I've got some Enkei RPF1's that should arrive this Thursday. This is my first set of aftermarket wheels, so I've got some questions. Can I use the stock lug nuts, or will I need different ones? If the stock ones are usable, but will look really dumb I'll put that in the "need different ones" category. Speaking of the stock lug nuts, I just took the wheels off for the first time this past weekend, and there's one short lug nut on each wheel, and all of the others are long. Is that normal? (I bought the car used)

If I need new ones, I'm looking for 12x1.25, right? Are there pros/cons to the closed end vs. open end lug nuts? Why is there such a huge difference in prices? I've seen lug nut sets from $25 all the way up to $500 something for some titanium lug nuts. I'm guessing the cheapo aluminum ones will strip pretty easily? What's a reasonable price range for non-crappy lug nuts?

My new setup will be 18x9.5 +15 w/ 255/40 and 18x10.5 +15 w/ 275/40 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3. That's on an 04 SB roadster. Hopefully it all fits! I saw that Woof* is running the same wheels (but different tires) on a coupe and hasn't had any problems, so I think it should be ok.

Thanks!

 

I'll bet the front is going to rub bad . maybe the rear too. Lug nuts , i'm just using generic tuner lugs available for $30.

 

im running 18x9.5 inch LMGT4's all around with 265/40's and they havent rubbed. 255/40 is the safe play, it'll be fine, though those RPF1's do have a more aggressive offset (15mm if i recall, i thought about getting those till i ordered my nismos-tirerack said the 10.5's wouldnt be out till november, didnt wana wait lol, good wheels though) but there have been plenty of guys with 9.5 inch wheels with 15mm offsets running 265's up front

 

someone in the regional forum is selling a nice set of lug nuts dirt cheap...check it out.
Too bad i just got replacement nuts last week.


https://my350z.com/forum/pacific/275122-fs-trust-short-closed-lug-nuts.html

 

I would advise going for a set of tuner lug with locks. You will also benefit from forged lugs as they don't strip as easily and will save you a few lbs. It would also look retarded to have some nice wheels and stock lugs.

If you're on a budget get a set of gorilla lugs and locks theyr'e about $60-70 for both. If you're willing to spend more you can get a set of Rays forged lugs/lock for about $145 shipped with the vendors here. I would go for close-ended lugs because open ended one tends to be a design where you have to put the key "inside" the lug, it tends to strip easier. The closed-ended ones are the ones where the key goes over the top of the lugs and in my experience I have never stripped those lugs. I stripped 2 sets of the open-ended though

I have used two sets of Rays already and I would never go back to stock or any other brand (except maybe the Project Kics which costs like $200ish )

The Rays also give you an awesome bling factor. Here's a pic of the set I picked up about two weeks ago

 

Do those come with 4 lugs per wheel and 1 locking lug or do they all require the key?


FYI - I would recommend aftermarket lugs also. I am running the black lugs (i think rays but they dont say "rays") that came with my lmgt4's and black wheel locks to match.

 

They require an extra-extended 19mm for 4 of them and of course a special key for the last one. So it's really like 2 keys for these lugs (they came with one for the regular 4 and 1 for the special lock)

All RAYS lugs comes with the RAYS logo on them no matter if it's the short or extended version. Here's my old set of the "short" ones

 

Go with project kics, either the charcoal color or if you like it, the neo-chro color.

Quality can't be beat... much better than any aluminum lugs IMO

 

What's the difference between the 26 and the 40 Project Kicks lugs?

Is it that the 40 is just longer?

Are the open ended lugs a problem with rust on the threads? I live in Florida (rains a lot) and also wash my car a lot.

 

Cool, good to know. I wonder what lugs I have... lol.

 

im running 265/35/18's in the frnt and 285/35/18's in the rear with no rubbing, although i did end up rolling the rears after i heard a tiny rub two times from the rear. for lugs you will not be able to use the stockers. i bought black open hole muteki's for like 35$, not the bling as the rays but they work great.

 

I can tell what my experince has been. I've used basic tuner lugs, Motegi or Muteki, or such. They were ~$40 and came with the special key so it was very difficult for someone to jack my wheels...not that I was really worried about that given the area I live in. They served me very well for years and never had stripping issues. They were not aluminum. Aluminum is really too soft of a metal to make a durable lug nut so I'd steer clear of those.

