Go Back   986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners > Porsche Boxster & Cayman Forums > DIY Project Guides

Post Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 03-15-2016, 08:22 AM   #1
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: London
Posts: 79
How to remove a car wheel, check tyre condition, thread depth and inflate correctly

Maybe a little simple for readers of this forum but I made this video for completeness sake if someone is starting to work on their car for the first time.

https://youtu.be/JDksAkO3eO0



These are the tools you’ll need

Breaker Bar
Socket set
Anti seize paste
Pressure Gauge
Compressor
Thread depth gauge
Torque wrench
And the locking wheel nut if your car has one


The first step in removing a wheel is to loosen the wheel nuts. Take a breaker bar and the correct socket size then turn anti-clockwise.

Next you’ll need to raise the car (my video on this is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La6i3TwMB8k)

Undo the wheel nuts and remove the wheel

If the wheel is stuck to the hub then you can give it a gentle kick to loosen it.

Inspect the wheel for problems such as excessive wear, cracking and objects like nails that could be stuck in there.

Rubber perishes over time so most manufacturers recommend changing your tyres if they are over 10 years old.


To check thread depth insert the checker as show and make a note of the reading. You can do this with the wheel on the car but it’s easier to do when it’s off.

The thread on a tyre helps move water away from the tyre when the road is wet. Most tyres start with 8 millimetres of thread depth on them. As I record this the legal limit in the UK is 1.6 mil and you will fail a MOT if it’s less. The general recommendation is to consider replacing tyres when the thread depth is down to 3 millimetres as below that tyre performance in the wet becomes much worse.


Put some anti-seize paste on the wheel hub to prevent the wheel sticking to it in the future.

Put the wheel back on and hand tighten the bolts. Always tighten in a star motion.

Lower the car then, using a torque wrench tighten the bolts to the correct torque – your handbook or manual will tell you. For my Boxster it’s 130 Newton metres.

Now we will check the tyre pressure. To find out what pressure is correct for your wheels look in your handbook or on the car itself. On a Ford Fiesta the pressures are located near the door and on my Boxster they are under the bonnet.

If you just want to quickly check the pressure use a gauge. Just remove the dust cap on and press the end of the gauge onto the tyre valve.

Over or under inflated tyres will result in less grip and uneven wear.

To inflate the wheel unpack a compressor and connect to the car’s power socket. . Use the buttons to set the desired pressure and then connect the other end to the tyre valve. Press the Start button to start the device. It will stop automatically when the desired pressure is reached.

Once done remove the compressor and put the dust cap back on.

If you liked this video the rest of the series is here: R&R

Any suggestions for future videos are always welcome.

neil_b is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2016, 10:45 AM   #2
Registered User
 
Top_Ramen's Avatar
Great "how-to", but also don't forget to check the tire for any signs of cupping and also if you're going to apply any anti seize on the hub, be sure to wire brush it first to remove any corrosion or anything else that might cause the wheels to improperly sit flush against the hub. It tends to be one of the biggest causes of improper torqueing of the lugnuts/bolts
__________________
'99 Porsche Boxster 986 - weekend car
'04 BMW 645ci e63 - daily driver
'98 BMW 528i e39 - dog carrier

Top_Ramen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2016, 10:57 AM   #3
Custom User Title Here
 
particlewave's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Ft. Leonard Wood
Posts: 6,164
Garage
I didn't see any mention of the lug bolt alignment tool. You really shouldn't change your wheel without using the lug alignment tool or you may end up with damaged calipers. The local Firestone just did this to my car and I had to repaint two out of four calipers.
__________________
https://youtube.com/@UnwindTimeVintageWatchMuseum
particlewave is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2016, 12:06 PM   #4
On the slippery slope
 
JayG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Austin and Palm Springs
Posts: 3,794
Garage
You also should check for play in the suspension and wheel bearings before you take off the wheels
By the way, you spelled tires wrong
__________________
2004 Boxster S 6 speed - DRL relay hack, Polaris AutoTop DIY
2004 996 Targa Tip
Instructor - San Diego region
2014 Porsche Performance Driving School
2020 BMW X3, 2013 Ram 1500, 2016 Cmax, 2004 F-150 "Big Red"

Last edited by JayG; 03-21-2016 at 06:53 PM.
JayG is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2016, 01:29 PM   #5
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: London
Posts: 79
Quote:
Originally Posted by JayG View Post
You also should check for play in the suspension and wheel bearings before you take off teh wheels

