Preventing Capped Lug Nuts from swelling

[theoldwizard1]

We danced around this topic a few years ago. Currently replacing a bunch more on a 2016 Edge.

Is there any sure fire way of preventing chromed capped lug buts from swelling ?

 

[rlitman]

I've got a surefire method. Guaranteed to work. Wrench them off, file them in the bottom of a drawer as a reminder of your past mistakes, and wrench on a set of solid steel chromed replacements.

Aside from that, best I've got is to totally baby them. Make sure they're only installed and removed by hand, using only unworn and clean sockets. Let's see how far you're able to manage that though. As soon as an impact with a worn socket touches them, they start to get misshapen.

 

[ChevyEFI]

How about inject some of the oil wax stuff with which the Canadians paint their undercarriages?

I will say the 19-up Silverado nuts are garbage even without salty roads.

 

[dnschmidt]

Brief answer: No. There are several companies including Astro that make oversized sockets for just such garbage. I believe Chrysler minivans were the first to introduce this abomination.

 

[bwringer]

The only real solution is to deploy a power tool found in your wallet, a rectangle of plastic with numbers on it, and replace them with solid nuts (if available) before they corrode and swell.


Edit: if solid versions aren't available, then just plan on replacing all of them the second you find one starting to swell. New lug nuts every five or six years isn't exactly a major expense.

 

[N_Jay]

Bought a set of solid replacements for my son's Escape.
The darn things are 19MM instead of 17MM, so now I need to add a socket and breaker bar to his car.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

I don’t think there is a fix for it besides getting replacement one piece lug nuts. But the half size sockets can be lifesavers when you come across swollen lug nuts. Sometimes you have to go bigger than that too. I once had a Toyota with a 21mm lug nuts and had to use a 23mm to take them off because that’s how swollen they were.

 

[4xdog]

I'm in the process of moving from the midwest to the southwest. We'll see how that works as a lugnut solution.

 

[Packard V8]

Just buy Porsche titanium lug nuts; a bargain at only $13 each.

jack vines

 

[BrandonV]

I'm in the process of moving from the midwest to the southwest. We'll see how that works as a lugnut solution.

Unfortunately not well.

Saw this on two Fords that had always been kept in Phoenix. Once the lugnut gets touched by anything out of specification the horror begins.

 

[finn]

The chrome on the one piece lug nuts flakes off after a season in the salt and slush. Occasionally you’ll find some still presentable after two or three years.

I haven’t found any brand that’s immune to the flaking. They’re all garbage If exposed to salt. I have boxes full of used chrome one piece lugs of various brands, all with damaged chrome.. The upside is that they don’t swell.

Only solution I know is to keep the vehicle in question in the garage. I guess moving to the Southwest desert is another alternative. The capped nuts on my 05 Ram were still good when I sold it after 18 winters, but most of those winters it stayed out of the salt, and the last five it was in Az.

 

[ZX3ST]

We danced around this topic a few years ago. Currently replacing a bunch more on a 2016 Edge.

Is there any sure fire way of preventing chromed capped lug buts from swelling ?

I replaced the lugnuts on all 3 of my Fords with an OEM equivalent from Gorilla. I wouldn't call them cheap, but they weren't THAT much money.

As mentioned, if you're careful and only use hand tools they hold up fine. The instant the tire monkey hits it with an impact, all bets are off.

 

[n8n]

Bought a set of solid replacements for my son's Escape.
The darn things are 19MM instead of 17MM, so now I need to add a socket and breaker bar to his car.

I was able to find original size ones for my Jeep

the reason your post prompted this is the studs are 1/2"-20 and those are available with both 3/4" hex and 13/16" hex so a deep dive into the catalog may be in order

Now, will you ever be able to use the stock lug wrench to get the nuts off at the side of the road - I don't trust it, I have a collapsible breaker bar and a set of flip sockets in my "go bag". The set of sockets doesn't add that much weight over a single 3/4" socket and then I can help most other people if I have to.

 

[whateg01]

I think by now, if you aren't swapping to solid lugnuts, your should just consider the ones with caps to be a consumable, like wiper blades.

 

[ChevyEFI]

Brief answer: No. There are several companies including Astro that make oversized sockets for just such garbage. I believe Chrysler minivans were the first to introduce this abomination.

Interesting. I know the big all jumped on the bandwagon by the 80s for sure.

These guys claim the invention and outline advantages of them! https://www.macleanfoggcs.com/from-our-experts/comparison-of-chrome-vs-stainless-steel/

 

[whateg01]

Interesting. I know the big all jumped on the bandwagon by the 80s for sure.

These guys claim the invention and outline advantages of them! https://www.macleanfoggcs.com/from-our-experts/comparison-of-chrome-vs-stainless-steel/

That's an interesting assessment. They don't mention the swelling at all for some reason.

 

[The Cobbler]

I believe Chrysler minivans were the first to introduce this abomination.

My 76 Olds Cutlass Supreme had them .

 

[n8n]

My 76 Olds Cutlass Supreme had them .

Wow, I didn't realize they were that old.

Both I and my parents' "modern" (and by that I mean 1980s or newer) vehicles have been predominantly German so they have bolts neatly sidestepping that problem. Of course you have to paint them every 5 years or so but that's a small price to pay. My mom has a Miata but I don't think it uses capped lugs because it has actual hubcaps (1st gen, still has the typical stock 14" alloy wheels with hubcaps) and now a Subaru which I honestly haven't looked that closely at. I've had three Jeep XJs however and each one I've had to swap out the lugs because they all started throwing the covers.

