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Swollen Lug Nuts? Did a tech or dealer just scam me?

ramblinChet said:
Thanks - do you know what type of stainless steel was used? And what is the source of your information, I'd like to learn more.
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I made it up. Who cares.

If it was up to me, I'd start with 304 and go from there.
 
ramblinChet said:
Thanks - do you know what type of stainless steel was used? And what is the source of your information, I'd like to learn more.
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They are supposedly nickel-plated stainless…what stainless IDK.
Remember that from googling back when it happened to me.
 
ramblinChet said:
I'm confused by your reply - are you serious or joking?

And 300-series stainless is most often used for food, chemicals, salt water applications, etc. where potential rust is a concern. It's also more expensive and softer compared to most other options.
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Cupping it into a lug nut cover would require some serious drawing, so I'd want soft (ductle.) Or maybe 410. Maybe. Corrosion resistance is irrelevant. Lug nuts is not a critical application where 304 vs 316 makes a bit of difference.

But who cares. It's soft and thin compared to the underlying nut, which is why it distorts and springs away from the nut when hammered by a 7/8 impact or a thin-walled stretchy socket.

I wouldn't use aluminum if I wanted it to stay shiny year after year, uncoated, beat on by sockets. But what do I know.
 
johnmyster said:
Cupping it into a lug nut cover would require some serious drawing, so I'd want soft (ductle.) Or maybe 410. Maybe. Corrosion resistance is irrelevant. Lug nuts is not a critical application where 304 vs 316 makes a bit of difference.

But who cares. It's soft and thin compared to the underlying nut, which is why it distorts and springs away from the nut when hammered by a 7/8 impact or a thin-walled stretchy socket.

I wouldn't use aluminum if I wanted it to stay shiny year after year, uncoated, beat on by sockets. But what do I know.
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Electrolysis, man…it is what swells the stainless cover.
The two metals form a galvanic couple when electrolyte intrudes between them.
The less noble carbon steel lug nut will erode due to galvanic corrosion producing iron oxide, akin to the greenish junk that forms on a boat motor’s sacrificial anode and that swells the very noble stainless cover.
 
Poolmonkey said:
Electrolysis, man…it is what swells the stainless cover.
The two metals form a galvanic couple when electrolyte intrudes between them.
The less noble carbon steel lug nut will erode due to galvanic corrosion producing iron oxide, akin to the greenish junk that forms on a boat motor’s sacrificial anode and that swells the very noble stainless cover.
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While you're off in electrochemistry land.

I put new take-off lug nuts on my truck after last winter. I have had the fronts off probably ten times doing breaks, suspension goodies, redoing brakes, going through the fender liners, etc. I've had the backs off twice doing brakes and a rotation. I've been using a 7/8 socket because that's what I thought they were and because that's what I had to use on the old ones that came with the truck.

With a 22mm socket I've got five snug ones on the front and zero snug ones on the rear. Truck has not seen salt and rarely driven wet. In my case, it's use and abuse that causes the covers to distort and spring away from the nut. Not electrochemical wizardry. Lesson learned. 22mm.

Looking at the old, beat up ones you can see the distortion at the nut corners where they were distorted by impact sockets, sockets not seated all the way. This is not bulging, this is mechanical distortion of the cover.

My 2009 toyota, yeah some of those are getting snug too.
 
Damn, that Lugnuts place was a good deal but unfortunately only ships to United States. Looks like the dorman ones are famous for rusting though, I guess that’s one of the points of the two piece designers to hide the rust because even though mine were supposedly swollen, they still looked brand new on the outside.

I’ll keep looking for some solid one piece ones that I can get shipped to the Great White North or just wait for camping season down south and pick them up there
 
Anyone cheap on here just remove the tin and run what’s under there?
 
My OEM chrome capped ones are looking a bit rough after four years and over 100,000 hard miles on nearly four dozen expedition trails across these United States so I just placed another order with American Expedition Vehicles.

