms of pitch and thread size, you have to get a gauge for it that's available in many hardware stores nationwide. You can also take the damaged nut you're replacing and have the store screw it unto other bolts until they can figure out its specific size. Such techniques will make it faster for you to know bolt size when you need to shop for bolts online.