wheel lug nuts

springerpete

springerpete

Well-known member
I understand that Model a lug nuts need to have the thread relieved ( cut back) for proper fit at the bottom. My current ones are not and I can't tell from the suppliers descriptions. Anny suggestions of who sells the correct ones ? Thanks, Bill
 
On going issue, and with some repro nuts, the throats may not be deep enough or the threads cut properly.
 
i do believe everyone solves this "wobble" by purchasing the washers that go between the lug nuts, and the wheel surface. Snyders, Brattons, all the big supply houses. They are inexpensive.
 
Some suggest not to use the washers if not needed due to nuts loosening though never had any experience with them.
 
Snyders nuts are fine. Never had an issue. The washers look dumb and are most likely unnecessary. The lug nut issue was from 20 years ago.
 
The washers are to compensate for enlarged or oval holes in the wheels and not needed with good condition parts. You can check the depth of the lug nuts on the studs before you place the wheel.
 
Washers are NOT safe.
If the holes are oversize, use the 1 inch hex lug nuts.
Available at Jegs.

As a side note, these are REQUIRED if you are going to run in any type competetion.
 
8 yrs ago I put the washers on all four wheels of my Early 30 Tudor..
Very, very unsafe in my experience. They loosened !

After about a 5 mile ride I 'luckily' returned to my

garage and took them all off!
They are on my shelf collecting dust at this time.
 
I understand we all have our views on any number of things, and it should be that way.

My point. I have used the lug nut washers for over 30 years. I check the lug nuts every spring when I bring the car out of winter storage. Never had an issue. Lug nuts where always tight.

Enjoy.
 
I use the washers. They came with the car. I have not had any bad experience with them and carry extra ones in case I loose one. I do carry a breaker bar and long socket wrench to properly tighten the wheel nuts. The combination crank and wheel nut wrench that came with the car does not allow one to properly tighten the nuts. A torque wrench is a better tool to use and I use that when at home. Next time at the tire shop, see what they use on modern cars.
 
Used washers off and on for several years, never had any loosening problem.

At one time I believed it would prevent chipping of powder coating on wheels.

Finally decided they were just too ugly and kept them off.
 
On a modern of mine I had new tires installed, after leaving the shop it felt like a wheel was about to fall off. I immediately returned to have the nuts checked, the manager using a toque wrench said they were tight, I followed him and turned the nuts tighter by a half a turn or more. Not all toque wrenches are correct and maybe their chart was off. The looseness that I felt was gone but at highway speeds I felt a bad vibration, at home I found one wheel had weights 3/4 around the wheel???? I took the wheel back and another person rebalanced the wheel and only put one weight on. I tighten all of my lug nuts with an 18 inch breaker bar by feel, it’s not good to loose a wheel at any speed. The hand cranky thing isn’t good for tightening wheel nuts and also dangerous for hand starting, it’s only good for turning over your engine to find the timing. Get cross lug nut wrench or a breaker bar to tighten your lug nuts . RANT OVER

P.S. snug your lug with the wheel completely off the ground, then lower the wheel to the ground and final tighten the lug nuts in a crisscross pattern
 
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Modern 1/2" lug studs can be torqued from 90 to 120 Ft/Lbs but a 90+ year old car may be better on the low side even though they are 1/2" lug studs. The lower setting is generally for a wet thread torque and the high side is for a dry thread torque as a general rule but it's not set in stone. On studs in good condition I'd say 80 Ft/Lbs initial torque with a retorque after 25-miles. Any noted movement should require further torque checks till they no longer move. A wet torque can be as low as 65 Ft/Lbs and still be a good tight fit. Retorques would be same as for dry threads.

If a person has nice new lug studs and drums then the torque can be increased but I wouldn't go much over 100 Ft/Lbs even with new wheels. A person may only have the OEM hand crank to remove a wheel so keep that in mind as well.
 
I had my old Snap On torque wrenches checked every year for 35 years and they always checked within acceptable NIST standards. Deflecting beam types pretty much last forever with proper care and they never need any adjustments. Some of the tools available now, I wouldn't trust to be accurate out of the box. To not use a torque wrench is to use a persons best guess as to how tight a fastener is. Use a longer bar and the pull will be a lot less to get the same torque. Use a torque wrench or not it's your choice but I prefer to use mine. That's why I paid the big bucks 35 to 40 years ago.

If a person retorques and a nut keeps moving too much then the stud is yielding to stretch and will fail sooner than later. They really shouldn't yield during the first retorque but a person can go one more time just to see if it yields again. This stuff can fatigue and give out at some point and especially 90+ year old parts.
 
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