{"id":19,"date":"2020-07-19T09:04:11","date_gmt":"2020-07-19T09:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ridemission.com\/?p=19"},"modified":"2020-08-03T06:57:41","modified_gmt":"2020-08-03T06:57:41","slug":"lug-nuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ridemission.com\/lug-nuts\/","title":{"rendered":"Lug Nuts And Lug Nut Removal \u2013 All You Need To Know"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Lug Nuts And Lug Nut Removal \u2013 All You Need To Know<\/h1>\n
Ride Mission<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n
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Lug nuts aren\u2019t the sexiest of topics.  But for those new to the home garage movement it pays to know a bit about them.<\/p>\n

So read on for\u2026<\/p>\n

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Everything You Need To Know About Lug Nuts<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/h1>\n

When we were new to mechanics we had a lot of questions.  Many of those are featured below, in our quest to answer the most frequently asked questions about lug nuts.<\/p>\n

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What Are Lug Nuts?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n

\"lugLug nuts are the bolts used to hold your wheel to your axle on your vehicle, typically a car or truck.<\/p>\n

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How Do You Use Them?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n

\"faq\"When installing lug nuts it\u2019s highly recommended that you give the nut or bolt at least 10 turns by hand before ever putting a wrench on it to ensure that no cross threading has occurred, and that the threads are free of obstructions.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve done that tighten the nuts all the way down to snug by hand before ever putting a torque wrench to them.<\/p>\n

This ensures not only that the threading is correct, but that the nuts have centered correctly in the lug holes of the wheel.<\/p>\n

Lug nuts must be installed in an alternating pattern, commonly referred to as a \u201cstar-pattern\u201d technique of applying torque to one lug nut, then the one directly across from it, but it\u2019s important enough to bear repeating.<\/p>\n

Torquing the lug nuts in this manner ensures that they center properly.<\/p>\n

Tor\u00adque one nut, then cross the center of the wheel for the next nut, and so on.<\/p>\n

For a 5-bolt pattern, this will have you torque the nuts in the classic star pattern. For a 4-bolt, it\u2019s a cross pattern.<\/p>\n

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What Are The Different Types Of Lug Nuts?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n

\"lugFor the most part, dealing with lug nuts only involves using the ones that came with the wheels.<\/p>\n

However, changing wheels will often require different lugs, and this is where it becomes important to determine that they are the correct type for the wheel.<\/p>\n

Having the correct lug nut for your vehicle helps ensure that your wheel is safely and securely installed.<\/p>\n

Conical<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

The most common type of lug nuts, conical lugs are cone shaped and designed to fit a corresponding cone-shaped lug hole. A taper of 60 degrees is still the most common style.<\/p>\n

Conical lugs are generally easy to work with and center correctly just about every time.<\/p>\n

Flat<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

Flat lug nuts have a mounting surface that simply extends out 90 degrees from the lug stud and looks like a large washer.<\/p>\n

Most also have a small barrel that extends into the wheel\u2019s lughole for centering, which is what makes them somewhat tricky to deal with.<\/p>\n

Ball<\/strong> <\/em><\/h3>\n

Ball-style lug nuts are essentially round rather than cone-shaped. Thankfully, there are relatively few of these types left in service, as it can be very difficult to tell them apart from conical styles.<\/p>\n

Confusing the two can cause serious \u2013 and usually irreparable \u2013 damage to the mating surfaces on the wheel.<\/p>\n

Ball lug nuts can, however, still be found on certain Mercedes, Audi, VW and Honda vehicles.<\/p>\n

Tuner<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

Many aftermarket wheels are designed for extremely small diameter lug nuts usually known as tuner lugs. In the olden days, tuner lugs were open in the center and designed to accept a solid hex-shaped key for installation and removal.<\/p>\n

Most are not made this way anymore, as the open design allows a wide-open pathway for air and moisture to get to the studs and threads, causing serious corrosion problems.<\/p>\n

In this case, it\u2019s a good idea to recommend changing them out for a set of the newer spline drive lugs.<\/p>\n

Spline Drive<\/strong> <\/em><\/h3>\n

These lugs have many narrow grooves on the head and even down the sides that will accept a special low-profile key that can just fit over the lugs and into the lugholes.<\/p>\n

Some people tend to think that spline drive lugs are akin to wheel locks and will protect their wheels from theft which is not true.<\/p>\n

The spline drive key is never a unique pattern, and are easily available from any auto parts store. Relying on spline drive lugs for theft protection is no protection at all.<\/p>\n

Lug Bolts<\/strong> <\/em><\/h3>\n

While most cars have lug studs coming out from the rotor plate, some cars, particularly BMW, will have lug bolts that thread into the rotor plate.<\/p>\n

They are typically seen on European vehicles. Most tire techs despise this as it means you can\u2019t just hang the wheel assembly on the lug studs while you thread the nuts on.<\/p>\n

Instead, you must hold the heavy assembly up against the rotor plate while threading the bolts through the wheel and into the rotor, a process that requires approximately 3\u00bd hands.<\/p>\n

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Are Lug Nuts Universal Or Do They Come In Different Sizes?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n

\"tapeLug nut sizes have a specific thread pitch, which is determined by vehicle specifications.<\/p>\n

Having the correct lug nut for your vehicle helps ensure that your wheel is safely and securely installed.<\/p>\n

Different lug nut sizes:<\/p>\n