clattin

I'm sure this has been addressed on here before but I can't stress it enough.....my 13 SCREW FX4 has the stock 18" rims and the lug nuts are coming apart. They have a thin "cover" on them that rusts from the inside and then they start splitting and are darn near impossible to get off! There is NO WAY you could do alongside a snowy roadway in the dead of night!

I bought the Gorilla lug nuts that are solid and shouldn't have the same problem. So do yourself a favor and save a HUGE headache and potentially other disastrous outcomes and change em out in the safety of your own shop and not trying to do it along the road!

Chris

kbrock

Yup been covered many times. Absolutely terrible lug nut design. I've never been so frustrated removing lug nuts before I encountered these. Constantly getting pissed and smashing sockets on the ground to get them out haha

Dutchmanxtr

Yes a lot of us have changed them out to a solid style. I originally brought this up to my dealer when I noticed some of the lugs were mushroomed out.. When they remove the wheels, they use an impact air gun. The tech told me, when the nut gets deformed, we use a bigger socket, see like this one I always carry. Since my truck has always been serviced at the dealer, I told them they are the ones that ruined the nuts and they should replace them( they just laughed at me).
Worst scenario, you could get stuck on the roadside with a flat tire, and no way to change it, because the wheel wrench will not fit on the lugs any longer.

SuperScrew

My 2011 FX4 has the longer lugs (not sure what they're called, but they definitely different lol). What is the solution for the correct lugs? This is news to me!

brihvac

What ones did you get?

STingray1300

Yes, they aren't the best. However, I've seen a number of them last a very long time. The start of the problem is usually that folks use a 13/16" socket instead of the correct 21mm (including the dealers).

But if/when they do start going south, Gorilla nuts seem to have the best product and guarantee. I also got a set of their locking nuts. I was really glad to get rid of the McGard locks.

Spiky

I gotta say, there are MANY ways you could do this, even on a roadside. They are called tools.

morehousej

the old GM lugs were the same way, cheap tin caps over a steel lug, lovely salt here in the great white north would speed up corrosion and they swell and split and some fall off, a nightmare for us in the tire shop, and even worse for our road side service guy.. but they do come off, a few different sockets, metric and SAE and something will always fit.

jkenprice1

I had 265k on my 05 and never had a lug nut issue. I always had my tire work done at Discount Auto. I watched them ( yes, one of those). They always used a deep well 6 point socket. When I got my 13, I decided to have the truck serviced at the dealer. I didn't realize they take the wheels off and check the brakes as part of the service. The first time they touched it, the grease monkey ruined 6 of the lug nuts. I could see exactly what he did. He used a shallow socket that didn't go all the way on the lug nut. Basically he only had it on the hollow part of the cap and not the actual nut. The dealer said they would replace them, but I figured that would be a waste of time if the service tech did the same thing next time. I won't let them take the wheels off any more. I have to say, this is the only negative thing I have to say about the service dept at the dealership. In all other ways, service has been stellar.

Bushwhacker1

Seems to me what we should do is go on the Ford Blue Oval forum and bitch about the lug nuts there. Then it would be right under their nose and might inspire change.