...Titanium bolts on a 308...

I run OEM wheel bolts, but I off-set their weight with helium filled tires without valve stem caps.

 

It just seems that steel is a better option on a street car. But that is just my opinion. I am not a racer or a metallurgist, just a guy that has owned one for 20 years, has no intention of ever selling it and doesn't want to add to the complications of long term maintenance without a significant reward on the front half.

 

They could fall off because they aren't torqued correctly.

The factory did the engineering around the steel lug bolts and set the proper torque setting (so they are stretched just enough to stay tight).
No one has done this for the aftermarket Ti bolts.

The modern cars that might have these as an option would have had an engineer take a look at the math and probably determined the alloy used and the proper tightness for the proper stretch to keep it snug.

Ti is a more brittle material then steel (Boeing Ospreys had a bunch of Ti fail early on due to vibration).

That said... you have 5 on each wheel and it is unlikely they would all fall off at the same time so likely hood of tragedy is remote.

They are clean looking. Maybe too perfect imho for our 1970's era cars. But install away... the car is yours and only you can decide what you like. I'm not judging.

 

Roughly speaking if you add about 8% you should be about right. So 78ftlbs instead of 72 with the steel.
But I am no engineer. I don't even play one on TV

 

It is things like this that just don't make it an "upgrade" in my book.

Just an expensive risky novelty with absolutely no upside other than a placebo effect on the seat-of-the-pants part.

 

Or snap if torqued too much.

That would be a fun day, trying to drill out a broken Ti lug...

 

Ti is more prone to fatigue hence typically has a shorter service cycle than steel.

 

There’s a reason we use steel in durable long term medical implants and leave Ti for plates and nails that only need to last through bone healing time.

 

But you guys are missing the bigger picture here.

They will shave 0.000025 seconds on a 0-60 run. Isn't that alone worth the $400 plus the risks??

 

Ti and steel also run the risk of dissimilar metals corrosion. Dont use them without some kind of corrosion protection every time you install them. Ti is also susceptible to micro-cracking etc. Dont ding them up. if you can use rolled threads and not cut threads.

Not worth the bother really. We use lots of Ti in the aviation biz... but the reduction in weight brings its own issues. Cost and durability are some of them.

Each to their own I guess but you are spending a lot and buying a lot of headaches to go with it. Are the chrome plated ones really that fugly?

 

Not when they are new but the chrome sometimes flakes off even if using an aluminium socket and I have changed some of mine twice owing to the dome surface developing rust.

 

Mine are a mess, and need replaced because of the flaking.

A buddy of mine bought stainless steel replacements for his 348. I don't recall where he purchased them, but they weren't cheap.

Don't know what metallurgical issues, if any, would be associated with them, but they looked great.

 

Wonder if it would be cheaper to re-chrome your stock ones.

 

Not sure about the US but here in the UK getting chrome plating done properly is difficult as most of the platers have given up owing to health and safety legislation.

 

There have been threads here regarding re plating but apparently it can result in embrittlement.

I've never really looked into dealing with mine; too many bigger issues with the car that needed dealt with to bother.

 

Yup, although I had mine replated here in strict California.

The old-school place I took them to (in Hayward, CA) was familiar with the embrittlement issue and said they protected against it. I didn’t ask enough questions to understand how.

Four years and the bolts are still are okay. For that matter, each wheel has 5 big bolts; are they really under that much stress?

 

If you wouldn't mind, do you recall what you spent to have them done?

 

I wouldn't do them because of the cost. There would be absolutely no performance impact.

As an aside, my 430 Scuderia came with titanium lug bolts stock and they are really cool. I have an extra one that I show friends. It's amazing how light they are when you hold them in your hand. So, there is a coolness factor...

 

I paid $160 in June 2014. The company who did them (popular with the Harley Davidson crowd) was High Lustre Chrome Plating in Hayward California. My notes say, “Media blasted, polished and chrome plated. Care taken not to treat threads or hydrogen embrittlement.”

 

Thanks Brian
That seems very reasonable.

 

I like hydrogen for this purpose with it's greater practical lifting capacity compared to helium. The only problem I have experienced with H for inflating the tires is that the car gets so light that you have to be going at least 100+MPH for the chin and roof spoiler to generate enough downforce to hold the car on the road. So I carry some ballast in the car and toss it out when the speeds increase sufficiently. I thought about titanium fasteners but, coupled with the hydrogen in the tires, it would require additional ballast and greater speeds before jettisoning it so I think it's counter-productive.











Yes, the above is all BS, as is any claimed benefit of titanium fasteners on a street car.

 

I tried hydrogen in the tires, but almost had a Hindenburg moment... so I'm going back to Xenon. Makes headlights brighter and tires last longer.

 

Meh. Real men use propane


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