Since our offset is fairly low, the lugs are burried in the wheel pretty deep. You can barely see them when you're standing next to the car. No one will ever see the Rays logo on them unless they plant their face in the wheel and look. Do you really care about that that much? That's your call. Plenty of good options out there that are light on the wallet. Again, it's your money so it's your call.

As far as weigth savings, how much weight will you save? 1lbs? 2lbs? Considering you'll be shaving off that pound just about at the center of rotation, what's the benefit? I question that marketing message. Physics tell me the gains will be almost non-existant. I think you're better off skipping that twinkie if you're after weight savings Although twinkies are hard to say no to.

I am curious how you guys are stripping the lug nuts? I mean, what do you have to do to strip a 19mm hardened steel nut? I use a torque wrench when tightening the lugs to 80 ft. lbs. and never had an issue. And how often do you take the wheels off? I guess I can see if you do the track all the time and you're constantly swaping wheels tires, durability should be #1 concern.

 

The ones I stripped were open ended and it's more the design then the metal used. Also, the RAYS may not be important to you but I think for the price I'm paying, they're offering a great product - lightweight, racing quality, color won't strip easily, and yes the look factor does add to it as well - just because I'm using VOLK wheels

 

Mcgard spline lug nuts FTW, strongest on the market.

http://chicagoz.com/v-web/bulletin/b...ghlight=mcgard


Up close:

 

I used to have a set, they're awesome. I actually used two sets...makes it impossible to steal my previous SSR wheels but they didnt fit the Volks so I ended up giving them to the guy who bought my ssr

 

^ thats weird. Fit perfectly on my volk GTM's. You may have had the non-tuner version.

 

I have these too... Not at all disappointed... They are heavier than the Rays but they work for me...

 

Not 100% sure but I went with the longer ones.

Rust isn't a problem for me, but I dry my wheels and lugs thoroughly using a leaf blower when I wash my car.

If you let water sit in there, I'd imagine it will rust.

 

The R26 is "26 grams" and shorter, obviously.

The R40 is "40 grams" and obviously longer... "extended," to let you grip the lug better. If you've taken off the stock 17" wheels with deep and narrow lug holes in the wheels, you'll appreciate a longer lug.

Most lightweight lugs are in the 26 gram range... although not all lightweight lugs are made the same. Types of aluminum used are different for some brands. The reason why Kics Project lugs are so expensive is because of the alloy used, which is said to be stronger than what Rays (or the comapany that may manufacture the lug for them [duralumin]) and other manufacturer's use, while keeping the weight reasonably low. The types of alloys, again differ from manufacturer to manufacturer, and you can Google those types of alloys to see what their "hardness value" is.

McGuards are nice, but if you can, definitely shell out for the better and lighter stuff.

I'll find out in a year if rust should be a concern for open-ended lugs, as I just intalled the R40's myself.

 

Sweet! The wheels showed up today. I took them up to get tires mounted, and just didn't have time to get all the wheels back (requires 2 trips, and UPS delivered them really late). I'm picking the other two up in the morning, and hopefully will have all 4 on the car before I go to work (c'mon NASCAR-like pit skills).

So after the questions I posed, and the great advice I've gotten, I went out and bought what have to be about the worst lugs ever. It's all I could find locally. The ones I got are "icw Racing". Oh, it says racing, so they must be good, so forget what I said before -- they probably add 40 rwhp or so. They're open-ended tuner lugs.

I'm going to buy some decent ones based on the feedback I've gotten. With this wheel, they're definitely a lot more visible than the lugs on the stock wheels. I'm now torn between black and blue nuts. The valve stems are blue, so I was thinking some Rays anodized blue lugs might look good. The car is Super Black, so black would obviously work too. But, I'm red-green color blind, and officially stupid when it comes to color schemes. If blue's a bad idea, please stop me before I make a mistake.

I am a bit nervous about rubbing now, since Woof* went with 35 series instead of 40. Those 10.5's with the 275/40 on them look really wide! I'll know for sure tomorrow.

If these tires (Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's) perform as good as they look, I think I'm going to need to find a lawyer...