By the way, you spelled tires wrong
Lol, tyres/tires, one of those Anglo/American things I guess...
neil_b is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2016, 01:32 PM   #6
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: London
Posts: 79
Quote:
Originally Posted by particlewave View Post
I didn't see any mention of the lug bolt alignment tool. You really shouldn't change your wheel without using the lug alignment tool or you may end up with damaged calipers. The local Firestone just did this to my car and I had to repaint two out of four calipers.
Thanks for the tip. Tell me more about this alignment tool. Is it supposed to come in the tool kit or do you have to buy it separately?
neil_b is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2016, 02:09 PM   #7
On the slippery slope
 
JayG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Austin and Palm Springs
Posts: 3,794
Garage
The Crown.............................ROW
Tyre......................................Tire
Boot......................................Trunk
Bonnet.................................Hood/Frunk
Hood.....................................Roof
Colour...................................Color
Drive on the wrong side.........Drive on the Right side
Spanner..............................Wrench
Blacksmith..........................Welder
Telly....................................Televisio n
Aluminium..........................Aluminum
Bollocks...............................Balls
Wireless...............................Radio
Bum....................................Butt
Derelict................................Bum

to name a few
__________________
2004 Boxster S 6 speed - DRL relay hack, Polaris AutoTop DIY
2004 996 Targa Tip
Instructor - San Diego region
2014 Porsche Performance Driving School
2020 BMW X3, 2013 Ram 1500, 2016 Cmax, 2004 F-150 "Big Red"

Last edited by JayG; 03-15-2016 at 02:50 PM.
JayG is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2016, 02:31 PM   #8
Custom User Title Here
 
particlewave's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Ft. Leonard Wood
Posts: 6,164
Garage
Quote:
Originally Posted by neil_b View Post
Thanks for the tip. Tell me more about this alignment tool. Is it supposed to come in the tool kit or do you have to buy it separately?
Porsche calls it the "wheel assembly aid". It should be in your toolkit.





__________________
https://youtube.com/@UnwindTimeVintageWatchMuseum
particlewave is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2016, 02:34 PM   #9
Registered User
 
njbray's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: santa barbara, CA & Devon, UK
Posts: 316
Quote:
Originally Posted by JayG View Post
The Crown.............................ROW
Tyre......................................Tire
Boot......................................Trunk
Bonnet.................................Hood/Frunk
Hood.....................................Roof
Colour...................................Color
Drive on the wrong side.........Drive on the Right side
Spanner..............................Wrench
Blacksmith..........................Welder
Telly....................................Televisio n
Aluminium..........................Aluminum
Bullocks...............................Balls
Wireless...............................Radio
Bum....................................Butt
Derelict................................Bum

to name a few
It is actually Bollocks! (bullocks are baby bulls) Don't forget Fanny! BIG difference in the UK
njbray is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2016, 02:49 PM   #10
On the slippery slope
 
JayG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Austin and Palm Springs
Posts: 3,794
Garage
Quote:
Originally Posted by njbray View Post
It is actually Bollocks! (bullocks are baby bulls) Don't forget Fanny! BIG difference in the UK
Fixed it, thanks
Bullocks was a department store in So Cal.
__________________
2004 Boxster S 6 speed - DRL relay hack, Polaris AutoTop DIY
2004 996 Targa Tip
Instructor - San Diego region
2014 Porsche Performance Driving School
2020 BMW X3, 2013 Ram 1500, 2016 Cmax, 2004 F-150 "Big Red"
JayG is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2016, 08:28 PM   #11
Registered User
 
Fintro11's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Posts: 900
Quote:
Originally Posted by particlewave View Post
Porsche calls it the "wheel assembly aid". It should be in your toolkit.





Ah so that's what that is for
Fintro11 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2016, 07:44 PM   #12
Registered User
 
lkchris's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Albuquerque, NM, USA
Posts: 741
Indeed, the owners manual is for reading!
__________________
Kent Christensen
Albuquerque
2001 Boxster
2007 GL320 CDI, 2010 CL550
2 BMW motorcycles
lkchris is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-21-2016, 05:58 PM   #13
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Winnipeg MB
Posts: 2,485
Quote:
Originally Posted by lkchris View Post
Indeed, the owners manual is for reading!
I've never understood why Porsche insists on hiding critical information in the owners manual. How do they expect anyone to ever see it?
__________________
'99 black 986
Mark_T is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-22-2016, 08:18 AM   #14
2003 S, Arctic Silver, M6
 
paulofto's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Posts: 1,346
Garage
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark_T View Post
I've never understood why Porsche insists on hiding critical information in the owners manual. How do they expect anyone to ever see it?
Ahhh, more good old fashioned Winnipeg sarcasm. Gotta love it!


paulofto is offline   Reply With Quote
Post Reply

Tags
inflate , remove a wheeel , thread depth , tyres


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On




All times are GMT -8. The time now is 06:38 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2024 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Pelican Parts Website -    DMCA Registered Agent Contact Page