Advice for a new "pin drive" wheel owner???

[Flyin_Freddie]

As an SPF owner w/ pin-drive Trigo's, I've had some experience that has been mentioned by others on this thread.

1) Anti-sieze. I can't stress this enough. You'll never need a 'special tool' of you use anti-sieze correctly and often. FWIW, the SPF factory does not recommend using a 'special tool' tighten the knock-offs...you simply cannot get sufficient torque with one. Use a lead hammer for both removal and attachment.

2) Safety Wire. I do not like leaving the wire slack and then looking for a tightened wire to determine if a knock-off has moved. You'll wind up asking yourself just how much slack you left in that wire when you put it on. I much prefer making the wire tight, but using it opposite from the way one would normally use safety wire. Normally, you use safety wire to prevent something from loosening. But, no safety wire is strong enough to prevent a knock-off from coming completely off. So, don't lull yourself into a false sense of security...even when safety wired, a improperly installed knock off can come off! Rather, I prefer to use saftey wire to pull against the knock off ear in the normal direction of removal rotation. In this manner, if the knock off moves, the wire that you know you installed tightly will suddenly have some slack in it and you'll know you need to take few licks with that lead hammer.

3) MAINTENANCE! Check your knock offs each week...even when safety wired. I walk around my SPF every week and whack on one ear of each knock off with my lead hammer a couple of times. I've only seen one move...and that was only a fraction of an inch, but enough to alert me it had moved! Also, a satisfying 'thunk' will tell you the conical shaped mating surface is tight against the wheel. Finally, remove your wheels and knock offs at least once a year to re-apply anti-sieze and look for corrosion, more often if you live in a damp climate or wash your car frequently without a short drive immediately following to dry everything out.

Hope this helps. Many of these tips have been gathered from other SPR owners, SPF dealers, and the SPF factory itself, as well as Lynn Parks, owner of Trigo and an original Cobra owner, as well, plus a lot of personal experience.