Drilling out wheel stud holes M12 to M14

[Nichigo]

I have done a little bit of searching on the forums and haven't found any specific information about this...even though I know a few members have had to do this.

I have a set of Volk TE37's that I am preparing to mount on my M3. The wheels come with M12 stud holes and will need to be drilled out to M14 for the car's larger stud size. While this sounds relatively straightforward, I have a few questions that I need to resolve before I take this to a shop:

• Do I only need to bore out the bottom, tapered portion of the stud hole?
• Will a 14x1.5mm lug nut + a socket fit in the TE37 stud hole?
• If not, how many more mm would I need to bore out the barrel portion of the stud hole?

These are the main questions that come to mind, but if anyone else has feedback from their experience boring out stud holes, I would appreciate any help I can get. Thank you!

 

[Hblick48]

Are you sure the wheels will fit? What is the offset of the TE37 compared to M2 offset. What about the hub size on the TE47 compared to M3?

I was in the wheel repair business for 10 years, and I wouldn't attempt to do what you are proposing.

 

[Sophias_dad]

I wouldn't try it either, but a thin wall 21mm(standard model 3) socket with protective nylon cover is 1.23" diameter. Without a cover, I'm seeing 1.1". Any shop will be able to check if their 21mm socket will fit in the holes of the Volks.

The Tesla Model 3 Wheel and Tire Guide. Complete Model 3 Wheel Specs. - T Sportline - Tesla Model S, 3, X & Y Accessories also has information on center bore and offset. I'd be really surprised if the Volks match the centerbore. You can get centering rings to adapt them.

Are you sure the lug spacing is the same? Its not just the hole size, but the size of the bolt pattern as well.

I think that a wheel shop you take them to would be able to answer these questions.

I would be concerned about just drilling them out. Tesla expected some specific amount of beveled engagement, and I'd bet that just drilling the holes bigger will dramatically decrease the beveled zone.

 

[Nichigo]

Appreciate the input, but there are several examples of people doing just this with these exact wheels on this site. I've done my research, I have the correct lug pattern (5x114.3 which is pretty common), have ordered the correct nut size/pitch (14x1.5mm), and have already seen the exact offset/widths I have ordered on other M3s.

I'm new to the Tesla, but not new to cars or wheels. Main reason I'm asking this question here is because I have not seen many details on boring out the lug holes even though there are already examples of M3's with Volk TE37's on them (they're a dime a dozen). I've reached out to the members that have these wheels, but most of them are secondary owners that bought them from someone that had already done the bore work.

Hoping to find someone that has actually done this so I can get more facts on the correct process instead of speculation on what might or might not be ok.

 

[Watts_Up]

@Nichigo since you are in San Diego, I remember about @Daniel in SD drilling a Model 3 spare tire.

Mini Spare For Model 3, Hyundai Genesis 18" works
​

But I would recommend to have the hole made using a machine tool big enough to hold the whole rim flat when drilling.
Doing it by hand using a drill might not provide a perfect result, unless the wheel would be use temporarily as a spare.

 

[Nichigo]

@Nichigo since you are in San Diego, I remember about @Daniel in SD drilling a Model 3 spare tire.

Mini Spare For Model 3, Hyundai Genesis 18" works
​

But I would recommend to have the hole made using a machine tool big enough to hold the whole rim flat when drilling.
Doing it by hand using a drill might not provide a perfect result, unless the wheel would be use temporarily as a spare.

Thanks! I will reach out to him

yeah I have a friend that has a full machine shop setup. We’re both just trying to get the info we need to make sure this is done right

 

[Voltron_M3]

You only need to bore out the lug hole. One size larger than M14 to make sure the studs are able to pass through. That's what was done to my TE's by the vendor I purchased from. This information is buried somewhere in the aftermarket wheel thread if you care to look.

 

[MODEL+]

Did you end up drilling out the hole yourself?

 

[Nichigo]

Did you end up drilling out the hole yourself?

I ended up going with my friend who has a large drill press. It was alot more trial and error than we thought it would be. You have to drill alot bigger than M14 to get a fit that's not too snug. If I could have found a machine shop with a good reputation that was willing to do this in my area, I would have taken it to them...but this was the only local option I could find and was comfortable with. Friend did a good job with what we had though...the shop I had the wheels/coils installed at actually complimented his work.

 

[MODEL+]

I ended up going with my friend who has a large drill press. It was alot more trial and error than we thought it would be. You have to drill alot bigger than M14 to get a fit that's not too snug. If I could have found a machine shop with a good reputation that was willing to do this in my area, I would have taken it to them...but this was the only local option I could find and was comfortable with. Friend did a good job with what we had though...the shop I had the wheels/coils installed at actually complimented his work.

I know what you mean.. Back in my day, I took a hand drill and a counter sink to some lug holes before

 

[Originaldempz]

I ended up going with my friend who has a large drill press. It was alot more trial and error than we thought it would be. You have to drill alot bigger than M14 to get a fit that's not too snug. If I could have found a machine shop with a good reputation that was willing to do this in my area, I would have taken it to them...but this was the only local option I could find and was comfortable with. Friend did a good job with what we had though...the shop I had the wheels/coils installed at actually complimented his work.

Just curious if you could tell me the drill bit size you used? I'm planning on doing this with some Mazda rims.