How to protect lug nuts?

[Periokid]

Are there special impact sockets for the 911 lugs that are used with Fuch wheels.

Mine are starting to look crappy due to frequent removal and installation.

Specific recommendations?

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David

1988 911 Carrera Coupe
Leonoff Net

[Rot 911]

I know Tweeks sells lug nut sockets with nylon inserts, not sure if Pelican does.

Kurt V
72 911E

[Kmatts]

There sure are. I have a socket that I got from performance products. It's got a tephlone (i can't spell, the stuff on cooking pans) coating on it. It works really well. I'm sure that you can get them from Pelican at a better price.
Kyle.

[Early_S_Man]

Well, I hope your use of the word 'IMPACT' was an oversight!

There are a couple of special sockets out there for sale, but the only one I recommend is the forged aluminum one by Stoddard, pn # T52.508.300. It is NOT to be used on an impact wrench, just hand tools!!!

www.*************


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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa
1992 Dodge Dakota 5.2 4X4 parts hauler

[Superman]

I have a problem with those nasty pneumatic wrenches. I think they may be used to remove many (but not all) fasteners, but I am not sure I am okay with them being used to install fasteners. ANY fasteners. I certainly am not comfortable allowing lug nuts to be installed with them, even the steel lug nuts.

I hvae a set of three square-drive bits for my cordless drill. I still have to break fasteners loose and torque them down using breaker bar, ratched or torque wrench, but these bits save me a lot of time rotating the fasteners both off and on.

I have steel nuts on the rear and alloys on the front. The alloys are a little beat up, but my car is no concours winner. She's pretty, very pretty, but would put steel nuts on front if I had ten more. In keeping with Porsche's long-time philosophy, function wins over form on my car.

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'83 SC

[pwd72s]

I'll go with Warren...I have a Stoddard's socket, very nice. I NEVER would use an impact wrench. I remove the lugs using this socket, a short extension and a breaker bar, all 1/2" drive size. To put the wheels on?
Torque to 96 ft. lbs. with a torque wrench, torquing them in a "skip" pattern, doing every other one until all 5 are torqued. Warren...think this an okay method?

[tchanson]

As noted above, there are several "soft socket" options.

In my experience, the sockets with the Nylon liner are less than ideal (sorry, Wayne) as the nylon socket corners tend to round off fairly quickly.

The aluminum sockets do a much better job. As Warren noted, Stoddard sells them, as does www.ajusa.com for a couple of bucks less.

Tim



[This message has been edited by tchanson (edited 10-18-2001).]

[Early_S_Man]

Paul ... yes, more or less ...

I use 94 lb-ft, and the skip pattern, but I use a two-stage tightening process, first at 50 lb-ft.

And, to minimize damage to the lug nuts, I clean them, and the inside of the Stoddard socket, before loosening with Windex and a soft shop towel.

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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa
1992 Dodge Dakota 5.2 4X4 parts hauler

[Ray B]

I use an old T-shirt between a suitably sized socket and the lug nut. Sounds kinda anal but it works. And yes, I even do it at the tire store. BTW, be sure to remove old wheel weights yourself prior to mounting new tires unless you want some ape scratching them off with a rusty screwdriver. Ray

[old_skul]

This is all great information, as I just recently nailed a new set of lugnuts off Ebay.

I've found that my old method of putting lugnuts on was way too hard. I would practically stand on the lugwrench getting them tight.

94 ft-lbs is not all that much. Use a torque wrench! Craftsman makes a nice one suitable for lugnuts for under $60.

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Mark Szabo
1986 911 Targa 3.2
1987 Escort 5-speed 1.9 RIP
The Porsche Owners Gallery

[mwbaum]

Reminds me of a funny story.....I had a flat deep in the Olympic mountains up a long dirt logging road years ago in my 68 Chrysler boat....and spent a half hour grunting and cursing trying to get the lug nuts off in the rain/mud....before remembering that old Mopars had the threads going the opposite direction.

[pwd72s]

Hoot! Yes, it did take those Chrysler engineers some time before they discovered that the wheels weren't falling off the Ford or GM cars. Anybody remember the year they wised up?

[88911coupe]

This brings up a question I have had. Should lug nuts be tighted with the wheel weighted or not...or does it matter at all.
May be a dumb question but...
Buck
88 Coupe

[Early_S_Man]

'72 models had changed for certain, and '70 models hadn't, I don't know whether the '71 had or not!

The really amazing thing was how many studs were broken or stripped at tire stores and service stations by idiots with the impact wrenches turned all the way up to 250 lb-ft!!! And it's not like they weren't marked ... with a large 'L' stamped on the ends of the copper-plated studs! The other side was just plain steel, you reckon nobody ever noticed that might have had the authority to have a small poster distributed to Firestone, Goodyear, or K-Mart shops?

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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa
1992 Dodge Dakota 5.2 4X4 parts hauler

[Britwrench]

Buck

17" and larger wheels must always be torqued with the wheel off the ground. If you wanted to be a perfectionist the smaller wheels could be too.

[Periokid]

Thanks for all the information.

I have to confess that I am using an impact wrench to remove the lugs. I do not use it to install the lugs. I always use a torque wrench to install the lugs.

I guess I should stop with the impact wrench on removal?

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David

1988 911 Carrera Coupe
Leonoff Net

[Oldporsche]

I have sitting in front of me, Porsche tool #P300. This is a 1/2" drive, 6Pt, 24MM DOWIDAT(brand) socket with an internal aluminum sleeve. This sleeve makes it a 19mm socket. I have used other sockets such as the sof-tite+ that has a black nylon insert. None work as good as the P#300.

On my car with worn lug nuts, I use a craftsman, 3/8" drive, thinwall deep socket. This socket provides lots of clearance on Fuchs wheels. A lot more clearance than the #P300.

I would like to make sure that readers of this bulletin board know that there are serveral steel lug nuts in use for Porsches. When using steel lug nuts with the Fuchs alloys, one should only use those that have a radius seat/contact area with the alloy wheel. The standard steel lug nut, such as the ones used on early cars, with steel wheels, have a cone shaped seat. This does not work well with alloy wheels.

I try to send Porsche clients to only custom tire and wheel shops. This give the owner a chance. Myself, I own a very old, manual tire changer. It's slightly modified to handle the Porsche wheels. I would rather mess them up myself.

Good luck,
David Duffield

[89911]

What are you doing with an impact wrench, pretending you work at Midas Muffler with a waiting room full of angry car owners....Next!

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8 9 9 1 1, The last of the line.

[MarkY]

Does anyone know if the nylon insert socket is 3/8 or 1/2 drive?

Thanks

[Early_S_Man]

David,

I haven't run across or heard of the 'non-compatible' lug nuts you speak of, but one particular steel lug nut that I have used and have measured and found to have the identical profile to Fuchs aluminum lug nuts ... is the VW Type 2 lug nut for post-'71 Buses with disk brakes.

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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa
1992 Dodge Dakota 5.2 4X4 parts hauler