Well, I thouht I'd share...

I got a flat tire the other night on my way home from work. Flat tire... no problem... jack car up... loosen lug nuts... remove lug nuts... etc....

It sucks when the lug wrench that comes with the car doesn't fit the aftermarket lug nuts that you've purchased...

You're kind of suck at that point. Thank god for cell phones, as I had to call my daughter and ask her to bring me a star wrench.

Anyway, Just a heads up. Check that your lug wrench fits you lug nuts.

Btw, even though the spare is a full size wheel/tire, it really looks PATHETIC!


Sam

 

Good tip. I hadn't really ever thought about that.

 

I ALWAYS keep my KEY for my aftermarket lug nuts in the glove box

 

well i know this off topic of the flat tire, but what aftermarket lugs are you using. Thanks for any info as I am sure I will add some nice alloy ones later.

 

Believe they are Gorilla lugs?
Got them with my wheels from both Discount Tire (for the '06) and Tire rack (same set when I got my first set of wheels for my '05 back in '05)

 

Gorilla lug nuts all the way! Spend the money, you won't regret it.

 

Yep, those are the ones that came with my Konigs. I keep the key in the center console when running those wheels in the summer.

 

When I got my car, I was checking out the trunk area, and thought it was nice there was a pouch to store the lug wrench in. I figured I should check it out on my aftermarket rims the dealer had installed, didn't think about it at the time of purchase since there were no locks on the rims. Well of course it didn't fit, and no other socket I had would either. Turns out the rims have such a tight clearance with the lug nuts, you need a special thin wall socket for them, which turns out to be like the key to the lock. It took the dealer about 4 weeks to get one for me. Just glad I didn't need to take off my rims for anything.

 

That's the first place thieves look.
I'm sure they will thank you for the help.
.
Of course it will slow them down a little if they have to break into the car too.

 

FUNNY!!!!!!!

 

I hate to say it, but I've never put locking lug nuts on my cars. I figure the only person they would deter would be me. I would never remember where I hid the key.

And yes, it is a good idea to check out your tire changing gear before you are stuck out in the middle of nowhere. I actually did something smart for a change and did check that out on my '96. I had to buy a deep socket to work with the nuts on the Cobra-R wheels. So, that went into the well with the little tiny spare.

Oh, by the way, don't forget to check the pressure in that spare from time to time. It won't stay at 60 psi forever. And, while you're at it, make sure that tiny spare fits over your new aftermarket brakes. I had to get a Cobra spare to fit over mine in the '96.

 

and with the tag u get with thelocks I'd order a second key, you never know ?

 

So you used 1//2 x 20 gorilla lug nuts is that correct? Also did you happen to get there colored ones? Or just plain chrome? Thanks for the info.

 

Funny - I got the exact same set from Tirerack and then with Discount Tire (two differenet kinds of wheels) years later


silver/chromish in appearance - not sure how to describe them as they are thinner than your stock type of lugs.....

here's the only two pics I have on me that are somewhat close shots showing them

 

You made it sound like 20 bolts have performance gains or something... they're f'n bolts. You'll regret if you don't have bolts. That's true.

 

I think he was referring to the fact that it is better to go with them then say, Discount Auto or Walmart greenlight special lugs......

Whenever I hear folks talk about aftermarket locking lugs, GORILLA is usually the name that comes up

 

Where in my comment did you read anything about gains?

Burke got what I thought was a pretty obvious statement. The fact of the matter is I picked up some aftermarket rims from a fellow TMS member and had to get some lugs since the stock ones were too big. I went with some Pep Boys Tuner open end lugs that went on easy and gave me no trouble until I tried to take the front rims off when it was time to go winter tires. The rear wheels came off 1,2,3... the front ones were another story. It turns out the lugs weren't really long enough. They were on tight and the key kept stripping as I was trying to remove them. I ended up having to have them removed at a shop for more than they were worth. Oh well, lesson learned!

 

I keep my key in my jumper cable bag that I keep in the spare wheel well...