Lug Nuts

[The Critic]

I had the tires rotated and rebalanced at Sam's Club today and the friendly "professionals" informed me that I needed new lug nuts. Since I am no longer able to thread them on by hand (they feel sticky), I guess it's time to replace them.

What brand of lug nuts do you folks recommend? I looked on RockAuto tonight and saw different choices.

Dorman #611109-- $1.10/each
Raybestos #9953N-- $2.68/each
Wagner #BD61445-- $3.82/each

The Dorman ones are suspiciously cheap compared to the other two. I don't mind spending a bit mall since after all, they are lug nuts.

What do you folks recommend?

Thanks.

 

[rationull]

I've only bought lug nuts a couple of times. Once for a 1988 Tercel with steel wheels -- I just bought whatever brand they had at the local Kragen at the time, don't remember what it was. I also had to replace a few on my 1983 280zx (some previous owner had replaced a few with the wrong type) and for that I actually went to the dealer. You could try that, but they might be substantially more expensive.

 

[bdcardinal]

i would be having a friendly discussion with the friendly professionals at Sams Club about installing new studs free of charge.

 

[chrome]

Make sure you get the ones suited to your wheels. Some are straight tapered, some are round tapered, some have no taper. Getting the right ones is more important than just pricing alone.

Have you checked with the dealership?

 

[alanu]

I've used whatever my supplier gives me. I've never had a problem with mystery nuts.

Use your trusty copper never sieze and call it a day.

 

[crinkles]

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
i would be having a friendly discussion with the friendly professionals at Sams Club about installing new studs free of charge.


they won't bite. I'd get the middle-priced ones.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: chrome
Make sure you get the ones suited to your wheels. Some are straight tapered, some are round tapered, some have no taper. Getting the right ones is more important than just pricing alone.

Have you checked with the dealership?


The nearest dealership is 40 miles away.

 

[alanu]

I tell my supplier the car make and they determine the thread pitch. Sometimes I'll even put the effort and measure and calculate the pitch.

Never a problem.

 

[oilboy123]

Wagner would be about $80 for 20 of them. That seems a little expensive to me......

I replace lug nuts as a wear item. Shops that use impact guns tend to tear up the nuts and sometimes the rims. When lug nuts are getting hard to turn or the contact area is getting galled then they need to be replaced.

Always install lug nuts dry. I read a detailed article about how screwed up torque readings become when lubes are used.

I bought some at Napa that were a dollar each.

 

[eljefino]

I got some wierd aftermarket lug nuts for my saturn. I'll upload a picture later. The outer threads that the hubcap screw onto are different and not in a nice way. If ordering online look at a picture and make sure it's of the actual part #.

The size is a near universal 12/1.5mm and NAPA will have them too. The hubcap threading is also shared with cavaliers and pontiacs etc with those fake aluminum wheel hubcaps they used all thru the 90's. You may be able to find a bulk discount; some parts stores sell them in packs of five or so.

I had lug stud issues with my 95 saturn at the beginning of this winter. Granted, I live where it salts and you don't but there seems to be a finite life to the system. I would be careful replacing just the nuts as the studs could be chewed up too.

 

[HondaMan]

Mike,

Height of nut is something that is often overlooked. On my last Toyota, I was in a similar situation and only later found out that the car factory tire tool would NOT reach the 'new' replacement lugs as they where too short in matching the design of the tire tool.

Cheers!

 

[punisher]

I had a Dorman assortment in my old shop that had lugnuts included. Never had any problems with their product.

 

[Junior]

While I don't have any information on the parts you listed, I can assure you that not all hardware is created equal. I have seen this proven time and time again with torque tension and clamp load tesing.

 

[Chris142]

The reason that they wont go on anymore is because the studs have been stretched from overtorquing the nuts.

 

[bdcardinal]

might be easier labor wise, instead of changing all the studs, just but new hubs with new studs already installed. o and you should not be paying a dime for any of this.

 

[eljefino]

Here is one of my odd aftermarket lugnuts.

On the saturn at least in front the hubs and bearings are one unit, pressed in, and if not making noise are best left alone.

Time with a sledge pounding the old studs out is some quality time.

 

[CrAlt]

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
o and you should not be paying a dime for any of this.


Why not? Its his car.

Sams club is just going to say they use torq sticks or a torq wrench and that will be that.

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: CrAlt
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
o and you should not be paying a dime for any of this.


Why not? Its his car.

Sams club is just going to say they use torq sticks or a torq wrench and that will be that.


and they were the only ones to take the lugnuts on and off. they are not a wear item, same as studs.

 

[Duffman77]

No there not a wear item, yet like everything else on a car they do wear over time. Expecting to get free lug nuts on any car that has had its wheels off more than a couple times is a pipe dream.

 

[oilboy123]

If the lug nuts were always removed and installed with hand tools they would last a long time.
But you won't find many shops that do wheels with hand tools.

When the lug nuts are tearing up the wheel contact surface the lug nut becomes a wear item.