Wobble Bolts and Tire Rack

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I am looking for new rims and tires for my Fiat 500. Fiat uses a very odd sized 4x98mm bolt pattern. I had selected a rim and upon reading through the "fine print" was surprised to see that it was a 4x100mm bolt pattern, and was shipped with wobble bolts, and to NOT use the stock components. I was totally blown away that such a reputable company would propose such a solution. Is this more common than I think? Is it safer than I first perceive? Just looking for thoughts/comments from those in the "know" on this solution.

CapTirerack.PNG
 
WOW that sounds dubious to me!
I bought some aftermarket wheels for my FXT and have been really happy with them...price was great and they took care of the spacers I needed. These were for winter tires, I decided I wanted dedicated wheels for them and not steelies.
A mismatched bolt pattern sounds like a show stopper to me, but maybe somebody in the know will tell us it can be OK??
 
Have never heard of wobble bolts, but I can see where they would work with odd bolt pattern vehicles. I can't think of anything else other than a Fiat that would use that strange bolt pattern.

I always end up with vehicles that have oddball bolt patterns that don't interchange with much else outside of a certain manufacturer. 5x108, 4x108, 5x100.

I remember back in the day, there were people that would run cobalt SS wheels (5x110) on Ford Tauruses (5x108). That always seemed sketchy. They definitely didn't use wobble bolts as both vehicles were lug stud equipped.
 
This is not unusual. 4x100 to 4x98 , 5x112 to 5x114 etc. I personally would find an exact fit wheel though ...

They look like this ...

[Linked Image]
 
Originally Posted by SLO_Town
The Tirerack wouldn't sell them I'd they weren't safe.
Exactly. In today's litigious society, if these wobble bolts weren't considered completely acceptable and safe, Tire Rack or any other company wouldn't touch them.
 
Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by SLO_Town
The Tirerack wouldn't sell them I'd they weren't safe.
Exactly. In today's litigious society, if these wobble bolts weren't considered completely acceptable and safe, Tire Rack or any other company wouldn't touch them.


I agree, however I'd pick an exact fit wheel if it is available... preferably one that uses OE hardware and is bored to fit hub (vs a centering ring).
 
ugh- but is it elegant? How much slop is present in the center bore? Center bores to me have a very small amount of slop present, while an angled nut/bolt will positively center the wheel at the fasteners. I don't think I could do it....
 
I had multiple FIATs and Lancias and used 4x100 wheels with wobble bolts in my youth - they are safe if centre bore is to spec ( 58.1 IIRC), and being 4x100 I'm sure it isn't. Then you have to use centre rings to hub center the wheel. Not to mention that if you have a flat provided bolts would be too long to use with spare steel wheel...

Look for Abarth OEM wheels, straight fit, OEM looks, easier overall.
 
As long as the bolts are from a reputable supplier, TR sends you all the hardware and attention is paid to torque I don't see any special concerns about them.
 
went ahead and ordered wheels of the correct bolt pattern...not going to trust the wobble bolts, especially since this is for Auto-X duty as well as DD.
 
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