Get out your factory lug wrench and check your lug nuts folks.

On my 2015 Expedition EL 4x4 with 70K miles, the last time my wife took it in for an oil change at our local Ford dealer they told her they wouldn't be able to rotate the tires next time because the lugs nut were so damaged they could barely get them off. New ones are $8 a piece, $200!!!

News to me, but the last time I touched the lug nuts were around 30K miles on the truck to change a flat. Right after that Discount mounted 4 new tires and when I got it home I doubled checked the lug nuts with the factory lug wrench and they were all fine. Since then Ford rotates them every 5K with the oil change.

So my wife tells me what the dealer said and I go out to look at them and they look a little beat up but not horrible. I take the lug wrench out from the back and go to check the lug nuts and the factory lug wrench won't go on ANY of the lug nuts. I go get my 4-way out of the garage and the factory lug nuts are supposed to be a 13/16" or 21mm hex, but I have to use the 7/8" or 22mm to get a lug nut off an that pissed me off that I wouldn't have been able to change a flat on the side of the road.

The chrome cap separates and mangles itself around the steel nut underneath stretching and distorting the cap rendering the nut useless.

Here's a pic of mine




Not that bad right, except you'd be screwed on the side of the road unless you had a 4-way next to your factory lug wrench.

So I go back to the dealer to tell them this is crap and they need to warranty these nuts (I have and extend warranty) that hold the wheels on my family vehicle since they're falling apart, they said they've been through this with other people and Ford won't cover them saying it's wear and tear. Even if they did they would just put another set of junk 2 piece nuts on it.

So I went on my own search for lug nuts except nobody makes a lug nut that will 100% match the mating surface of a factory aluminum wheel. And I wanted it to still have a 13/16" hex so my factory lug wrench would still work. Here's the common lug nut that is sold for aftermarket aluminum wheels with half the mating surface of my factory one




After visiting multiple shops in town I finally decided to order a set off the internet that looked like they'd work, they didn't so when I was calling to verify how to return them the guy asked what I was trying to do and told me they make one, and only one, and they are the only ones that make them so I gave those a try and after 2 weeks of searching I finally found my lug nuts, they look like 2 piece nuts but they are not.




I got them from Coyote Wheel Accessories. $68 for 25 of them shipped. https://www.coyoteaccessories.com/lu...nuts/511148blk

Here's a before and after pic on the truck








And a pic of some worse looking factory ones from the internet





Just wanted to share so somebody didn't end up stranded on the side of the road because of junk 2 piece lug nuts that Ford knows about and won't take care of. I found a lawsuit that has been on going for years about this too. http://www.autonews.com/article/2017...gn-of-lug-nuts


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Yup. I think my '86 Ranger had lug nuts with that dubious design. The chrome shell came off leaving the hyper ugly inner nut which required a smaller socket. Seems silly. Thanks for the links to decent nuts.

 

Sure not anything new, I still have a few new spare nuts around here from my old 1987 Ranger or 1988 Bronco II. I've experienced the same thing with my 2015 and purchased spares. I believe the issue is that there are usually people changing the wheels, in a hurry, don't care, and they pick up which ever socket appears to work, generally an oversize std version vs the correct 21mm and go crazy with the impact wrench, many times they don't have the socket all the way on the nut. I purchased a spare deep 21mm socket, painted it red and give it to the guys changing the tires. I always retorque when I get home. I've got a pair of 4 post lifts in my garage and occasionally I'll rotate the tires myself but the lifts are generally occupied these days. Good luck...

What aftermarket part number did you get? Can't see the pics. Thanks

 

Yeah I don't know whats going on with the pics, they were there for 2 days then gone and photobucket says I need to pay a membership to share photos now.

Here's the ones I ordered https://www.coyoteaccessories.com/lu...nuts/511148blk

 

Think I've got the pics good now.

 

the damage to the lug nuts comes from the garage using worn out impact sockets with their impact guns to remove and tighten them. It does exactly as you showed, rolling the outer chrome metal and making them not fit the proper sized socket. bad design yes but it is only made worse by lazy shop mechanics using impact guns as torque wrenches.