Hi,

I have a '92 LX which came with steel 14" wheels. I may buy a set of stock aluminum 14" Accord wheels...will I need different lug nuts, studs, or whatever, if I move to alum wheels?

I will be driving to buy the wheels in a non-Accord car, so I will not be able to just test-bolt-um-up. I have owned cars in the past--not Hondas--which needed different lug bolts for steel vs. alum wheels.

Thanks,

Roy

 

It's not quite as simple as steel vs. aluminum. It's the shape of the seat for the nuts - spherical vs. cone.

Steelies take spherical-seat nuts. If they're stock Honda aluminum wheels, they should still use the same spherical-seat lug nuts. You don't NEED new ones, but since the nuts are visible maybe your old ones aren't very pretty.

Many aftermarket aluminum wheels need conical seats, generally because they don't have a steel insert cast into the wheel right there at the bolt holes.

What year are the aluminum wheels from? If you go back too far ('89?) the wheels might have a smaller bolt circle. I don't remember what year Accord changed from 100mm to 114.3mm.

 

Thanks.

The wheels are from a '92 and sound like they are stock.

So, if I look down into the lug hole on the wheel, the bottom of the hole should be flat for the OEM lug nuts to work...is that right?

And, if the bottom of the holes in the wheel are cone-shaped the wheels are aftermarket and require aftermarket lug nuts?

Thanks again,

Roy

 

Not flat, but the same kind of curvature as on the steelies, to match the curvature on the bearing surface of the nuts.

Check out the different shapes here...
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/...jsp?techid=102

The TireRack sketch calls them "cone" or "ball". It also shows a flat type of seat, which I've never seen in a Honda.