Seized lug nuts

[Truckone176]

Has anyone ever had lug nuts seize up on their rims? I had four new gloss black powder-coated wheels installed with the appropriate lug nuts; they did use a torque wrench to tighten the lugs. The lug nuts are the deep spline drive lugs. When I went to rotate the wheels, five lug nuts snapped off inside the hole for the lug nut. I was able to take them back to the installer, and they are in the process of drilling out the studs. Has anyone else ever had this problem?

 

[HSKR R/T]

Has anyone ever had lug nuts seize up on their rims? I had four new gloss black powder-coated wheels installed with the appropriate lug nuts; they did use a torque wrench to tighten the lugs. The lug nuts are the deep spline drive lugs. When I went to rotate the wheels, five lug nuts snapped off inside the hole for the lug nut. I was able to take them back to the installer, and they are in the process of drilling out the studs. Has anyone else ever had this problem?

Did they only use a torque wrench, or did they zip them on with an imlaxt then just go back over with a torque wrench? What did the shop say about it?

 

[LaxDfns15]

Too much ugga dugga when they installed the wheels sounds like. I use my corded DeWalt 1/2" impact on lugs and have never had an issue, so they must have gone way overboard.

 

[Truckone176]

I watched them use a small impact driver, 3/8 size, and then use a torque wrench. It's been there 2 days while they try to drill out the stds without damaging the new wheels.

 

[HSKR R/T]

I watched them use a small impact driver, 3/8 size, and then use a torque wrench. It's been there 2 days while they try to drill out the stds without damaging the new wheels.

So the lugs snapped, or the spline part of lug broke? If the lugs snapped, the wheels should come off. If they are drilling to try and not damage the wheels, it sounds like the lug nuts broke, which to me sounds like they used cheaper lug nuts

 

[Jako]

Too much ugga dugga when they installed the wheels sounds like. I use my corded DeWalt 1/2" impact on lugs and have never had an issue, so they must have gone way overboard.

• Which Dewalt?
• 
  
• 1/2 inch cordless impact wrench has up to 700 ft-lbs of max torque and 1200 ft-lbs of max breakaway torque
• OR
• Tackle wide range of fastening applications with 600 ft-lbs. of max fastening torque and 800 ft-lbs. of max breakaway torque

 

[HSKR R/T]

• Which Dewalt?
• 
  
• 1/2 inch cordless impact wrench has up to 700 ft-lbs of max torque and 1200 ft-lbs of max breakaway torque
• OR
• Tackle wide range of fastening applications with 600 ft-lbs. of max fastening torque and 800 ft-lbs. of max breakaway torque

I use a Milwaukee M18 mid-torque 1/2" drive it will definitely torque more than the correct torque.

 

[LaxDfns15]

• Which Dewalt?
• 
  
• 1/2 inch cordless impact wrench has up to 700 ft-lbs of max torque and 1200 ft-lbs of max breakaway torque
• OR
• Tackle wide range of fastening applications with 600 ft-lbs. of max fastening torque and 800 ft-lbs. of max breakaway torque

I use my corded DeWalt 1/2" impact on lugs and have never had an issue, so they must have gone way overboard.

The corded DeWalt 1/2" has 345 ft-lbs, which is well over spec for the lugs. I rotate my tires every 5k miles on multiple vehicles and have never broken a stud, which means the shop was using much more. Or, like @HSKR R/T said, they used cheap lugs and broke the lugs.

 

[boogielander]

i have ugga duggas so many wheels ranging from exotics (Ferrari/ Lambo) to HD trucks (2500/ 3500 etc) to regular daily sedans (camry, accord, etc) at the shop, with both the 1/2" air gun and the 1/2" dewalt XR gun when I'm too far from the air line. not once had it happened.

sounds like cheap lug nuts are used, or incorrect thread lug nuts are used.

