5-pin wheel issues?

[DanEC]

Since I fixed the one side I had problems with I've not had any problems with wheel fit with my Vintage wheel set up. I've had them on and off numerous times and I just grab them on both sides and give them a couple rocking motion pulls and they slide off. I remove and install my wheels on a caster dolly so they stay in the same relationship to the axle while off the car. Installation is real easy - I just roll the dolly and wheel into postions and the wheel slides right on. A couple thumps on the sidewalls with my palms and they are ready for the spinner. No messing with trying to get the pins and wheels aligned.

Even as an engineer, knock off wheel science is somewhat of a complex subject. Someday I think I'm going to sit down and really think it all through. No doubt the pins do play a roll in transferring some portion of the power to the wheels by shear resistance, but the main thing that is clamping that wheel on and securing it in place is the spinner. That clamping force is also preventing that wheel from spinning - as long as the spinner is tight. Without getting into a dynamics/mechanical study, it appears to be a combination of the two that transfers power - what % by each I'm not sure. If that spinner isn't tight, a dozen pins to transfer torque isn't going to help much because the wheel is going to depart the car anyway. As far as shear forces in the pins, there are still 1/2 inch lug bolts in there. How many far heavier, 600 to 700 HP FAST class muscle cars are hauling down the drag strip on 5-lug wheels? Those lugs are having to do far greater duty by handling both shear and tension stresses. I wouldn't worry about quality 5-pin KOs holding up. If bragging rights are at stake, money is no object and saving a couple pounds of unsprung weight at each wheel is a priority - then 6- pin wheels are the way to go.