Back in my blingtastic days, I bought a set of Rays lugnuts. That was probably some 4 years ago. They're aluminum and my guess is they've been on and off at least 50 times, probably more. Changing tires at the track, autoXs, summer, winter, working on the car, etc....
Of recient they've been working their way loose without me touching them. Just driving down the road I'll hear the wheel start knocking and finding one or 2 of them loose. At the track last year, I'd run 2 15-20 min. sessions then find that most of them were loose and I'd have to retorque them. I thought it was just heating up and cooling off and they'd shrink a little. Now that its doing it more often, I'm beginning to wonder if the threads may be stretched out or something..... Is it something that should be replaced? Steel studs with aluminum nuts, I know whats gonna be on the losing end.
Is the loosening normal? Are they worn out? Anyone find anything similar? Going back to steel stones solve the problem? or could it be something with the wheel seats? (I've used them on 3 sets of wheels, 2 of them were brand new when I started using them, and it didnt seem to matter.

 

change them bastards!

if they are working their way loose, get rid of them. i'd go back to stock, or something similar. aluminum lugnuts kinda freak me out, although many have had them work fine....sounds like yours are shot

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by redzcstandardhatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">change them bastards! </TD></TR></TABLE>

Well said.


The first few times this happened I think I personally would have looked for something new.

Get something else and worry about going fast at the track and not when your wheels are going to come off.

 

sounds like the threads wore enough from putting on and taking off that they are shot. replace those guys.

 

Alright, I'm changing them... I know I got a set of stones around here somewhere, just gotta find them.

 

Quick question on your behalf...what WHEELS are you running these ray lugs on?

If the wheels don't have a tapered cylindrical shape like the lug nut, the lug nut isn't going to seat perfectly flush against the wheel and can loosen quickly.

Your lug nuts should match your wheels. If you have OEM wheels with RAY lug nuts, they're not going to sit perfectly flush against one another. The OEM wheels have an accorn like rounded dish for the lug to seat against on, while most aftermarket wheels have this kind've shape --&gt; \ /

You CAN mix and match the lug nuts but it's not very safe and it won't seat 100% and they can come loose very easy. Just thought I'd mention it.

 

I used them on a set of Ozs, a set of Enkeis and a set of Speedmasters. All 3 have standard 60 deg. conical seats, so do the nuts.

 

Ah, just thought I'd double check!

 

Don't use aluminum lugs at the track! Just this last season, one of our racers in HC with a DA had his aluminum lugs strip on one of the corners of the car and lost the wheel! Pretty crazy!!

Just get the simple steel ones!

 

I'm going back to Steelies from 5 Zigen Pro racers.. . Alluminum/Magnesium

They are fine for show on the street or triming weight for drag racing, but I have lost the faith in mine.. . I'm sick of the damn oxidation and the nuts not going onto my bolts smoothly. It feels like I am stripping the damn things almost everythime I put them on.

 

my mcguard spline drives are the best! have had the same set for 5 years and have never come loose.


also, get into the habit of re-torqueing lug nuts before each track session. just a simple safety procedure that could save a wheel or your life.

 

Im with everyone else.

Go with steel, the .25-.5 pounds saving per wheel is not worth the wear the AL ones have.

 

The Rays lugnut are duralunium (spelling wrong) but they should just as well be aluminum, they just plan suck and wear down easily. I had mine for only a year and already I have to replace them. I doubt you need to change your studs but i would recommend that you first use different set of lugnuts ( i recommend Buddy Clubs if you want something light and nice) and check your lugnuts often if it still presists change the studs.

 

I think anything that moves, screws, or rubs is a "wear item"

damn.. thats sounds sexual

 

McGard!
http://www.mcgard.com/default2.asp

I spoke with someone at Gorilla Automotive Products during SEMA and that person (who did engineering for Gorilla) recommended McGard.

You don't see aluminum nuts anywhere else on your car, they sure shouldn't be holdling the wheels on.

 

mcgard have any open ended nuts?

 

Full listing of McGuard Lug Nuts here

http://www.performancealloys.com/locknuts.asp

It doesn't appear they have a open-ended conical lug nut available for a 12mm x 1.5

but if you go here to this site, there appears to be a lot more thread engagement and available stud to swollow.. .
http://www.pdm-racing.com/products/mcgard.htm

 

I've got some steel ones, I just found them, they're at my parent's house.... I'm having them sent down to me. Just not driving the car until I get them.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by superpilun &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> You don't see aluminum nuts anywhere else on your car, they sure shouldn't be holdling the wheels on.</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

i got a seemingly nice set of open-end lugs from the parts store a few months ago..couldnt believe how nice they seemed for a buck apiece. needed some since i put extended from studs on.

good luck, hope ya fix your problem buddy
-adam

 

yeah i'm not a big fan of these lightweight aluminum nuts. I'm working on a civic right now with the rays ones and they are all worn out. Sure they weight about as much as a potato chip but c'mon...to hold the wheels on!?

 

Yup, good advice above. Especially the part about using lug nuts with the shape seating area (ball-shaped/spherical or conical/tapered) as your wheels have. This could be a cause of your problems. But it's also common for the threads on lug nuts to wear after a while. Sometimes they come loose, sometimes they just don't screw on smoothly. In either case, just replace them.

You can get chrome-finish steel lug nuts at Autozone for $1.19 each, in your choice of ball-shaped or tapered.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by E-AT_me &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">my mcguard spline drives are the best!</TD></TR></TABLE>

Those are only available with a tapered seating area, so don't use them with Honda/Acura wheels, only aftermarket wheels.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Fuuma0083 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The Rays lugnut are duralunium (spelling wrong) but they should just as well be aluminum, they just plan suck and wear down easily. I had mine for only a year and already I have to replace them. I doubt you need to change your studs but i would recommend that you first use different set of lugnuts ( i recommend Buddy Clubs if you want something light and nice) and check your lugnuts often if it still presists change the studs.</TD></TR></TABLE>
I have Buddy Clubs and I was getting worried about em as I was reading this thread. Are the Buddy Clubs fine or should I throw them in the trash?

Also, I'd like to ask if studs are wear items as well as I clicked this thread since I am constatnly removing the wheels.


Modified by blackdc5 at 9:10 PM 1/10/2007

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by blackdc5 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'd like to ask if studs are wear items as well as I clicked this thread since I am constatnly removing the wheels. </TD></TR></TABLE>

It's usually the threads on the lug nuts that wear, and not the threads on the studs.

I would suggest changing only the lug nuts. If you still experience problems with new lug nuts - problems like the lug nuts not screwing on smoothly, or the wheels loosening - THEN you might consider replacing the studs. But otherwise, I wouldn't bother.