{"id":10487,"date":"2022-11-23T14:51:06","date_gmt":"2022-11-23T14:51:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/international.optimas.com\/?p=10487"},"modified":"2025-09-04T15:29:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T20:29:00","slug":"fasteners-vehicle-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/optimas.com\/en_gb\/fasteners-vehicle-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Ways Fasteners Can Impact Vehicle Performance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Subject to increasingly strict quality, safety and environmental requirements, automotive manufacturers are arguably facing their toughest production period yet. As the automotive sector embraces advancements brought on by Industry 4.0 and <\/span>zero-emissions vehicle technologies<\/span>, however, it\u2019s easy for manufacturers to lose sight of critical parts,\u00a0 automotive fasteners.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fasteners may make up just 1% of a project\u2019s budget, but they often constitute over 50% of a product\u2019s parts, so it\u2019s crucial manufacturers use <\/span>reliable, quality fasteners<\/span> to optimise vehicle performance and safety. However, one study suggests only 40% of manufacturers understand the importance of making these smaller parts a priority.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As key mechanical components in a vehicle, poor quality fasteners or improper installation can massively impact a vehicle\u2019s durability and longevity and, in worst case scenarios, <\/span>can even fail to hold the car together<\/span><\/a>. Automotive fasteners should therefore be made of high-quality materials and <\/span>thoroughly tested<\/span> before they are put to use in a vehicle application, to avoid impinging on vehicle performance. Manufacturers should also prioritise batch and quality traceability to easily identify and rectify problems further down the line.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are three ways that fasteners can impact vehicle performance:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Vehicle Range<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    A vehicle\u2019s weight can massively impact its fuel efficiency, and therefore its range. A <\/span>10% reduction in vehicle weight can result in a 6-8% improvement in fuel economy<\/span><\/a>, so using lightweight fasteners is crucial. Changing a fastener\u2019s geometry can reduce their overall weight by as much as 35%, so re-engineering your automotive fasteners can have a significantly positive impact on a vehicle\u2019s performance.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Vehicle range considerations are becoming increasingly important for electric vehicle manufacturers, as using heavier parts can <\/span>very negatively affect battery performance<\/span>, and significantly deplete a vehicle\u2019s range.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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    \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a02. Vehicle Durability<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Evidently fasteners are relied upon to hold crucial vehicle elements together, so it\u2019s vital that they\u2019re able to withstand significant weight, temperatures and chemicals. Fasteners need to meet high tolerance demands, bearing loads <\/span>between 65-90% of their yield strength<\/span><\/a> so they don\u2019t loosen in their application, or worse, break. Automotive fasteners also need to be able to withstand significant vibration to effectively hold the car together. Alongside subjecting a fastener to torque tensile testing during the design stage, washers can be put in place to optimise fastener tightness.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Automotive fasteners also need to be highly corrosion resistant to withstand environmental conditions, like extreme heat and cold, salt from gritted roads, as well as chemicals used in processes like car washing. Using fasteners that are PPAP 3 certified, and made of materials like stainless steel, titanium and treated aluminum alloys, can increase a vehicle\u2019s durability by ensuring its key components are optimised for different environments and temperatures.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a03. Vehicle Safety and Emissions<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Poor quality fasteners, ones that haven\u2019t been effectively tightened and fasteners used in the wrong application can impinge on a vehicle\u2019s safety, by affecting factors like steering control and the car\u2019s overall structure and durability. The weight of fasteners used can <\/span>also impact safety<\/span><\/a>, as a heavier car will do much more damage in a collision.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Alongside this, if a car is made much heavier by its fasteners not only will it produce more harmful emissions by being less fuel efficient, but it\u2019s more likely to suffer from <\/span>intense tyre wear<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    With fasteners impacting a vehicle\u2019s longevity, durability and safety, then, it\u2019s crucial that automotive manufacturers consider the type, makeup and quality of these smaller parts to optimise their vehicle performance.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Optimas is an award-winning, leading global supplier and manufacturer of fasteners for any vehicle application. With over 100 years\u2019 experience supplying the automotive industry, we can help you drive efficiency across your manufacturing operations. <\/span>Contact us<\/span><\/a> to optimise your product quality.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10496,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[60,47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-manufacturing-assembly","category-product-expertise"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/optimas.com\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/optimas.com\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/optimas.com\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/optimas.com\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/optimas.com\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10487"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/optimas.com\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10487\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/optimas.com\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/optimas.com\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/optimas.com\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/optimas.com\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}