Rusty Lug Nuts

[WeBeFulltime]

Tried search function but no results. Will someone please tell me the correct size lug nut for 7k axles with factory aluminum wheels and maybe suggest a good online vendor to get them. Hoping to find good solid ones.

[jsmitfl]

A lot of people have gotten stainless steel lug nuts. We did and I love them. I got ours from a vendor on ebay. They were out of Florida. As well as I recall they are 1/2 inch threads and I got the longest ones they had. But wait and see if anyone else on here can help make sure.

[snfexpress]

1/2 x 20. Here's a link: http://www.sturdybuiltonline.com/Tra...orn_p_517.html

[jsmitfl]

Thanks Mike, That's the one.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-Boat-Trai...01f958&vxp=mtr

[DQDick]

We got ours at a good price from Tredit Tire and Wheel.

[Overlord]

I would be very reluctant to use 304ss nuts for lug nuts on my Montana, the proof load of 304ss fasteners is about half of the proof load value of carbon steel fasteners. Translation: the threads will stretch (and possibly fail)at half the load regular lug nuts

Recommended Torque value for 1/2-20 grade 8 fastener is 120ft/lbs

Recommended Torque value for 1/2-20 304ss fastener(can not be heat-treated, btw) fastener is 45ft/lbs

Unless these lug nuts you are getting are bi-metal(meaning carbon steel threaded inner piece, with a SS outer covering, I would stay very far away from them.

Best option: Quality made, heavy triple chrome plated, lug nuts. McGard or Gorilla come to mind.

[WeBeFulltime]

Thanks for the information from all. This gives me something to work with now.

[richfaa]

We also got a set from Tredit at the fall rally. Ours were rusted one month after we brought it home from the dealer.

[DQDick]

Have had stainless for over three years and 50,000+ miles without any problems or lug nuts coming loose.

[racerjoe]

check with McGard they sell high quality lug nuts and they have these

[mlh]

I agree with OVERLORD. Stainless steel is not a very good material for lug nuts. I've been in the machine shop business for 50 years and used a lot of stainless to make parts with and would not put stainless steel lug nuts on my trailer.
Lynwood

[jfaberna]

Mine were rusty after 6 months and I went with the McGard. They look great and are not SS. But the product is guaranteed to not rust forever. I bought them on Amazon. Here's the link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Phil P]

Hi

You will find there are several alloys that are referred to as Stainless Steel.

The lug nuts that the people here got from Tredit while referred to as “Stainless” are actually referred to in the documentation as “corrosion resistant”.

This alloy has the same torque value as the carbon steel nuts.

By the way my ASE chart show 105 Ft Lbs as the proper torque for the ½ 20 grade 8 fastener wet.

I have 80,000 miles on the trailer at this time and have been using 105 ft lbs for the last 70,000 of that without any problem.

Phil P

[Tom S.]

quote:Originally posted by Phil P

Hi

You will find there are several alloys that are referred to as Stainless Steel.

The lug nuts that the people here got from Tredit while referred to as “Stainless” are actually referred to in the documentation as “corrosion resistant”.

This alloy has the same torque value as the carbon steel nuts.

By the way my ASE chart show 105 Ft Lbs as the proper torque for the ½ 20 grade 8 fastener wet.

I have 80,000 miles on the trailer at this time and have been using 105 ft lbs for the last 70,000 of that without any problem.

Phil P

If you look at those Tredit lug nuts, you may discover they are in fact plain steel with a stainless cover or jacket.

[Overlord]

quote:Originally posted by Phil P

Hi

You will find there are several alloys that are referred to as Stainless Steel.

The lug nuts that the people here got from Tredit while referred to as “Stainless” are actually referred to in the documentation as “corrosion resistant”.

This alloy has the same torque value as the carbon steel nuts.

By the way my ASE chart show 105 Ft Lbs as the proper torque for the ½ 20 grade 8 fastener wet.

I have 80,000 miles on the trailer at this time and have been using 105 ft lbs for the last 70,000 of that without any problem.

Phil P

Yes, 400 series SS is heat-treatable with some of it's alloys coming close to carbon steel tensile strength, but is not as rust resistant as 300 series(which can't be hardened with heat treat).

The lug nuts that were linked to earlier in this thread by jsmitfl. being sold on ebay, are described as 100% 304SS. These are the ones that I was referring to as being dangerous. I notice that now, when I clicked the link, they are no longer there, .....coincidence?

EDIT: The listing is back up now, but the bullet points of the description have changed. It used to say "100% 304 Stainless Steel", now one of the bullets says "304 Stainless Steel", and another bullet says "100% Stainless Steel". So these might really be OK to use, if they are bi-metal, with the threaded portion made from 400 series stainless.

100% 304SS is not strong enough for lug nuts! ...period!

...and, yes, if you grease or use anti-seize on your lug nuts, reduced torque values are very crucial to not stretching the threads and causing failure.

[Phil P]

quote:Originally posted by Overlord

Yes, 400 series SS is heat-treatable with some of it's alloys coming close to carbon steel tensile strength, but is not as rust resistant as 300 series(which can't be hardened with heat treat).

The lug nuts that were linked to earlier in this thread by jsmitfl. being sold on ebay, are described as 100% 304SS. These are the ones that I was referring to as being dangerous. I notice that now, when I clicked the link, they are no longer there, .....coincidence?

100% 304SS is not strong enough for lug nuts! ...period!

...and, yes, if you grease or use anti-seize on your lug nuts, reduced torque values are very crucial to not stretching the threads and causing failure.

Hi

Very good post I just didn’t look up the alloy numbers.

I received training from one of the largest fleet owners in the US. They had a video of the “clamp” pressures obtained by using lubricant on the threads and using the “wet” torque value. They had a setup with a strain gage to show the deference. They were using the ½ 20 lug nut to demonstrate this.

The clamping pressure obtained by using lubricant and the 105 Ft Lbs torque was more than double that of the "dry" thread torque.

They did stress that the lubricant “high temp anti size” should not be put on the tapered face of the lug nut just the treads and not in a quantity that would allow the lubricate to squeeze out onto the tapered face of the nut and wheel.


Phil P

[mlh]

An easy way to tell if you have 3 or 4 series stainless. 4 will stick to a magnet 3 won't.
440 SST is what most stainless knives are made of.
416 is what most stainless rifle barrels are.
A lot of custom rifles the receiver is 416 and hardened to about 45 Rockwell. The rifle barrels are 28 Rockwell.
We make rifle ammo resize dies out of 420 SST. It can be hardened to 55 Rockwell.
Lynwood