why do my lugnuts loosen themselves??

[bdydrp97s10]

heres what i got..

73 up suspension in a 68..

the hubs on the 73 suspension stick out too far for the centercap to pop on my rims.. so i had a 7/8" wheel spacer made for both sides to push the wheels out enough to get the centercap on..

in doing that i had to get longer wheel studs, which i got from summit racing.. the studs are made for circle track cars..

and my lugnuts are threading on at least 3/8 of an inch on the studs and i torque them down as much as i feel safe doing without breaking the stud.

i noticed when i drive for 12-15 miles or so the nuts back themselve off to where the wheel is really loose and about to fall off.

another thing i noticed is that the rims themselves are extremely hot after driving that distance.. i know they might be a little warm from the brake rotor but thay just seem unusully hot to me..

anyidea why my lugnuts are backing themselves off over this short distance of travel??

[Naterman35]

fronts or rear?

fronts get hot as hell... it sucks taking the lug nuts off on a hot day especially after alot of brake use...

As for them coming off... first off are you using a torque wrench?... i would sugjest that... im assuming there acorn lug nuts?... i would say if they only thread on 3/8 of an inch you should get longer studs.

[bdydrp97s10]

yes the front wheels are the problem area

no not using a torque wrench but im sure they are tight enough.

as far as how much they thread on..
i cant go much further inside the acorn nuts.. i might be able to get 5/8 out of them before they bottom out on the nut

[LONGHAIR]

You need to have full thread engaugement of the threads in the nut. Anything beyond that is not doing any more, but the nut has to be full.
Another thing to look at is flat, smooth fit between all parts.

I an not a fan of spacers that are not the bolt-on style, but they should not loosen that quickly. Are you sure that the hole in the wheels are not worn? There should be some "spring" to the flange of the bolt-circle. That is why steel wheels have a raised area around the hub.

[71swb4x4]

These trucks run hubcentric wheels. The wheels use the hub to help hold it on. Is the center of the wheel engaging with the hub tightly? The hub will help with the loosening if you can get it to engage.


What do you mean by this comment?

Originally Posted by bdydrp97s10

i might be able to get 5/8 out of them before they bottom out on the nut

If you still have another 5/8" of thread to use on your acorn nuts you definitely need longer studs. It sounds like you aren't even using half the threads on the nuts.

[bdydrp97s10]

Originally Posted by 71swb4x4

What do you mean by this comment?

If you still have another 5/8" of thread to use on your acorn nuts you definitely need longer studs. It sounds like you aren't even using half the threads on the nuts.

no i mean 5/8 total.. i might beable to get 1/4 inch more inside the nuts..

[Naterman35]

Originally Posted by 71swb4x4

These trucks run hubcentric wheels. The wheels use the hub to help hold it on. Is the center of the wheel engaging with the hub tightly? The hub will help with the loosening if you can get it to engage.


What do you mean by this comment?

If you still have another 5/8" of thread to use on your acorn nuts you definitely need longer studs. It sounds like you aren't even using half the threads on the nuts.

doesn't hubcentric mean the hubs what centers the wheel... doesn't that mean the hub doesn't hold it on. lug centric means the lugs center the wheel. all in all the lugs hold the wheel on no matter how you look at it... Correct?

[ghettoluxury]

Originally Posted by Naterman35

doesn't hubcentric mean the hubs what centers the wheel... doesn't that mean the hub doesn't hold it on. lug centric means the lugs center the wheel. all in all the lugs hold the wheel on no matter how you look at it... Correct?

correct but if the hub isn't centering the wheel like it is ment to do than is has the oppertunity to wobble and cause the lugnuts to loosen. Tighten them till you think they are about ready to snap or you will still have this problem while running the spacers.

[Naterman35]

alright i understand what your saying now

[lolife99]

Ditch the spacers. Re-install the original style lug studs,... and then buy some "bolt on spacers", (they are all over ebay), use loctite on all the lug studs, and use a torque wrench to install everything.
Otherwise, I see you buying new fenders soon. (just my opinion)

[bedsled71]

the torque spec on that stud should be 100 but if you never use a torque wrench and over tighten your lugnuts, it will stretch your threads and not let them tighten properly... with a 1/2 stud you should have aleast 1/2 of threads to tighten.. if your lug nuts bottom out then you need open end lugs . but non bolt on spacers should never be an option ..

[CSGAS]

You are also increasing your "scrub radius" and offset when you move your wheels 7/8" away from the line your spindles turn on. This extra effort not only create more wear on your tires--leading to your heat--but also overworks your steering. I would guess you have power steering? The fluid is probably getting hot like your wheels are...it won't likely be burnt but it won't smell fresh on your finger either and will look orange instead of cherry.

This is where a front or 4wd offset wheel will actually "solve" your problem, except for the obvious desire to use the wheels you have as evidenced by all the trouble you went through to use those centercaps!

I had a very similar situation with a 54 Plymouth and a custom disk brake setup adapted to the stock spindles, but only ended up with a 1/4" spacer after some trial and error...and error and error.