Does it matter what lug nuts you run? After all, they only secure your wheels to the car, right?
When we converted our BMW M3 from wheel bolts to studs, we splurged and added some quick-change coated lug nuts to the order.
[Project BMW M3: Installing Wheel Studs and Wheel Spacers]
Those parts all came from the BimmerWorld catalog, with each lug …
So, a related story. Several years ago, I was running at Roebling. While in the fast, long Turn 3, I started to think: Is everything that holds this car together up to spec and properly torqued?
That can make you back off a bit.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
What're your thoughts and do you have any experience with titanium nuts? I'm fancying the Titan 7 set a bit.
In reply to Gettingoldercarguy :
I have never run them, but let me ping someone who might.
Gettingoldercarguy said:In reply to David S. Wallens :
What're your thoughts and do you have any experience with titanium nuts? I'm fancying the Titan 7 set a bit.
It seems an awful lot of money to save, what, a pound between all of them? Especially since lug nuts are a consumable that gets replaced once a year (at least in a race car context).
My M3 has the yellow NASCAR-style lug nuts on it. The color does make them easier to find when they roll under the car, and none of them have cross-threaded, galled, or seized onto the studs yet (I had one or two Gorilla nuts that did that on the Miata over the years).
And here's an aluminum lug nut on the same scale:
What brand? I can't remember. I bet they're 15+ years old. Note that many of those years were spent stationary.
Here they are in action. They sit a tick tall.
And a detail shot of the threads:
Long as they are tall with a flange for frantic midrace flat removal, the weight is not what makes me slow.
@codrus @bearmtnmartin
Yeah, it's a silly expenditure. And I'm so free of talent it'll probably make me slower. But I like them and I like throwing money at my car.
In reply to Gettingoldercarguy :
I bought a set of wheels and the seller included a set of titan7 titanium lugnuts. I wouldn't have bought them myself, but they are very light and high quality. I have removed them at least a half dozen times in the last 2 weeks and have been checking to make sure they stay torqued to spec and are working great.
Gettingoldercarguy said:Yeah, it's a silly expenditure. And I'm so free of talent it'll probably make me slower. But I like them and I like throwing money at my car.
There's nothing wrong with buying them just because they're cool. :)
They're challenge budget exempt, so they're worth doing.
Hmm, don't you want a little more thread engagement on that Miata? I always like to have at least a couple of turns showing past the end of the lug nut. Some ARP studs would go well with those ARP lug nuts…
Yellow lug nuts are like racing stripes. They add at least 15 hp to any car. I would run them just because Yellow. 
Need? Probably not.
Many aftermarket wheels need the fancy lugs because of the size and angle.
I've run aluminum lug nuts on the Miata for years. Apart from the fancy coating flaking off, no issues to report, and they're freakishly light. A whole handful weighs about as much as the lugs for one wheel worth of steel lugs.
Those lugs ended up on the Exocet, because Chapman theory. =P
te72 said:I've run aluminum lug nuts on the Miata for years. Apart from the fancy coating flaking off, no issues to report, and they're freakishly light. A whole handful weighs about as much as the lugs for one wheel worth of steel lugs.
FWIW, stock Miata lugnuts are 32 grams, the 949 aluminum ones are 25.
One should only use aluminum lug nuts if the factory studs have been replaced with longer ones that engage all of the lug nut threads. I once broke this rule and came in from a session with two of my four aluminum lug nuts missing. I was probably seconds away from disaster.
z31maniac said:Need? Probably not.
Many aftermarket wheels need the fancy lugs because of the size and angle.
Just sharing this data point–maybe it will help someone googling for the answer: The Kosei K1 has enough room for a 21mm impact socket.
And here's the lug:
I have these from Flyin Miata on my NB1. The car came with a nearly identical set, and when I saw that the threads were getting worn, I replaced them.
previous owner said he used them since the aluminum threads on the nut would be easier to damage than the steel stud.
Looking at the first photo, the studs do not protrude all the way through the lug nuts. From an engineering point of view, this means that the nut is not "fully developed" (only about half the threads in the lug nuts are actually doing something). The theoretical ideal is stud protrusion of at least one thread diameter. On the other hand, if you're not seeing the lug nuts get loose during track sessions, this setup is working.
The YELLOW Coated ones were a $.05 a dozen in NASCAB
Visitors to the track loved to get them as a souvenirs.
YRMV
asrt said:The theoretical ideal is stud protrusion of at least one thread diameter.
From the Triple Threat ND...
I use Gorilla brand acorns, bought in quantity, and replace whenever one of them balks during a tire change.
Full set gets replaced once a year regardless and studs/hubs every two years. Just finished doing the latter.
asrt said:Looking at the first photo, the studs do not protrude all the way through the lug nuts. From an engineering point of view, this means that the nut is not "fully developed" (only about half the threads in the lug nuts are actually doing something). The theoretical ideal is stud protrusion of at least one thread diameter. On the other hand, if you're not seeing the lug nuts get loose during track sessions, this setup is working.
Somewhere I recall that only a small number of the threads are actually under any load, no matter how long the threads are. (6 or 7 threads?) It's something to do with how the externally threaded component stretches when loaded while the internally threaded component compresses very slightly.
This IS nice from a soft-failure point of view, as if those threads yield, the load passes to the next ones up the line, albeit with a lessening of load on the fastener.
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