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I am buying a set of locking lugnuts from the dealer for $82. I refuse to pay their shop prices to have them installed. (If you are wondering why buy from a dealer, it is because dealer locking lugnuts are better than the kind you can buy at AutoZone or O'Reilly since they match the other lugnuts and are weighted specifically for your car so you don't have to pay for a rebalance.)
Can I just take a lugnut off with a four-way tire wrench and put the new one on, without taking the other lugnuts off? Will this warp the wheel? I do have a torques wrench in my car to also (you are not supposed to ever use an impact wrench to install a lugnut; only to remove it--they do it wrong in the Nascar races).
Do I need to raise the car on a jack first? In the past when I have taken off just one lugnut on a car with the vehicle on the ground, the wheel moved a little! I would then have to raise it off the ground to make sure the lugnut was seated all the way when torqued.
I am buying a set of locking lugnuts from the dealer for $82. I refuse to pay their shop prices to have them installed. (If you are wondering why buy from a dealer, it is because dealer locking lugnuts are better than the kind you can buy at AutoZone or O'Reilly since they match the other lugnuts and are weighted specifically for your car so you don't have to pay for a rebalance.)
Can I just take a lugnut off with a four-way tire wrench and put the new one on, without taking the other lugnuts off? Will this warp the wheel? I do have a torques wrench in my car to also (you are not supposed to ever use an impact wrench to install a lugnut; only to remove it--they do it wrong in the Nascar races).
Do I need to raise the car on a jack first? In the past when I have taken off just one lugnut on a car with the vehicle on the ground, the wheel moved a little! I would then have to raise it off the ground to make sure the lugnut was seated all the way when torqued.
Wow!
Rebalance because of a lug nut?
I'll just stop at your first point and say that maybe you should just pay them to install them. You're making it way more difficult than it really is.
And no, Nascar doesn't do it wrong. Thousands of miles and they're doing it wrong?
No need to rebalance the wheels over a wheel lock. The extra weight (if any) would be negligible since it sits pretty close to center of the rotation axis. Ever wonder why wheel weights are placed on the outer surface of the wheel?
Just make sure to torque the wheel lock properly.
As for NASCAR, they have special impact wrenches with adjustable torque settings.
No need to rebalance the wheels over a wheel lock. The extra weight (if any) would be negligible since it sits pretty close to center of the rotation axis. Ever wonder why wheel weights are placed on the outer surface of the wheel?
Just make sure to torque the wheel lock properly.
As for NASCAR, they have special impact wrenches with adjustable torque settings.
I am buying a set of locking lugnuts. ....
Do I need to raise the car on a jack first?
The proper and safe way to loosen any lug nut, regardless if it will be replaced or swapped out for a locking is:
Per tire:
You want the car's weight on the tire to keep it from moving as you break the nut free.
Keep the car on the ground, in park, hand brake on, wheels chocked.
Break free all the lug nuts to be removed. (Break free means get them to begin turning, but no more).
If you're just swapping out the one lug nut per wheel, continue to remove the nut, and replace it with the locking, and then tighten it, all while the car's weight is on the tire so it doesn't rotate.
If you remove more than one nut, you should lift the car up so the one tire is off the ground letting the tire come free of the car as you remove the nuts.
And when you replace the tire, put the nuts back in the traditional star-pattern to snug-fit.
Drop the car down so it's weight now keeps the tire from turning, and star-pattern final-tighten the nuts.
One at a time, you are not going to warp the wheel. In fact you can drive with one of five lugs missing. It is not the best idea, but people do it all the time and for thousands of high speed miles and it makes no difference at all. In fact I have seen people driving with 3/5 and once even 1/5. That is really risky because if the 1 comes loose at all, you will destroy all kinds of things. But if it stays tight, you can be fine. Not recommending this, it is really dumb and dangerous, but i can be done. I saw it. They did not realize 4 of the lugs had been removed in an attempted theft apparently and they drove home with only 1. About 350 miles all freeway.
