· 4 min read
What we say no to: 240SX 5-lug hub requests we turn down
The hub requests we turn down for 240SX owners, from bare hubs and extended studs to spacer advice and exchanges, and what to do instead.
Most of what we answer is yes. Yes, the rear fits both chassis. Yes, the studs are M12x1.25. Yes, the fronts and rears can be done at different times. But a fair share of the email is people asking for something we don’t do, and we’d rather say so here than in a reply after you’ve already planned around it.
None of these are us being difficult. Most of them come down to the fact that we sell one thing, a finished hub, and we are not a machine shop or a garage.
Can I buy the hub without the bearing, or without the studs?
No to both. Every hub leaves with the bearing pressed in and the studs installed. When someone asked us for the hubs without bearings, the whole reply was: “We cannot sell the conversion hubs without the bearings.” Years before that, someone wanted them without studs, and got: “Unfortunately they all come with studs.”
The reason is boring. That’s how the hubs come to us from the factory that makes them, as one assembly, and we sell them the way they arrive. The rear is a splined hub pressed into its own bearing housing, and that housing bolts to the knuckle, so there’s nothing to separate. On the fronts, the bearing is sized to the spindle it slides over. The S13 front’s bearing has a 30 mm bore, for the S13 spindle. The S14 front’s is 34 mm, for the S14 spindle.
Do you sell extended studs?
No. We’ve written this one a lot, usually as some version of “We don’t sell extended studs. The regular ones should fit.”
The front studs are M12x1.25 with 35 mm of thread, about 5 mm longer than stock, which is often what people were after in the first place. If you still want something longer, we don’t have a part number to give you. We don’t support aftermarket studs in our hubs, so we don’t name one.
Which spacers should I run?
We won’t pick spacers or wheel offsets for you. The answer we gave in 2017 was short: “we are unable to provide recommendations on the spacers as we are not mechanics.” It’s still true. We know the hub, the bolt pattern (5x114.3 after the swap) and the stud length. We don’t know your wheel, your tire, your ride height or what’s on the other end of the car, and those decide it.
What we can give you is the stud. Closed-end lug nuts and slip-on spacers both care how far it sticks out, and at the front ours carry 35 mm of thread, about 5 mm more than stock. Check that against the nut or spacer you’re looking at.
Can I swap my S13 fronts for S14 fronts?
No exchanges. This one surprises people, so here is the reply as it actually goes out:
“We do not offer exchanges for any items. You must return the item in new condition. I will send return instructions shortly. After we receive the return, we will process your refund following inspection. In the meantime, you can go ahead and order new hubs.”
That last sentence is the useful one. Order the right fronts now and send the wrong ones back within 30 days of purchase, new and unused, in the original packaging. You pay the return shipping. The return instructions put the rest bluntly: “Use and install item will Not be accepted.” If one comes back scratched or oily anyway, we can’t sell it again, so you get a choice of a 50% restocking fee or having it shipped back to you.
If you aren’t sure which fronts you need, pull one old hub and put a caliper across the spindle where the bearing sat. A 30 mm spindle takes the S13 front and a 34 mm spindle takes the S14, whatever year the car is, because plenty of S13s have had S14 knuckles put on. If you can’t get the hub off before ordering, email us the year and what you know about the car’s history.
Do you have used ones, or seconds?
No. “We sell brand-new hubs only.” There isn’t a pile of returns or seconds we sell off cheap.
Is this gap normal, or is the hub coming apart?
This isn’t a no, but it ends the same way a lot of these do. Someone sent photos of a front hub that looked to them like it was separating and wanted another shipped. We looked, and the gap they were seeing is normal on these hubs, so we sent pictures back of the same spot for comparison. The same reply pointed out that S14 fronts were on the order and the car might need S13 fronts, which was worth checking before anything else.
If you think a hub is bad, send a short video and photos with the order number. If it is bad, it comes back to us, we pay the return shipping, and we send a replacement. Most replacements ship within a week.
What we do say yes to
The S13 and S14 pages have every hub for each car. If your question isn’t one of these, email it. It probably has a yes in it.
Questions
- Can I buy just the hub without the bearing?
- No. Every hub we sell has its bearing pressed in and its studs installed, and we don't break them up.
- Do you sell extended wheel studs?
- No. The studs in the hubs are the only ones we sell, and the front ones already stand about 5 mm longer than stock.
- Can I exchange S13 fronts for S14 fronts?
- We don't do exchanges. Return the unused hubs in their original packaging within 30 days for a refund and order the right ones separately.
- Can you tell me which wheel spacers to use?
- No. We sell the hubs, we don't fit them, so spacer and offset choices are a question for whoever is setting up the car.
Not sure which kit fits your car?
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