Focus Mk2.5 Zetec S Sportpack 18" Wheel Bolt Replacement.

[RCB]

Hi chaps!

Was just wondering if some of you fine chaps may offer some advice on some wheel bolts.

I have a Mk2.5 Focus Zetec S Sportpack with the 18" alloys (akin to the ST wheels but much tamer).

Basically, the bolts that are fitted as standard seem to have a floating metal cover on the very top of the bolts.

A recent chat with an ATS mechanic, he mentioned that after a few goes with a windy gun the metal covers featured on these bolts come lose and will rattle when the vehicle is in motion.

This is the case with the bolts on my car.

However, one bolt has even shed this top cover now so if I had a puncture i'm doubtful that the wheel brace / bolt remover would fit this particular bolt anymore. It also happens to look quite rubbish, so i'm looking to replace the entire set.

The ATS chap mentioned that apparently Ford have recognised this issue and manufacter standard bolts without the top cover which comes lose over time.

Could anyone here confirm which type / fitment of bolt I would need before I waste my money?

Would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

EDIT: This is the type of alloy fited to my Focus.

[JW1982]

First Ford uses wheel nuts and not wheel bolts. Second the original wheel nuts with the stainless steel caps are not suitable to fasten/loosen with an impact air wrench. The power of the impact wrench ruins the stainless steel caps. They come loose and fall off.

Personally I only use a torque wrench to fasten the wheelnuts with stainless steel caps to the specified torque. I still have the original wheel nuts with stainless steel caps that came with my 2005 focus MK2. These wheel nuts are still in excellent condition. Despite I take care very well for my wheelnuts some of the stainless steel caps came loose. I glued them back on using Loctite glue to solve this.

The original wheel nuts with stainless steel caps are pretty expensive. There are several different types of these wheel nuts. Some of them will cost over €10,- a piece.

Ford wheel nuts have a thread size of M12 x 1.5. The Ford alloy wheel nuts have a large cone. This cone is much larger than the cone of generic wheel nuts.

[artscot79]

mine are only done with a torque wrench and they always do this the tyre place i use said its common where they swell I've had 3 sets from ford for free and they still do it even without being removed the dealer admits its a common issue but they did not mention these solid covers you mention I too have taken to using glue as its a pain in the rear end

[JW1982]

Ford does also use solid wheel nuts without the stainless steel caps but these are only used on wheels where the nuts are not visible. These solid wheel nuts are made of normal steel and will rust which will look terrible in my opinion.

Note that you have to be very careful if you buy different wheel nuts. On almost all Ford models Ford standardised the wheel nut and wheel design to have less types of different wheels and wheel nuts. The new wheels are called Global wheels and Global wheel nuts. On the Focus these were introduced during production of the Focus MK3. The Global wheels and global wheel nuts can not be mixed with the old design wheels and wheel nuts.

Wheel nuts that are listed on eBay to be compatible with the original Ford alloys may be the wrong type. Using the wrong type of wheel nuts may cause the wheels to come loose. Personally I only use the original wheel nuts that came with the wheels or original replacement wheel nuts of the correct type.

[troy45]

I've seen examples of aftermarket wheel nuts listed on eBay as being compatible with Ford wheels but it's obvious just from photos that they are not the correct wide cone fitment. In some cases the wheels would then literally drop off over these nuts.

I have never had any of the metal covers come loose on any of my Fords, possibly helped by the fact that whenever I get new tyres I remove and refit the wheels myself and take the loose wheels to the tyre place. Any service or repair work is done by a very well trusted specialist and nuts are removed/refitted with hand-tools.

From memory the metal nuts beneath the stainless covers are 18mm hex if a tool is ever needed to remove them.

My OZ 19's have got the aftermarket type solid nuts fitted - obviously these don't have caps which could come loose but the finish is nowhere near as robust as stainless. The standard Ford nuts in theory would fit but in reality the OZ hubs are thicker and with the Ford nuts having a gap of a few mm before the thread starts you don't get enough turns on the nuts before they go tight. Any suggestions for decent finish aftermarket nuts instead of the usual chrome?