sr-71

Hi,

I just got some SW388 for my ITR in size 15x6.5(+42) 5x114 and I have the version with 10 holes.

I know that depending on wheel size and version, the center part may differ. On mine the space between the bolt hole and the beginning of the spoke is minimal and there's not enough room to use a 19mm impact socket to spin or remove the lug nuts...I'd have to use a regular, thiner socket but I'm afraid of stripping one or the other if I use the impact gun (of course I torque them to specs after with the tq wrench before anyone asks). So far the only way I found was to do the whole job by hand but it take much longer and not convenient when changing wheels often.

For the record, I tried some good ol' steel lug nuts same size as oem lugs(but tapered) after keeping on reading bad stories about aluminium lug nuts potentialy loosening rapidly on track, cross threading or stripping easily and not being able to witstand impact gun for removal, etc...even with higher end ones like Rays or others?

I'd like to know(besides Spoon's) what aftermarket lug nuts do you guys use with 'em since I want some black ones, ideally with closed ends if possible, any ideas/solutions? mind to share your experience please?

thanks!

pancakeZ

project kiks R40 locking lug nuts in black . Using them for my Te37s and regamaster evos. It has a nice tapered bottom so you wont scratch up your rim like everyone else. FYI NEVER use an impact gun when installing/taking off rims as well

sr-71

anybody using 17's instead?

jdmspoonitr

iTrader: (1)

Break the lug nut loose by hand and spin the lugs off with the power tool. You should never and I repeat never be installing lug nuts with an impact. Especially wheels you care about. Don't treat your SW's like Pepboys treats people's steelies...cmon now common sense.

sr-71

^^^^^^

agreed, I never torque up to spec with the impact or even worse use the impact function....I don't see how I could damage my wheels that way?

I only use the gun to spin the lug nuts after putting 'em on by hand first and save on time whenever I have to install and uninstall wheels a total of 4 times a day when going at the track...of course if you do it like a madman and spin it at full force, you risk damaging something eventually, but done correctly, I've never had any issues with cross-threading or stripping with stainless lugs or damaging my OEM or track wheels after 12 years....maybe because there is more room to work with, but that's why I ask today...I'm here to learn.

What's wrong with loosening lug nuts with a power tool? (maybe I'm gonna learn something here but I always thought that it was the torquing part when putting them on that was critical...)

Precision regarding the original question: the set of sockets I normally use are the thicker ones(normally made for impact guns and supposedly they're better to prevent stripping bolts) even when I change my wheels by hand and finish the job with the tq wrench I use these same sockets. Up until now I've never had any spacing issues with these and the other sets of wheels I have, if I have to do it by hand and buy a reg socket to do so, I will but I was looking to see if there were other options.

Also I wanna do things correctly the first time instead of ordering and returning stuff, but I'm also curious as to what people use and have had success with on the long run.

And no I won't treat my wheels like Pepboys, don't worry. I've waited 12 freakin' years to get these, saved for a long time and looked for about the last 5 years or so to find 'em, so I intend to do things correctly. Yesterday I spent approx 6 hours washing and scrubbing the **** out of'em like you wouldn't believe(and I'm not 100% done yet), they were almost completely coated in and out by a few milimeters of hardened, cured brake dust unlike I've never seen before. It was so thick and the surface so even that it almost looked like it was the wheel finish that had tarnished a lil'bit. After washing, I discovered that there were 2other wheels that still had the Desmond stickers underneath all the brake dust, no joke. It was well worth it because all of that stuff that accumulated did in away cover the original finish from scratching and I discovered to my surprise that they were in even better shape that I thought, like new in fact, except for one that is carved on the inside a little but that I knew already before.

Todd00

You can't take 5 minutes longer and just do everything by hand and/or use a normal powerdrill on a low clutch setting (if you want to save a couple of minutes)?

I have a very nice compressor and selection of airtools in my garage, yet I still change wheels the old fashion way.

Even when I'm at the autox course I change wheels/tires using handtools and a drill.

I'm not sure why this is an issue. Just use a normal deepwell socket or a deepwell specifically made for lugnuts. Yes, a normal impact socket will likely be too large around--it is made this way to handle the extra stress an impact gun puts on it.

sr-71

ooook let me rephrase that...sorry I should have said power tool since I can disable the impact function on my gun and I use a low clutch setting as well( I just call it an impact since it's what it basically is and I'm no tool expert so for lack of better words/vocabulary that's the term I use since English is not my 1st language, not knowing it would make such a big deal, but I understand the confusion it generated, so my bad.)

And to be honest, saving time here and there makes a big deal of difference for me at the end of the day when you add everything up and I track my R about every week during summer time whenever I can, add to that a few other times where I have to remove the wheels at home for servicing brakes, changing pads or bleeding,etc... and my life is very hectic already, but I ain't complaining, that's the life I chose.

As for sockets, I did indeed go ahead and bought 2 normal deepwell sockets this weekend, one for the powertool and one for the torque wrench.

Now I'm just waiting for the new lug nuts set I ordered to come to my door...can't wait to put the wheels on my car, go for a ride or at the track.