(lug) Nutz...

[Ron in SoCal]

This is drivng me nutz ~

So I got these killer Forgelines. As an afterthought, hmm what do I do about lug nuts? They look to have the conical moounting surface. Compounding the issue, I have metric lugs on the front, SAE on the rear. What to do, open, closed, call the General? Swap out my lugs to match?

Make a few calls...ok so McGards spline drive is the trick set up. Conical, narrow to help reduce scratching. They also are a closed end lug nut w a deep thread bite. Searching the net I come to find out you cant simply buy these in ten packs! You can get three Four packs (12 total) which solves the front/rear different thread probelm. Or you can buy the 20 pack which doubles me up. The biggest issue -- total cost for the four packs front and rear is $180 plus the $8 spline tool! I dig these things, but am I Nutz?

Anyone using these? If not, what did you use? Also, any issue w scratching your nice powdercoated wheels install/removing?

[scherp69]

I've got the spline lugz on mine. I also got the matching locks to go with the set. The way I looked at it is the extra cost of the splines is like having two different sets of locks keeping my investment on my car. Should be a lot harder for someone to try and swipe my wheels. As for the wheel studs, if you can live with the different sizes, leave it as is. I know with me, it would bug me and I'd want to have them all the same size. But that's just me and in some cases I can be too much of a perfectionist.

[Vegas69]

I just run some regular open ended lug nuts. I have long studs front and back and personally like the race look. A thin wall 3/8 socket has plenty of clearance. I also run metric fronts, standard rears. They are stamped so you can't mix them up. I could care less about some scratches inside the lug hole. It's impossible to keep it clean anyway.

[DriverzInc]

And now everyone can see why its so expensive for companies like ours to simply "give away" lugs.

Ron, Personally, I hate spline drive lug nuts. They are a pain in the ass, more than they are worth, and say you lose the tool, and need one in a pinch, that's always a concern. Give me a straight up 3/4 hex head acorn lug nut, and I'm happy as a clam. Like these: http://driverzinc.com/product/wheel-installation-kit/

Just like I am really tired of valve stems "hidden" behind spokes!!!! ERRR, but that's another rant all together...

Stay away from 13/16 hex head lugs if you can, the tools are often wider, and that's where you will get into scratching the wheel, as most counter bores are just drilled large enough to fit a 13/16 lug tool.

[Ron in SoCal]

Thx guys! Exactly who I was hoping to hear from, and that about covers it....

[wmhjr]

I'm with Jon. I hate splined lugs, locking lugs, etc. All it takes is to forget one tool and you end up stranded, or damaging a wheel. I've not found any wheels so far that a decent deep well socket had an issue with. And maybe it's just me, but I'm a lot more comfortable torquing "standard" hex lug nuts than proprietary splines, but that's just personal opinion.

[70rs]

$188.00 for lug nuts???? Yur NUTZ!

[Apogee]

We've got a lot of guys running M12x1.5 fronts with the AFX/C5/C6 front hub setups and 1/2-20 SAE rears...if you avoid the 13/16" wrench size nuts as noted above, you should be good to go since the 3/4" and 19mm wrench sizes are virtually the same (within a few thousandths of an inch). At that point it's just a matter of keeping track of your lug nuts by axle, which isn't too difficult if the lug nuts are stamped with their thread designation.

Tobin
KORE3

[Vegas69]

I run 13/16 and have no problems with a think wall 3/8 deep well and a 1/2 to 3/8 adapter. I'd rather have the extra material myself.

[67autocross]

Yikes! $188...I'll take the DriverzInc $20 set up