Alloy wheel nuts

[trunt]

I got 12 alloy nuts with my car, all seem to be in good shape with good threads. I got 4 s/steel ones and have put one on each wheel. What’s the experience with the alloy nuts?

Terry

[Richard G]

They taste a bit metallic, prefer roasted!

[Phil S]

when I first got my car it went to faversham's for some work.
they advised that they had replaced the ally nuts as due to age they are no longer deemed safe due to the threads failing where they have been over tightened in the years of use.
make your own mind up, do you use a certified torque wrench every time you do the nuts up?

[Richard G]

In reality I replaced all of mine with steel nuts when I got the car, feel much happier with them.

[mole42]

The only problem I can see with steel nuts is electrolytic corrosion between the nut and the wheel, especially if there's any salt present.

ISTR there were discussions back in the '80's (when the Stag and the 2500S were possibly less than 10 years old) about this very subject since it was known that the alloy nuts were 'fragile'. It was mandatory for the Triumph dealships to torque alloy wheel nuts to the required torque to avoid stripping threads. There was also talk about tyre fitters using the windy set to the usual torque for steel wheels and nuts and wondering why the Stag alloys fell off....

Richard

[dasadrew]

I got 12 alloy nuts with my car, all seem to be in good shape with good threads. I got 4 s/steel ones and have put one on each wheel. What’s the experience with the alloy nuts?

Terry

I'm getting a chrome-molybdenum knee joint in a few days - I could ask them about the best metal for nuts if you like?

[jbuckl]

I collected a large number of alloy wheel nuts from the likes of stoneleigh & other autojumbles & cleaned & inspected them.
Several were damaged but about 20 with good threads were refinished with clear anodising.
They are forged alloy & only fail if abused.
I did notice they varied in form, particularly the dimple in the centre.

[trunt]

Mention nuts on this forum and what happens

Some good points there.. I always use a torque wrench but Then I didn’t have the car for the first 40 odd years so who knows.. odds are they were overtightened over the years, they always do in my experience. I guess I’ll add them next time I order ( there’s always a next time) what the heck it’s just money!

[mjheathcote]

Also be aware that some replacement steel nuts where sold undersized on their outer diameter.
The location of the standard alloy wheel is a terrible design, not on the hub, and not via taper or dome seat nuts, but straight sided nuts!
If they are undersized it is impossible for the wheel to be accurately centred, and you have wheel vibration problems.

[garyf]

Caught my nuts in my glasses case yesterday
long story......lol
actually if I ever meet any of you in a pub one day I'll tell you all about it

[flying farmer]

I have a set of Stag alloys and steel nuts that get used occasionally, but I have the same location and wobble problem.

I have a couple of original alloy nuts, and I find that I get less problems if I fit each wheel with the pair of alloy nuts first, then tighten the opposite pair of steel nuts to locate the rim. The alloy ones are then replaced with the second pair of steel nuts.

Its all quite a PITA, but it takes ages to centralise the wheels just using the steel nuts as they don't have the slight taper under the flange that the original alloys do.

Never have this problem with the minilite replicas

Neil

[JOHNS]

Also be aware that some replacement steel nuts where sold undersized on their outer diameter.
The location of the standard alloy wheel is a terrible design, not on the hub, and not via taper or dome seat nuts, but straight sided nuts!
If they are undersized it is impossible for the wheel to be accurately centred, and you have wheel vibration problems.

Interesting post. My original alloy wheels are in for refurbishment and diamond cutting. The other day the company phoned me to say that there might be a delay as they had to send for a special hub for their diamond cutting machine. I replied that that this delay was not a problem but then later I had a thought about centralising the wheels on their machine without wheel nuts and offered them a set of alloy nuts to help. They said no problem and they didn't need them so we wait and see.

[Phil S]

don't have original alloys any more, but would a hub centre type spacer centralise the wheel to hub? whats the wheel to hub difference measurement wise?
be happy to turn a few up if anyone wants to try fitting them

[trunt]

The problem with those 70’s wheels is that the Centre of the hub is not true.. the nuts centre the wheel. Modern wheels have the hub true and it helps centre the wheel..

My tyre place had to do the same thing as they would not attempt to balance on the hub centres for these old wheels

i suspect that some tire places do not know that

[trunt]

Are there any of the wrong sized nuts still being sold? The ones I got from rimmer were ok but I was thinking paddocks as they seem a good price.