Alloy Lug Nuts

I need to know your thoughts on Porsche Alloy Lug Nuts. I have heard some say that they can break when tightening and then you almost surely will damage your alloy wheels. Would I be better off to use steel chromed nuts instead or do you think the alloy black nuts are OK? Get back to me when you can, no hurry. Thanks

Lynx

Porsche 911's use alloy lug nuts. No problems. I use Never-Seize on mine, but I'm just kind of weird about that. Porsche uses them on the their Fuchs and Cookie Cutter wheels which are both stud-piloted alloy wheels.

I do not know about their use/fitment with VW parts - but I can attest that they are extremely good quality and durable on 911's. We even have them on the spyder. Oh - use the proper "soft" socket to install/remove them and properly tighten them with a torque-wrench.

angela

I am using Fuch wheels. 16x6 and 16x7. I just wanted to make sure whether to use them or not. What is the proper torque for the alloy nuts?

Proper torque is 94 to 96 pounds (depends on which reference you use) when cold. Not kidding on the "cold". Don't run hard in the brakes and then torque, torque when cold.

Use Porsche alloy lug nuts, not something else. Another brand could be suspect or may not have the correct seating surface for your Fuchs. That part is very important as these are stud-piloted wheels. The Porsche ones are available in black anodized or polished.

angela

Thanks lots. Now I feel better about using them.

Bob:

I've got Fuchs wheels (16X7 all around), and I got my "Porsche" alloy lug nuts from Tweeks (now Mid-America?). They have the 60 degree chamfered mushroom at the bottom to match your Fuchs wheels. I haven't been torquing them quite that high, but get them to 75-80 ft. lbs. cold, and have had no problems with them (Hey! It's a light car, right?).

In fact, before I found that my cheap wheel adapters sucked, I had the wheels off and on a LOT, over the years, trying to find out what was going on, and never cracked a lug nut yet. I use anti-seize, as Angela and Steve do and have never had a problem getting them off or stripping them out. In fact, been running the same nuts from day one, almost ten years now. I always put a film of anti-seize on the mushroom at the bottom of the nut, too. When you order them, get the special plastic-lined socket so you don't mar them. I didn't, at first, so I tended to super-clean and paint them every other year or so (Krylon semi-gloss black works for me).

Just got my new wheel adapters yesterday from Pelican Parts (nice folks, and the adapters are 4-bolt VW to 5-bolt Porsche) and should test drive them tomorrow. Whoo-Hoo!!

Thanks Gordon. I checked Mid America and they no longer carry the black anodized lug nuts so I will have to look elsewhere for them. I found some on eBay but don't know how good they are so I haven't purchased them yet.

Robert,
Pelican Parts does carry both OEM and aftermarket in black or polished. I have not used the aftermarket ones they sell, but the Pelican site is VERY picky about the quality of the product they sell. If I were to buy aftermarket, it would be them I bought thru.

Looks like $8-9 for OEM and about 1/2 that for aftermarket.

angela

Has anyone done business with VertexAuto? They are saying that they have Black anodized OEM lug nuts for $2.65 on sale.

We bought some stuff from them a few years ago - don't remember any issues - so probably OK.

OEM for under $3 is a GREAT deal. Let me know when you get yours. If they are as advertised, I'm going to buy some myself!
angela

Just test drove, today, the wheel adapters I bought from Pelican, and I am VERY pleased. I've had a vibration around 70-75mph forever, and finally traced it to my El Cheapo wheel adapters. Got a new set of Billet T-6 914/911 adapters from Pelican and I'm Cured!! (not to mention that they look good enough to be jewelry!) Now I don't get wheel vibration, but everything's smoothed out enough that I feel all of the other road vibration!!!

As Angela wrote, they are VERY picky about quality and while they may be a tad more expensive than others out there, you don't have to worry about their product quality. I think that the peace of mind is worth it.

Performance Automotive, on the Porsche side, had those "geniune Porsche" alloy nuts a while back as well.....

gn