Steel and aluminum on the same hub need the right studs
Many fleets run a mix of steel and aluminum wheels, sometimes on the same truck. The problem comes when the two end up together on one hub, typically when a wheel is swapped after damage or a refurbished wheel goes back on in a different position.
Aluminum wheels are thicker at the mounting face than steel ones. A stud and nut combination sized for steel wheels can leave too little thread engaged when an aluminum wheel goes on in its place. The nut may tighten to the right torque and still be holding on less thread than it should, and wheel fasteners that are short of thread engagement are the kind that loosen.
The same issue runs the other way with nuts and hardware chosen for one wheel type used on the other.
What to check when wheels come back
A refurbished wheel returning to service is the natural moment to get this right.
- Know which wheel goes where. Steel or aluminum, and which position.
- Match the studs and nuts to the wheels actually on the hub, not to what was on it before.
- Recheck torque after the first stretch of running, as standard practice after any wheel change.
A fleet that writes the wheel type into its unit records takes the guesswork out of every future swap.
What refurbishing restores
Cleaning back to sound metal, restoring the bead seat and mounting faces, and refinishing so the wheel is protected. The national wheel refurbishing page covers the process, and the inspection decides whether a wheel can be refurbished at all.
A crack ends the wheel and it is replaced.
The tires on those wheels can be balanced here with tire and wheel balancing, and equipment rims come through OTR services.
This is the Commercial & Consumer listing, the Paducah store that handles commercial wheels.
About this store
The Paducah Commercial & Consumer store runs sixteen services and is managed by Austin Hays.
See the national wheel refurbishing page for all 42 locations.