left-hand lug nuts, etc.

[Jim Steck <4SFED@domain.elided>]

        I've been reading other's opinions on this subject
        for a couple days . . . and now I'll bore you with an
        engineer's point of view.

        There are sound engineering principals involved
        in the choice of left-hand lug nuts on the left side of
        the car . . . just as the use of left-hand knock-offs on
        the right side of cars with wire wheels.  It depends
        whether the nut is in the center of the wheel or farther
        out . . . the loosening forces are generated in
        opposite directions in these two applications.  What
        has happened is that the accountants have made
        the final decision on design of the car.  It's cheaper
        to use all right-hand lug nuts.  The same can be said
        of the bronze lug nuts, helical bronze oil pump gears,
        timing chains, etc. of the earlier cars.

        Unlike center-lock (wire or mag) wheels, the
        advantage to using right and left-hand threads on
        opposite sides of the car (with disk wheels) is small.
        It only makes a difference if the nut are loose . . . loose
        enough that there is movement between nut, wheel &
        stud (however slightl) as the wheel rolls.  A left-hand
        thread on the left side will not come off . . . the wheel
        will still be loose and the stud will saw its way into the
        the disk.  The final failure will probably be broken
        studs and wheel will fall off.  With right-hand threads,
        the nuts will continue to loosen, fall off, and the wheel
        will fall off.  I'm not sure which I prefer!!!  But, I know
        I'm with John when it comes to lug nuts, bronze is
        best . . . unless you have alloy wheels and the
        galvanic corrosion . . . . . .  .   .   .     .

        Jim

>J. Hertzman, as is his wont, has introduced a novel
but completely reasonable suggestion: that the Offside
Undo lug nuts were there to accommodate a generation
of mechanics who tended to operate on automatic pilot
as much as ours do today, except that their
assumptions were based on a different convention.
Those men were used to different rotations for every
fastening based on which side they were on, whereas
our guys assume that every thread they encounter turns
the same way no matter where it's located. Same degree
of mindlessness, different point of origin...

John has also declared his affection for bronze nuts
on differently-handed studs as a nice relic of Alfas
Past, . . .

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