360 Wheels on a 348

I put 18# BBS wheels from a 360 on my 355 last week. Had to machine the backs of the rears down to get the fit right and then I needed 50mm lug bolts. Try L.A Wheel in Van Nuys, CA for these at a price of $8.35 each. BH Ferrari quoted $59 each but maybe they were made of titanium.
Advise trying to fit the wheels before buying if possible.
I'm posting pics later in the week of my

 

Michelin PS2
225/40/R18 front, 275/35/r18 rear
Speedo will read marginally less than actual speed, but only by a very small percentage

OEM tires from a 360 are too big, there are some old threads you can search with all the calculations
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348 lugs are 3mm too long. If you have 360 bolts that come with your wheels, use them.

If you don't 360 bolts already, we have the Hill Engineering ones here:
http://www.ricambiamerica.com/product_info.php?products_id=224428

I also have a phenomenally good looking set of Genuine Ferrari titanium bolts from Stradale wheels (same bolt dimensions as 360) which have been run about 1000 miles. Normal retail is close to $100/bolt. This complete set (remember it is used) is available for $1200. PM for details.

 

You could always go with these 360 rims also.
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They do? Looks like the rears stick out about 2-3 inches too far. Looks rigged to me.

 

Here is that very useful tire size calculator:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalcold.html

I would go with a 348 or 355 tire diameter not the 360.

 

Hey Richard,

Just curious as to which tire you went with (and what size?)... I have the same wheels and have yet determined which tires to go with... although I am leaning towards the Toyo Proxes T1R...

LMK
DF

 

I have a set of the 360 18inch modular wheels laying around if anyone is interested. I changed the wheels on my 360 a couple years ago.

 

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You can use your existing lugs as long as they are not the ones for the later 348s that were designed for the 10mm spacers in front and 25mm spacers in the back... If its in an earlier 348, you can use your existing wheel bolt lugs for SURE. I speak from experience...I had 360 wheels on my previous 348 and used my existing wheel lugs and they fit perfect.

 

Actually, they are not perfect. Do they fit? Sort of. Are they 3mm too long? YES. 348 lugs are 55mm under the head. 360 lugs are 52mm under the head.

The head seating design is different too.

 

I really like those 360 wheels on the 348 .......... they both have comlementary hard lines ...........

Are the 360 lug bolt taper a different angle or is it spherical seat?

 

Side note, I recently went through a big hassle trying to locate the stock lug bolts for my 360; was swapping some after market wheels for the stock wheels.
Long story short, I found an incredible deal at my local America's Tire store: $2.50/each. This was by far the best deal I had found.

They had to special order them (out of CA if I recall) but I got all 20 of them, and yes they were $50 total. They look great and fit perfectly.

So, if you are looking for bolts, don't forget to check out what a tire shop can do for you as the prices that many places charge is almost criminal FOR A STUPID LUG BOLT!!!

 

I am reminded of the adage, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." I would be careful with those things and check them periodically. Snapping one of those buggers is going to make a bad day. Them backing out and folding a wheel is another bad day experience.

 

The 89-91 348 does not come with a spacer. The later 348, 92 on, did come with a spacer (yes, from the factory) to widen the track. The later cars also, therefore, have commensurately longer lugs. SO, if you have a '92 or later 348 you must remove the spacer and buy shorter lugs. Otherwise, like Husker says, they stick out too far (and look like a Toyota from East LA). If you have an early car, like my '91, they fit perfectly and look awesome, with no need for different lugs.

Regarding tires, I love the Michelin Pilot Sport in the slightly smaller size indicated in the previous posts. Awsome.

 

While it's fair to be sceptical of such a deal, I'm very pleased with the quality. They are made of the same material "any other" bolt is made of (i.e. no, they aren't titanium, but they are plenty burly). There is no way a major tire chain like AT would re-sell them if they were some crappy pot metal due to liability reasons. Initially in fact they had to reorder for me when they received a solution that they themselves were not happy with.
I guess I should have stated that the $50 was their cost. Since I'm a good customer with them, they simply resold them to me with the understanding that "I'd be back in the future". YMMV.

And provided you have them torqued correctly, explain to me how they can back out on their own? This would be a neat trick.
Snap off under stress/load? Sure, that could happen, but I doubt they would become any looser over time and back out more than an OEM bolt.
But, I don't need to convince you.... you stick with the "$75/per" bolts and I'll take my savings and run.

 

Kevin,

In the interest of safety, I think I'd find someone to send a bolt to that can check the hardness of the material used and the shear strength of the bolt... they may look good, feel good, and weigh out properly, but you're trusting an awful lot to a $2.50 bolt that you may or may not have problems with... can you imagine the damage to the vehicle, and possibly yourself and others, if you DO lose a wheel? Just my $.02, not adjusted for inflation or our current apparent recession...

Mike in Kuwait

 

As my good friend Paul Hill would say "chalk and cheese".

Are the threads rolled or cut? What is the chrome plating thickness? At what force do they fail in a destruction test?

Nothing wrong with finding 'em cheap.... I'm just pointing out that its apples & oranges to compare them to Hill Engineering bolts.