Mid year knock off wheels

[Jef S.]

A basic question i bought a nice used set of reproduction knock off wheels for my 66 project. This seems like a silly question but the knock off spinners labeled left and right when installed the "off" arrows on both sides indicate counter clockwise spin off directions. That just seems wrong to me as that is the same direction forward progress turns the tires, it just seems like it should be the other way around intuitively. I havent started or drove the car yet but hopefully getting near a driveway trial run sitting on an old tire. Thats when after 2 1/2 years there is a light at the end of the tunnel!!

[Jimmy G.]

Re: Mid year knock off wheels

It has to do with the rotation torque of a moving part. Old Chryslers had reverse lug nuts for the same reason many years ago

[Duke W.]

Re: Mid year knock off wheels

Make sure you have the adapters on the correct side. They should be stamped LH and RH. I think the rule of thumb is LH threads on the RH side. ("Normal" threads are RH.)

I recall a '54 Pontiac Catalina coupe that the Williams family had when I was a kid. I helped my dad do tire rotations, and I recall it had LH threads on the RH side. At least for conventional multi-lug wheels, the industry eventually abandoned the practice.

The greatest torque applied to the wheel is under maximum braking conditions, so intuitively it makes sense that the tightening direction should be the same as the brake torque direction. That way brake torque tends to tighten the nut rather than loosen the nut.

Duke