I have had the crappiest luck with removing my lug nuts ever since I got my rims. The 5 holes on the rim were too small to put in the factory wrench to remove the wheels (the guy that sold me the wheels didn't even tell me this!!), I found this out when I went to Pep Boys to buy an extendable wrench to help with leverage. Anyways, after removing the wheels I noticed that the lug nuts were rusty and so were the bolts, which I think made it so difficult to remove the lug nuts... well it was so difficult that I think I stripped my lock-nut on the wheel (I hope I didn't strip the lock nut used to remove all the 4 lock nuts) . I can tighten the lock nut the wheel, but strips when I try to loosen it. I need your help... can I do away with the lock nuts (u think someone is going to steal my wheels?) or get new lock nuts? Is there hope in removing the stripped lock nut? Thanks for your advice

 

I had a feeling that this would definitely come up Good to hear that yours are in good condition too LOL

 

some WD-40 will clean them up nicely........

 

I read on the manual that came with the car, something like do not use any sort of grease or oil which can cause the lug nut to loosen while driving. Are you refering to spray on and wipe off really, really good, to give it a little coat? Would this still be dangerous, according to the manual?

 

hmm, i'm not sure, i just know wd-40 is really good at cleaning up rust

maybe another rust remover agent you should use.....

how come you didn't get those 'thin' type lug nuts that many aftermarket rims use???

 

No#1. IF your having trouble with the lock nuts you currently have not...get rid of them and get a new set before you find yourself by the side of the road and you can't remove one of them to put on your spare....not to mention once it truely strips out and you can't take it off with a wrench it will be time to take it to a shop that can drill it off....and then there is a risk to screwing up a rim while that is going on....

No#2, DO NOT use any kind of lube on your lug nuts...what the manual says is correct....if you need to use some to get the old ones off...fine...but then clean it up really really good before remounting your wheels. I have been around the block a few times...and this is not something new or even without merrit....it can happen.

 

Well... I stripped my lock-nut on my rear wheel. Ane you were right... I returned to the shop where I got my wheels and they removed it my hammering a wrench nut and force-loosen the lock nut with their most powerful air gun... man it was not a good sight to see. But I got a new set of lug and lock nut, the lock nut is the kind that has a lot of grooves along the side of the lock nut so the wrench nut fits on their pretty securely. I knew it would come to this, just a matter of time. But thanks for your advice. The reason I have been removing my rims was to paint the calipers. I got the Hi-Temperature one, do you really need to "bake" them in the oven for 1 hour at 500 degrees? Will my paint on the calipers run off if I don't? I'm pretty scared now!! I love how it looks though. Thanks

 

Drive your car for a week and take out your lug wrench to see if you can get any of the lugs loose. At the shops they tend not to actually Torque the lugs rather just use a impact gun to tigthen them

 

I disagree, a good anti seize compound will in no way be unsafe. Loctite makes one. As long as you torque the nuts to spec, you will be fine. If your nervous give them a little snug with the torque wrench the first couple days/weeks to make yourself feel better. I use anti seize on every exposed bolt I take off my car or bike. I have never lost a lug nut or otherwise. However I use a torque wrench on everything that has a spec too.
Stocker.

 

A thin coat of anti-seize will definitely help, and won't loosen the lugs when you're driving down the street. Make sure to clean off the threads before you apply it though. As for your brake caliper painting question, you don't have to bake them. The brakes heat up when you drive your car, so just drive around after it's dry to the touch. The baking makes the paint cure to the surface. The paint will bake itself when the caliper gets hot.

 

FWIW I don't believe in using anti-seize on lug nuts because it attracts dirt and other crud that will get stuck in the threads and cause the nuts to strip when you try to loosen them. Been there, done that. Have you ever spent an hour cutting a stripped lug nut (and the stud) into 4 pieces with a Dremel tool so you could get your wheel off? I have, and I don't intend to repeat the experience.

The only lubricant I will use on lug nuts is Teflon lube, which is sold under various brand names at bicycle and gun shops. It dries up solid so dirt won't stick to it.

 

I haven't had a problem with dirt on my lugs, and I've spent a lot of time changing wheels over the year. I do clean the bolts with a die every couple of years (if they start to feel tight).

And doesn't Teflon lube go against the "no lube" policy?