Even when changing the tire, it is pretty difficult to warp a wheel. If you get a cocked and it binds up that can happen but it is extremely unlikely. Not saying you should not be careful, but it is not the top of the list for things to fret about.
Lost of mechanics/tire stores just tighten the first lug all the way then the next one etc. If the tire is cocked, you generally know it.
Last edited by Coldjensens; 02-08-2018 at 07:42 AM..
I am buying a set of locking lugnuts from the dealer for $82. I refuse to pay their shop prices to have them installed. (If you are wondering why buy from a dealer, it is because dealer locking lugnuts are better than the kind you can buy at AutoZone or O'Reilly since they match the other lugnuts and are weighted specifically for your car so you don't have to pay for a rebalance.)
Can I just take a lugnut off with a four-way tire wrench and put the new one on, without taking the other lugnuts off? Will this warp the wheel? I do have a torques wrench in my car to also (you are not supposed to ever use an impact wrench to install a lugnut; only to remove it--they do it wrong in the Nascar races).
Do I need to raise the car on a jack first? In the past when I have taken off just one lugnut on a car with the vehicle on the ground, the wheel moved a little! I would then have to raise it off the ground to make sure the lugnut was seated all the way when torqued.
AfterMarket lugs are normally better, and usually same brand. Car manufacturers don't make their own.
Yes, it's as simple as taking one at a time off, and replacing one at a time. Nascar does it for speed, and continuity. Only reason some people complain about an impact wrench is when you have a flat, on side of road, it's harder to remove by just hand/arm strength.
If your wheel moved a little from removing only one lug nut? You had all five not tight in the first place. So, thats ridiculous.
Rebalancing the wheel for new lugnuts? Really? The lugnuts are not a part of the tire/wheel. the wheel is completely off the car when balanced, so the lugnuts have no bearing on balance??!! Balanced lugnuts?? no, again, total misconception. They are on the rotor/axle. even if they do weigh more, they are all the same weight therefore, the five or more/less will balance out as their physical setting on the rotor/axle.
For those that don't know... NASCAR teams use wheel nut wrenches that are powered by a gas, not compressed air. Its powered by nitrogen. And it turns at 15,000 RPM.
I bought the OEM Toyota wheel locks on Amazon for $30. They are really McGard anyway just in a Toyota package. Look around online, you should be able to find a good deal on whatever you need.
I just used the lug wrench that came with the car to remove one of the original lugs on each wheel to be replaced with one of the locking ones. Thole process took me 15-20 minutes tops.
I am buying a set of locking lugnuts from the dealer for $82. I refuse to pay their shop prices to have them installed. (If you are wondering why buy from a dealer, it is because dealer locking lugnuts are better than the kind you can buy at AutoZone or O'Reilly since they match the other lugnuts and are weighted specifically for your car so you don't have to pay for a rebalance.)
Wheels are balanced off the car, the lug nuts have nothing to do with tire balance. And located in the middle of the hub as they are, the few potential ounces difference in weight would have no effect.
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Can I just take a lugnut off with a four-way tire wrench and put the new one on, without taking the other lugnuts off?
Yes.
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Will this warp the wheel?
Only if you over-torque it. A lot.
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I do have a torques wrench in my car to also (you are not supposed to ever use an impact wrench to install a lugnut; only to remove it--they do it wrong in the Nascar races).
False. There is nothing wrong with using an impact wrench to install lug nuts. Occasionally some nincompoop with spin the nuts on without making sure they're properly started first and strip the threads, but this is pretty rare. Lug nuts can be over-torqued with a four-way or tire wrench just as they can with an impact.
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Do I need to raise the car on a jack first?
No.
Quote:
In the past when I have taken off just one lugnut on a car with the vehicle on the ground, the wheel moved a little! I would then have to raise it off the ground to make sure the lugnut was seated all the way when torqued.
I hope you tightened all the other lug nuts at the same time, because the only reason the wheel would move when removing one lug nut would be if all the others were either loose or improperly seated.
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