RC 25-522.jpg
RC 25-523.jpg
 
ramblinChet said:
My OEM chrome capped ones are looking a bit rough after four years and over 100,000 hard miles on nearly four dozen expedition trails across these United States so I just placed another order with American Expedition Vehicles.

View attachment 91450
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That’s not a bad deal, considering some other prices being thrown around in this thread. Do you need a special socket with black lug nuts so the finish does not get marred?
 
flan said:
That’s not a bad deal, considering some other prices being thrown around in this thread. Do you need a special socket with black lug nuts so the finish does not get marred?
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I agree - while researching, I found pricing all over the map. It will be interesting to see how the AEV lug nuts perform long-term, especially since I’m running AEV wheels. I would expect comparable results, but only time will tell.

There was one additional option I seriously considered: McGard lug nuts. However, the cost for a full set of thirty-two easily exceeded $250 after tax and shipping, and more importantly, they are not specifically designed with AEV wheels in mind, so fitment compatibility was uncertain. On paper, McGard appears to offer the premium solution. They openly specify key engineering details that matter: identification, through-hardened steel construction, precise bearing surfaces, restricted chemistry steel, the best chrome plating in the industry, and precision threads. These are meaningful differentiators in a component that experiences high cyclic loading and must resist galling, corrosion, and fatigue.

Secretly, I was hoping AEV had simply private-labeled McGard lugs (or at least adopted the same specifications), but my suspicion is that AEV partnered with an established OEM supplier. That still yields excellent quality - just not quite at the McGard level of over-engineering.

Regarding sockets: I’m not aware of any special or keyed socket required for the AEV lug nuts. I double-checked the AEV site, and the only “special” socket they currently list is a thin-wall 19 mm (3/4") version for a different wheel application. The standard RAM Heavy Duty wheel nuts (and the AEV lugs that replace them) use a conventional 22 mm (7/8") hex.
 
I haven't looked into it much but replacing the stock chrome lug nuts that came on my night edition (so dumb) is on my upgrade list. Am I correct that the stock OEM lug nuts are 60° conical seat and 14×1.5mm thread meaning those AEV replacements would work on stock rims also? Seems like a good price for a quality manufacturer a lot of you guys go with on the forum for after market stuff.
 
wrvond said:
I wouldn't use Dorman anything on my vehicles.
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My truck has dorman windshield washer nozzles on it. The spare heater hose elbow I carry is a dorman. I can't think of anything else.

Edit - I used their lower radiator hose because they offer one with metal elbow and the hoses were pretty decent, and you can't buy the hoses separately to use with your own elbow (thanks OE and gates). But that's only a thing for the dual radiator club.

Edit - crap, I used their WIF sensor on the rear filter when my OE one got intermittent this summer and had me constantly purging filters. It was the fastest one I could get and 1/2 the price of the OE. Oh well, it has a lifetime warranty.
 
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RebelForge said:
Adding more fuel to this fire, has anyone used the CJC ones? Or are they just about the same as the rest?
https://www.cjcoffroad.com/collecti...tyle-lug-nut-set-of-32?variant=60690517066098
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Looks like a nice nut. If you've crushed/salted your nuts and/or want black ones, looks like the way to go. Buy once, cry once (?), reasonable cost.

That said, I believe others that say if you keep them unsalted (maybe squirt some fluid film in them) and avoid using ugga duggas with the wrong size/swollen shop sockets, you won't have any issues for a long time.

You can also learn the lesson, buy like new wrangler/gladiator/ram take off sets on ebay for $30 and pitch yours as they get troublesome.
 
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Atmospheric pressures can be fun....I've hauled potato chips from Frito-Lay's in Fremont CA. , east to say... Salt Lake, etc. We couldn't go Interstate 80 over Donner Pass. The bags are packed at pretty much sea level, the higher altitude would make the bags explode (pop is more reasonable but I'm going for effect here). Keep an eye on a coke can when going "up and down".
 
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