I'm thinking of replacing the lug nuts on our '22 F150 Platinum due to numerous mentions of the OEM 2 piece nuts getting distorted during tire rotation and being difficult to remove in the field.
I pulled one off to check specs and noticed what appeared to be blue thread lock on the stud. Some questions.
Do I need thread lock when installing the new nuts?
Is the correct torque really 150#?
What is a source for unpainted Stainless steel lug nuts? As I read reviews of all of the one piece chrome nuts rusting. Even the MCGARD 64073 Chrome.

 

NOOOO to thread locker
yes to 150# torque
The Mcgaurd I put on the 14 in 17 are still perfect. I haven't bought any since so can't say if quality went in ****er, seems to be a lot of that lately. Jim

 

Thanks JC for the quick response. I've only been able to find the stainless at MCGARD in what they call black triple nickel plated. Rusting would not be an issue but they might not look good after the plating gets worn off at the corners exposing the stainless. I'm going to call them on the chrome variety that does not show in their web pages.

 

OEM vs MCGARD 64073. These are not for OEM wheels. These are for aftermarket wheels with smaller openings. This picture is from Amazon to show you the difference. You can find lugs that match perfectly not almost. Look beyond the first 1/4 inch of the tapered end. OEM wheels have bigger openings and take a bigger bulge acorn lug. Get an exact match. No thread lock and yes 150 lb-ft.

 

Check out Gorilla lug nuts. I bought black ones and I think I remember that they also had them in chrome.

 

Wow! That's an interesting twist. I did the hunt at Summit Racing using the vehicle input and found these stainless version:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/m.../2022#overview
I even entered the sub-model Platinum. These stainless have all the correct specs but no "bulge" what soever. Just the taper. If those Mcgards have the sub-sized "bulge" then they rely on only the taper to support the wheel lug hole. When I read all the threads about bulging Ford lug nuts, I get the phone book, including dismissed law suits. It appears that the Mcgard 64073 has the right size taper and bulge cone seat.

 

+1 for Gorilla. Here is the Gorilla chart so you can see the differences on the bulge vs factory bulge I mentioned above. I have these (Black) on my JGC for 6 years and they still look great.

 

I went ahead and ordered the MCGARD 64073 non-stainless chrome from Summit Racing - best price $5.14/each. At AMZ they were $6.41/each.
Just to compare, the Gorilla were ~$10/each at AMZ.

 

Absolutely no to threadlocker. I say skip Gorilla. They have a one year warranty and mine had rust less than 2 years in (granted I live in the rust belt). I’ll try McGaurd next.

I don’t think that you’ll find a lot of quality, pure stainless options. These nuts need to be a hard metal, and most hardenable stainless alloys contain high iron and will show signs of surface rust. Hence chrome or dark oxide coatings over hardened, non-stainless alloys.

 

Wow! That's an interesting twist. I did the hunt at Summit Racing using the vehicle input and found these stainless version:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/m.../2022#overview
I even entered the sub-model Platinum. These stainless have all the correct specs but no "bulge" what soever. Just the taper. If those Mcgards have the sub-sized "bulge" then they rely on only the taper to support the wheel lug hole. When I read all the threads about bulging Ford lug nuts, I get the phone book, including dismissed law suits. It appears that the Mcgard 64073 has the right size taper and bulge cone seat.[/QUOTE]

These indeed fit but what they don't mention is that the are not for OEM wheels. This discussion has been debated on here but there is really nothing to debate. There are other threads on hear that you can search for and is full of interesting readings. Many pictures of the inner OEM wheel openings with the wrong bulge size that some believe is ok because the lugs stated they fit the vehicle you are looking for on some website. Even most reps that work at these businesses when people have called don't know the difference and say "yes they fit". If you look here: https://www.cjponyparts.com/gorilla-...or/p/WHLLN123/ Scroll to the bottom and it will say they are for OEM wheels only and not for aftermarket wheels. Picture is misleading, I ordered from here and they were correct in the past. Hope this helps.