 

[fishslayer]

If the lugs broke why are they drilling with wheel on? Wheel should come off and replace lug studs

 

[HSKR R/T]

If the lugs broke why are they drilling with wheel on? Wheel should come off and replace lug studs

I'm thinking the cheap spline drive lug nuts broke, not the lugs

 

[LouNY]

130 ft pounds on cheap lug nuts with a cheap chinisium lug wrench possibly not fully seated on the splines.
It is ridiculous the torque numbers being used on wheel studs and nuts these days, with 130-140 ft. lbs. being common numbers.
Then look at the torque numbers for 14 mm bolts;
grade 4.6 or ungraded = 37 ft. lbs,
grade 4.8 = 55 ft.lbs.
grade 8.8 or 9.8 = 103 ft.lbs.
grade 10.9 = 151 ft.lbs.
grade 12.9 = 177 ft.lbs.
So the "required" torque is up around the hardened bolts such as the 10.9 grades and then people wonder why it's hard to drill out broken wheel studs.
Then when nuts get over torqued and run on dry, or when lubricated and run up to the full numbers. No wonder issues happen.

 

[HSKR R/T]

A quick Google search returns tons of posts on various forums about broken spline drive lug nuts. Sounds like a good reason to never use them. It's not like they prevent wheel theft

 

[boogielander]

130 ft pounds on cheap lug nuts with a cheap chinisium lug wrench possibly not fully seated on the splines.
It is ridiculous the torque numbers being used on wheel studs and nuts these days, with 130-140 ft. lbs. being common numbers.
Then look at the torque numbers for 14 mm bolts;
grade 4.6 or ungraded = 37 ft. lbs,
grade 4.8 = 55 ft.lbs.
grade 8.8 or 9.8 = 103 ft.lbs.
grade 10.9 = 151 ft.lbs.
grade 12.9 = 177 ft.lbs.
So the "required" torque is up around the hardened bolts such as the 10.9 grades and then people wonder why it's hard to drill out broken wheel studs.
Then when nuts get over torqued and run on dry, or when lubricated and run up to the full numbers. No wonder issues happen.

this is probably gonna make a lot of people gasp but we only torque it to 85 ft lb lol
41k miles later it's been fine, and I do drive the truck hard off pavement.

 

[HSKR R/T]

this is probably gonna make a lot of people gasp but we only torque it to 85 ft lb lol
41k miles later it's been fine, and I do drive the truck hard off pavement.

My 99 and 00 Dakotas I torque to 100ft lbs. I do 120 on the RAM My step-sons 98 OBS Chevy calls for 120ft lbs.

 

[boogielander]

My 99 and 00 Dakotas I torque to 100ft lbs. I do 120 on the RAM My step-sons 98 OBS Chevy calls for 120ft lbs.

yeah i know the book says some ridiculously high torque but 85 is fine.
for my friend's 3rd gen cummins with way more constant load who drives even more aggressive than I do off pavement (crawling, jumps, big whoops, etc) we go 125 per the book.

both Ram trucks use the same Gorilla spline lug nuts, simply because that's the only type of lug nut that work with Method wheels. I was suss about doing 85 only, but to be honest with the ugga duggas doing work I'm sure it's more than 85 lol

 

[Jako]

this is probably gonna make a lot of people gasp but we only torque it to 85 ft lb lol
41k miles later it's been fine, and I do drive the truck hard off pavement.

80 ft lbs. on my Honda Civic, Accord and Fit as per manuals.

 

[boogielander]

80 ft lbs. on my Honda Civic, Accord and Fit as per manuals.

80 is fine for smaller cars.
even on a heavier vehicle like jeeps and 4runners we still run 85 and not one issue.

 

[LouNY]

this is probably gonna make a lot of people gasp but we only torque it to 85 ft lb lol
41k miles later it's been fine, and I do drive the truck hard off pavement.

Mine are lubricated with never seize and I'm using a 110 ft lb torque stick.

 

[Truckone176]

A little update, the wheels are Raceline Wheels and their required lugnuts. When the lugnuts sheared off, it was at the end of the splines leaving the seat of the lug nut in the wheels. The tire store drilled out the studs and in the process, they damaged a tone ring on the passenger side axle and the wheel speed sensor. The ABS light, parking brake light, crash sense light, and traction control light were on when I picked up the truck. They tried to diagnose the problem with a code scanner, but did not have the correct access to the computer. I had it towed to the dealership and that's when they found the damaged tone ring and while in the rear end, the outer bearing on the differential were damaged. They think it is because of the rear end binding up from the bad signals from the sensors. The rear end felt like it had a locker in it when I picked up the truck and the 4x4 system was inactive and felt like it was fully engaged!