Swollen Lug Nut Replacement

[royski]

Just seeing what others have replaced their lug nuts with. Is there anything available that will not swell?

I have a base model 2013 4WD

 

[peterk9]

I've never heard of that issue.

Peter

 

[imp]

I've never heard of that issue.

Peter

@peterk9

Non-metallic nuts are known to swell due to inclement ambient conditions, especially those of the largest variety securing locomotive wheels to their axles.

imp

 

[goochman]

Apparently pretty common amongst Fords atleast. Father in law has an F-150 and when he went for a tire rotation was told he had to replace all of his lug nuts due to swell. Was not cheap and he was not happy. Dealer told him it was pretty common after x number of years

 

[imp]

Apparently pretty common amongst Fords atleast. Father in law has an F-150 and when he went for a tire rotation was told he had to replace all of his lug nuts due to swell. Was not cheap and he was not happy. Dealer told him it was pretty common after x number of years

@goochman

A new one on me! Not sure what's going on.......is it a scam of some sort? Sure, beveled metal nuts or bolt heads tend to "swage" or pein outwards on their edges, just like a chisel "mushrooms" on it's stuck face from hammer blows........but "swelling"?

How much can 20 or so threaded nuts cost, anyway? imp

 

[Mr. Alligator]

Swollen nuts????

 

[JCat]

I have noticed mine keep getting bigger.
.
.

 

[royski]

I've never heard of that issue.

Peter

Ford uses a 2 piece lug nut. Apparently over time and exposure to elements, they tend to swell, causing them not to fit traditional lug wrenches. I had a flat last summer and had to use a rock to hammer the lug wrench onto the nut in order to get it to fit.

 

[RedXLTlove]

Very interesting, never heard this before.

 

[Dave K 58]

I've never seen an Explorer with this problem, I have helped a couple guys with F150s remove lug nuts with this problem.
It's more of a problem up north where roads are salted in winter. Salt get between the machined nut and the decorative cap (BAD design) causing the caps to swell. The swelling not only causes the correct wrench to not fit, it also squeezes the nuts on the stud requiring a huge amount of torque to get them loose.
You can order a replacement set on Amazon (one piece that will not have this problem) for a fraction of the cost of the OEM replacements that will eventually fail again.
Just be careful that the ones you order have the same outside diameter bevel as the original. There are some on Amazon that will claim to fit your vehicle that have too small of a bevel diameter.

 

[Adrian Gitch]

I switched both my fords to one piece nuts. The 2pc pos on my 17 expedition was already starting to swell

 

[royski]

Anyone happen to know the part number for the ones that fit the base model wheels as they are different from the others?

 

[peterk9]

Wheels for 2013 Ford Explorer | Auto Nation Ford White Bear Lake

Peter

 

[Adrian Gitch]

Anyone happen to know the part number for the ones that fit the base model wheels as they are different from the others?

are they steel wheels with wheel covers?

 

[massacre]

Ford does use a lug nut with a pressed on cover.other OEMs do too
When I daily drove my mustang and used to swap snow tires and wheels, I bought real 1 piece lug nuts because of this issue.

 

[Brad C]

I just bought 1 piece lug nuts for my 2019 Sport. They were already starting to swell when I did my annual tire swap to winter tires in December. My better half's 2016 Lincoln MKC, when we did the tire swap in December, were impossible to remove. The 19mm socket size would not go over the swollen lug nuts. I ordered these from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/WheelGuard-B...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=S7E99BX5JWCW561GXMWK . Fit is perfect and 20 for $17.00 is a deal if you ask me.

 

[Adrian Gitch]

the one piece lug nuts are so much easier to deal with. They don't get that beat up appearance the happens with the two piece after a few tire rotations.

 

[peelman]

This issue is more prevalent in the rust belt areas, it's known as rustjacking.

 

[royski]

are they steel wheels with wheel covers?

Yes they are.

 

[Littleant]

Nothing surprises me anymore with car manufacturers. What would be nice is if it works leave it alone. STOP TINKERING WITH WHAT WORKS PLEASE