Had a flat the other day and when I tried to change it, I couldn't get the lug nut wrench over the hex on 2 of the nuts. Ford keeps putting those lug nuts with the zinc jacket. Had 2 tire rotations done and obviously they used an impact. Ended up calling Ford to send someone out to get the 2 nuts off. He used a socket 1 size bigger to get to get them off. I just replaced all of the lug nuts with solid ones. I also wasn't impressed with the jack kit in the truck. I put a kit together with an Impact, a 6-ton hydraulic jack and a few other small tools. I used the ford app to get someone out there and it took about 90 minutes. I was on the interstate about 10 miles from the nearest town.

 

FWIW, I don't use the factory lug wrench for anything but lowering the spare tire out. I have a breaker bar and deepwell socket I carry on the truck.

Also... from experience... I actually follow up after someone else zaps my lugs on with a gun, and go around and hand torque my lugs after a few miles. That also proves whether or not I can get my socket on the lugs when I need to.

I still run the junky Ford lugs... I really haven't found any solid ones that have good reviews. I looked at McGard, but their website is such a piece of junk, I could never pull up the correct application.

 

Yet another reason I don’t like others messing with my truck… I do my own tire rotations every 5k miles and I torque them with a torque wrench. I am almost at 70k miles and I haven’t had any issues with the lugs. I don’t use any sort of anti seize on them either. I have used the included jack every time as well. Again, no issues. As mentioned above, I only use the included lug wrench to lower the spare. I bought a set of impact lugs and keep the size I need with my Milwaukee impact behind the back seat in the truck.

 

Can't remember the last time I changed a tire on the road. In all our cars I carry a plug kit and a small compressor. I have laid on the road and put a plug in more than I want to admit with 3 women in our family. Takes 10 min max then back on the road. I am a serious offroader but not with my truck. Can't even begin to know how many plugs I have done trail side. I tore a hole in my sidewall while 25mi deep in the desert. I had a spare but wanted the challenge and impress my friends with me. I started putting plugs in side by side until I filled the hole..lol ended up being 12 plugs! I thought no way in hell this will hold. My buddies were all laughing at me. That was 2 years ago and I am still running that tire.
recently they came out with little rubber screws as plugs. They are so much easier so I have switched all cars over to those.

 

The last time that I changed a flat tire on the road, it had a half inch bolt through it. No plug or compressor would have helped. It was new tire time.

 

That's what I was describing above. I have done a hole that I can almost fit my hand in. To my surprise it worked. Half inch is easy peasy. Just has to do with comfort level. Years of desert racing a plug is faster than a tire change. I have gotten very comfortable with them. I probably wouldn't have taken a chance on the road had I not had so much experience offroad. Honestly 1/2 in is no problem. Tire shops have brainwashed us that we just need a new tire which drives business. So far knock on wood i have never had a puncture that i couldn't plug even if i needed a handful of plugs and lots of glue which held for the life of the tire..lol

 

I got my first screw in my "kevlar" reinforced GY tire the day I drove it off the lot... in fact, the screw was likely in the Ford lot! I ended up plugging it but I did take it back to Ford and let them patch it from inside. That plug was a pain in the butt though.... I tried to position the tire so that I could get to it without removing it... I will have to give those rubber screws a look-see!

 

Lug nuts can take a beating especially using an impact.

Here's a sample of what mine look like on my '21' after 30+ times being taken off and put on for tire rotations at 10-15k mile intervals, brake jobs and slide pin lubing and any other misc. with 248,000 miles on the truck.

Bought these on Amazon and will change them all out in the next couple days.

 

I use a Black Jack Tire Repair Kit for tire plug system. It has a lube that helps get the plug in these heavy duty tires.


I was thinking maybe those screw type might not work because the angle of entry of the damage. They would be a lot easier for straight in so it would not hurt to have both.

 

The pain with the plugs is laying on the road and reaming out the hole. These new rubber screws you do none of that. You just screw it in with a Phillips screwdriver. My first experience with the screw type was my wife's car. It had a piece of steel in it and it split the rubber a bit. I put the screw in and it didn't seal. I was going to remove it and do a few plugs. For the hell of it I rammed another screw in next to the original and that did the trick. It's been 1 year and the tire hasn't lost any air