As an aside, I too must be old because I can see in my mind very clearly the "SSII" wheels with trim rings that I'm guessing your Cutlass had. My dad had a '67 so just hubcaps. I think the SSI might have been available but I don't remember ever seeing them back in the day but the SSIIs were ubiquitous.

 

[yhprum]

Leave them overnight in a container full of Auto trans fluid. Maybe even heated. Repeat as required.

 

[The Cobbler]

Wow, I didn't realize they were that old.
but the SSIIs were ubiquitous.

they were like these (maroon)
I changed the nuts over to McGard

 

[Steve_P]

Capped lug nuts have been around since at least the 1960s. The swelling is from corrosion, not from using an impact (with the correct socket). The steel nut underneath the stainless cap rusts and grows.

 

[welder4956]

Capped lug nuts have been around since at least the 1960s. The swelling is from corrosion, not from using an impact (with the correct socket). The steel nut underneath the stainless cap rusts and grows.

I live in the South where this type of corrosion is not an issue, but have still had problems with capped lug nuts. I cut the cap off a couple from the 2015 Expedition and the nut was not corroded at all. I replaced the whole set with solid lug nuts and no problems since. Around here the cap gets deformed by the tire and brake shops using an impact wrench with worn sockets. The deformation of the cap was obvious on mine.

 

[The Cobbler]

The swelling is from corrosion, not from using an impact (with the correct socket).

I would think that even with a proper sized socket , the hammering on the outer shell would expand the metal over time

 

[ChevyEFI]

I would think that even with a proper sized socket , the hammering on the outer shell would expand the metal over time

Distorts.

I have non-swollen 19-up Silverado capped lugs.

Picture a hex stacked a few degrees rotationally from one the same size. Once this happens with the (impact) socket 70% on, and another time 50% on, that 22mm socket isn't going on right. It gets forced, and works, and requires threading and wobbling the socket off forcefully. Yeah, FWProbs.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Leave them overnight in a container full of Auto trans fluid. Maybe even heated. Repeat as required.

I need to try this !

 

[theoldwizard1]

I cut the cap off a couple from the 2015 Expedition and the nut was not corroded at all.

I cut the caps off of a couple of the capped lug nuts from a 2016 Edge. No obvious sign of corrosion. The steel lug nut is now 1/2 mm under !

 

[MileHighRover]

I've never seen corrosion on the steel nuts, just deformation on the cap. I've had a bunch of vehicles with capped lug nuts. Land Rover loves them and has been using them since at least the early 90s.

 

[MileHighRover]

McGard would be a good replacement. They have a lifetime guarantee to not rust, chip or peel.

 

[Steve_P]

I live in the South where this type of corrosion is not an issue, but have still had problems with capped lug nuts. I cut the cap off a couple from the 2015 Expedition and the nut was not corroded at all. I replaced the whole set with solid lug nuts and no problems since. Around here the cap gets deformed by the tire and brake shops using an impact wrench with worn sockets. The deformation of the cap was obvious on mine.

I'm in TN. I have 2-3 nuts that are deformed; the other 21 are fine. It does rain here. I measured mine and the CENTER portion of the flats of the cap is wider than the corners. YMMV. It's not from a socket, it's from rust. In my case.

 

[Steve_P]

I need to try this !

Yeah, because ATF will magically shrink the deformation..... somehow. Let us know

 

[PlanB]

Timely thread - I am off to the costco tires shop to buy new luggage nuts. The costco ones on the old pick up last a couple of tire changes ( i run winters). The factory ones from Toyota are going strong after 8 years. Costco is under a C$1 and Toyota is C$8 (lost one). Now I know why.

 

[Pinne]

Replace them before they fully distort. McGard makes a huge variety of lugs and they aren't crazy expensive.

 

[genog]

..... wrench on a set of solid steel chromed replacements.

+1

 

[yhprum]

Yeah, because ATF will magically shrink the deformation..... somehow. Let us know

I think you might have missed the word prevent, once it happens you’re a goner!

 

[theoldwizard1]

Yeah, because ATF will magically shrink the deformation..... somehow. Let us know

We are not talking SHRINKING ! We are talking PREVENTION !

 

[captmoto]

Brief answer: No. There are several companies including Astro that make oversized sockets for just such garbage. I believe Chrysler minivans were the first to introduce this abomination.

For some bizarre reason I found some on a horse trailer. I helped a guy get one stripped of the cladding, had an 18mm socket and Milwaukee impact and was able to help him rolling again.

 

[rust in the eye]

Capped lug nuts have been around since at least the 1960s. The swelling is from corrosion, not from using an impact (with the correct socket). The steel nut underneath the stainless cap rusts and grows.

Yes, corrosion but impacting will destroy them too. The corners break open, the cover spins and you are F'ed. A LONG time ago I saw lots of this on the beaters I dragged home. The nut underneath was undersize, probably a metric size which was then "foreign" to me so I had no tools for. Giant PITA if doing a tire change roadside.

 

[Skyman]

As others have already noted, try McGard.

 

[bdbecker]

Thanks for the heads-up on the McGard lug nuts! I just swapped the winter wheels onto my car over the weekend and made a mental note to get new lug nuts before next spring. I was just planning on swapping on some new two-piece/capped nuts, but I'd much rather just get something that will last.

 

[Rinspeed]

I got a set on Ebay for my F-150 and they were cheap, most likely made in China but they have held up well. One of the most pathetic designs on automotive history those capped nuts are.