W215 wheel bolt length

[Craiglxviii]

Right. First of all I'm either careless, a tool or a careless tool.

Back in Feb I bought a new set of wheels for my CL and along with them, a new set of wheel bolts. Actually two new sets, one was 5mm too long so they were returned and a new set bought. Fine, they work lovely and the wheels look good.

I'm now getting the car back tomorrow and I've had a horrid thought. I have the full size light alloy spare wheel, but the bolts I have on the car now are the wrong length (too short) and I can't find my originals. So I need 5 x whatever length bolts to keep in the boot in the toolkit, if I ever have to fit the spare. Considering the last time this happened I'm not keen on going out without a spare, driving on 3 wheels ain't fun!

So, fellow 215 owners, what please is the correct length wheel bolt for the standard 5 spoke 18" alloy wheel please? If anyone out there has this wheel fitted to their 215, please can you crack one off (ooer) and measure for me, as I'd like to order them directly.

 

[television]

They will be in the boot of the car.

 

[Craiglxviii]

They will be in the boot of the car.

They're somewhere in the garage Malcolm, buried under a ton of little 'un's old toys and new baby bits. Handily they're all together in Ziploc bags in a padded envelope but that doesn't make them any more easy to find

 

[JBell]

Aren't they in the tool kit??

My car has 5 steel wheel bolts in it

 

[Craiglxviii]

Nope, no bolts in the toolkit. The spare is a light alloy version of the roadwheels so no need for any other bolts. It should be said though that I had to reconstitute the toolkit myself as it had been robbed over the years.

I have a suspicion that the bolt length is 40mm but need to verify before I buy.

 

[television]

Mercedes wheel bolts for 14mm bolts was 28mm and 42mm, you need 18mm /20mm sticking out of the rear of the wheel when pushed all the way in.

The length for the front does not matter, it is the rears where the bolts could catch the parking brake shoes.

 

[Craiglxviii]

It will be the 42mm then Malcolm, thanks. With these new wheels I had to order some special 32mm ones.

 

[television]

If they are threaded all the way they can be cut down with a hacksaw easily,

 

[Craiglxviii]

If they are threaded all the way they can be cut down with a hacksaw easily,

That was my reasoning too. I only need 5 as I'll only carry one spare wheel, I mean it's not like two would ever fall off a car is it? :grin:

 

[television]

If you have a 14mm nut, just wind this down to where you want to cut them on the bolt, and they can be held in the vice via the nut and the head, when you have cut to length, just wind off the nut and the thread is all clean for use.

 

[Craiglxviii]

If you have a 14mm nut, just wind this down to where you want to cut them on the bolt, and they can be held in the vice via the nut and the head, when you have cut to length, just wind off the nut and the thread is all clean for use.

Yup, I know this trick. My vice, a lovely early '50s Record No.3, is handily under a ton of little 'un's toys on the garage floor....

I bought the bolts on eBay after you posted the length, half an hour later I had a dispatch confirmation come through. Can't beat that for service eh? £15 for 20 off.

 

[EmilysDad]

This reminds me of a lad at work. He bought a SLK - with after market alloys - earlier this year, service history etc at an indie. He removed a wheel to do a job & found that the bolts were holding each wheel by about 2 threads!

 

[television]

This reminds me of a lad at work. He bought a SLK - with after market alloys - earlier this year, service history etc at an indie. He removed a wheel to do a job & found that the bolts were holding each wheel by about 2 threads!

Could have been only one thread

 

[EmilysDad]

Could have been only one thread

Would've been better with more though

 

[television]

Would've been better with more though

true

 

[Craiglxviii]

Could have been only one thread

That's taking weight reduction to ridiculous levels!

 

[television]

That's taking weight reduction to ridiculous levels!

But very fast to change wheels

 

[Craiglxviii]

Maybe before you even want to change them

 

[Flyinspanner]

I bet you find the old ones next to the vice

 

[Craiglxviii]

I was going to joke that but unfortunately not. I discovered the vice with my foot while going out to the spare freezer the other night, it's handily just off the (very cluttered) walkway past the pit. I think that the bolts are in my tooldrobe (an old wardrobe I use to keep my tools, tooley bits, various garden hackers etc in) but will require me to completely dismantle it, and everything from around it, to check, and that's a massive buggeration. I've got way too much stuff in way too small a garage really.