Aftermarket lugs

[mrneef]

Well, just replaced my rear passenger wheel and hub.

I had my 20' Vorsteiner wheels get replacement tires and brought it to a shop I usually go to. The kids used an impact gun to remove the lugs and one snapped.

He continued to remove the others no problem, did. his work, and reinstalled with the impact gun.

Took the car into Tesla to look at the damaged one. Paid $2400 for Tesla to destroy the wheel, remove it, replace damaged hub, and ordered a new wheel.

Come to find out the front two wheels have 2 broken lugs as well.

Trying to get ideas on how to approach this before dropping another $4800.

The lugs were the spline lock type, and I was told by Tesla and the shop I got the wheels from (not the shop that broke the lug) that the lug nuts need to be torqued BY HAND to 129ft/lb and to remove BY HAND.

Fun times and now im sketchy about using this set up again but stock is so ugly.....

Any ideas?

 

[krsgio]

So the lug nut broke or the stud itself? I don't have any experience personally but I'd totally expect you to be able to just replace the wheel studs that broke without requiring the replacement of the entire hub? I can see having problems over torquing them using an impact but I've never really heard of a problem REMOVING lug nuts with a torque wrench. Lets be honest who's going to remove 20 lugs by hand without power tools at most tire shops. I only snug my lugs with my impact then complete torquing with a torque wrench. I've heard of studs breaking but never had it happen personally.

 

[aerodyne]

Well, just replaced my rear passenger wheel and hub.

I had my 20' Vorsteiner wheels get replacement tires and brought it to a shop I usually go to. The kids used an impact gun to remove the lugs and one snapped.

He continued to remove the others no problem, did. his work, and reinstalled with the impact gun.

Took the car into Tesla to look at the damaged one. Paid $2400 for Tesla to destroy the wheel, remove it, replace damaged hub, and ordered a new wheel.

Come to find out the front two wheels have 2 broken lugs as well.

Trying to get ideas on how to approach this before dropping another $4800.

The lugs were the spline lock type, and I was told by Tesla and the shop I got the wheels from (not the shop that broke the lug) that the lug nuts need to be torqued BY HAND to 129ft/lb and to remove BY HAND.

Fun times and now im sketchy about using this set up again but stock is so ugly.....

Any ideas?

Yes...don't ever let anyone work on your car for simple things you can do yourself.

If you see impact tools or even torque sticks, run away.

Easy to rotate and torque lug nuts yourself and check tires.

Use a breaker bar and hand pressure to loosen and snug up the nuts, and of course, wheel should not have load on it when installing or removing lug nuts!

 

[dk10438]

odd since I'd agree, most shops will use the impact gun to remove the lugs and handtighten.... Being a fellow Los Angeleno with Vorsteiner, I want to avoid where you went to!

 

[Doanster1]

Def need more details/better description of what actually happened/broke. You said Tesla destroyed your wheel as well? Even if the entire hub needed to be replaced, I can’t imagine it costing $2400 to do so. Can you post the receipt so we can see the line item charges?
I, too, use the aftermarket spline lug nuts with my aftermarket wheels and have had zero probs when using an impact wrench to remove. Tighten is always slow to when they’re snug and then hand torque to 129 ft lbs.

 

[mspohr]

After 5+ years of carefully doing my own wheel rotations and summer/winter tires with a breaker bar and torque wrench, a shop butchered most of my lug nut covers with an impact wrench.
Replaced all of them with Gorilla 61148CX lug nuts. These should be more durable.
I don't know why manufacturers use these cheap soft lug nut covers. I guess they look nice... until the local grease monkeys go at them. My Land Rover had the same problem (and same solution).
The Gorilla nuts look good and should be immune to impact wrenches.

 

[webbah]

I had similar issues with a shop that ruined the threads on the studs and destroyed my lug nuts. Fortunately I was able to fix the threads with a special tool and I then bought titanium lugs (crazy expensive but stronger than steel) as these do not disintegrate like some after-market aluminum "racing" lug nuts.

Superlight Titanium Lug Nut Set for Tesla Vehicles

I bought the black DLC ones and they don't scratch, corrode, etc. I know, crazy price to pay for lug nuts but hey! Now I can say I have some nice nuts. Every man needs to guard his nuts.

 

[mspohr]

I had similar issues with a shop that ruined the threads on the studs and destroyed my lug nuts. Fortunately I was able to fix the threads with a special tool and I then bought titanium lugs (crazy expensive but stronger than steel) as these do not disintegrate like some after-market aluminum "racing" lug nuts.

Superlight Titanium Lug Nut Set for Tesla Vehicles

I bought the black DLC ones and they don't scratch, corrode, etc. I know, crazy price to pay for lug nuts but hey! Now I can say I have some nice nuts. Every man needs to guard his nuts.

I notice that these don't have a cap over the outside end. This could allow water/dirt to enter and cause corrosion or binding.

 

[webbah]

I notice that these don't have a cap over the outside end. This could allow water/dirt to enter and cause corrosion or binding.

The nuts won't corrode as titanium won't corrode. However to protect the studs you can still use the lug nut covers if you wish. It says so in the description. I chose not to as I do not have the stock studs as I replaced them with slightly longer Dorman studs some time ago and these are much higher quality than the stock ones.

 

[beatle]

titanium lugs (crazy expensive but stronger than steel) as these do not disintegrate like some after-market aluminum "racing" lug nuts.

Steel is stronger than titanium, though with a weight penalty.[/QUOTE]