Aluminum lug nuts

Fuelie74

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Joined
May 7, 2008
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770
Location
Monroe, WI
The other day I had the pleasure of installing aluminum lug nuts on a customers car at work. Up till then I had never seen a set before, so that got me wondering just how safe are they? I understand the benefits of reducing unsprung weight, but fear loosing a wheel. Does anyone have any experiences with them?
 
Whilst this is not relative to the big V-8's, Triumph Dolomites were all fitted with alloy lug nuts to homologate them for the rally cars. Rally is a BIG deal in Europe!

I suspect they tossed them at every stop to save the few grams of unsprung weight that a racer would covet.

For a street car????? Are you barkin' mad!:tomato:
 
I don't think I seen 1/2 dzn aluminum nutz/bolts in my life, for freeking NOTHING, let alone a lug nut.....

that strikes me as stupid....along with torquing lug nutz on a aluminum wheel to 100 ft lbs....and see the wheels all mashed and deformed, which has to introduce stress breaks into any casting.....

I have always torqued to 5 taps on the Ingersol 1/2 impace at 125 psi....

it seems to equate to about 70 ft lbs....

put 70 ft lbs on a aluminum nut, can you imagine thread distortion??

bet they say to not reuse them....

:suicide::stirpot:
 
So it looks like I am not the only one with a gut feeling that they are not a good idea. I was thinking maybe I was being over paranoid, but maybe not.
 
Ford uses aluminum wheel studs on its mid size cars. I thought C4s did too.
 
Post Retraction

Ford uses aluminum wheel studs on its mid size cars. I thought C4s did too.

The above statement is in error:sweat:

The Ford Taurus used Aluminum lug nuts not studs.
I did a web search and found no US made auto using
Aluminum Studs.

Please forgive my error:flash:
 
I searched too and found that there is a lot of discussion across the internet on this topic.... I don't think I'd trust aluminum lug nuts although even Summit/Jegs sell these without any warning that they're for off road only.... they even have red anodized lug nuts that look very pretty :D
 
I searched too and found that there is a lot of discussion across the internet on this topic.... I don't think I'd trust aluminum lug nuts although even Summit/Jegs sell these without any warning that they're for off road only.... they even have red anodized lug nuts that look very pretty :D

UHHhumm...they can paint them thing purble with pink center, and harden them with poly unobtanium.....

and guess what?? I will use greased steel.....

:quote::censored:
 
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