Lug Nut Heads Up

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Michael55123

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Just a heads up, for all of you that have the factory, almost 5$ lug nuts, the break very easily, just like me. Convertible Sebring lug nuts fit, just gotot he chysler dealer, they're chrome, and one peice, and fit, and are about 2$'s instead of almost 5. Next time you mess up a lug nut, you might want to think about replacing them.

Mike
 
Okay.. I think I have finally ran into the problem that so many others have had... How the H E L L do you get the tires off this car??? I grabbed my 13/16 that I normally use, way sloppy... okay, 3/4... nope... metric, 19's tight and 20's about as bad as my first chioce. 6 point 12 point it doens't matter. Did I mention the tire iron in the trunk measures 0.756 inches?

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Over!

Does anybody happen to have the part number for the Sebring nuts?
 
Ya tell me about the lug nuts suck... I had a flat and i couldn't get the lugs off i ended up stripping the lug and had to get the car towed. When i checked all the lugs later turned out that almost all of them couldn't be taken off. So I had all of the lug nuts replaced under warranty (they said they found water on the inside)...i also think there is a recall out for them.

Take it from me, check your lugs to make sure they'll come off. Sucks having your car towed.
 
JaredLS said:
check your lugs to make sure they'll come off.
Click to expand...

Oh they'll come off... :zgreenbou :wrench

154031_lg.jpg
 
Go to the store and get a $3.00 tube of antiseize and put some on all the studs before you put the lug nuts back on. Its a cheap and easy thing to do that can save ALOT of hassle down the road.
 
I have broke several wheel studs (several = 9) as I have my tires off and on more than normal. The wheel studs are soft and the lugs tend to crossthread easily.

I replaced all my 01 lugs with new ones from Lincoln (they seem to be redesigned) - and have not had to replace a new one yet.
 
okay, but back to the original question... what size socket is supposed to fit these things?

Thanks for the other input, I have an impact gun already, and I also use copper antiseize on EVERYTHING. All the bolts for the valve covers have it in there along with the plugs!

I just hope I don't have to replace studs, it's not that tough, but a pain, as usual. Thanks!
 
The lug wrench should be 20 mm - 6 pt. Do NOT use any 12 point sockets as you will not can a good grip.


BTW: the Sebring lugs are a direct replacement (OEM Part Number MB579290) build dates after 4/97 - however your stock lug wrench will not work on these lugs. I believe you'll need a 13/16" for these new lugs.

The newer Lincoln lugs are 3W4Z-1012-AA List $4.83
 
Thanks for the help Quik... This should get me started. What's odd is I tried a 20mm and it didn't really fit any better than the 13/16, even as a 6 point. Well I'd better figure something out, as I'm getting new tires on Tuesday, and it would really suck not to be able to put them on!
 
kleetus said:
Thanks for the help Quik... This should get me started. What's odd is I tried a 20mm and it didn't really fit any better than the 13/16, even as a 6 point. Well I'd better figure something out, as I'm getting new tires on Tuesday, and it would really suck not to be able to put them on!
Click to expand...

not to deviate from the topic but what tires are your buying. I am looking right now and am open to suggestions. I want to stay around a 150 per.

I went through this problem about 2 years ago while doing my brakes and what a nightmare. I eventually repalced the wheels and new lugs came with them.
 
I am getting a full set of Pirelli Winter carving, and I'm stuffing them on a set of 16 inch taurus rims. Tire size is 225/60/16. I'll let ya know if I screwed anything up when I do the swap out. One of the reasons I went with these tires (from tire rack BTW) is the stud pattern. I'm old school and I like metal on the road for ice. These things have 5 separate stud lines on both sides of the tires. What I figure is you'd have 10 distinct "chew" marks on the road if you hit some ice. They were $115 each by the way. This is supposed to be the first year for these, so they don't have a lot of sizes out there which sucks, but I'm pretty close. If I pick up another Crown Vic, these tires (and rims) will drop right in. Got my rims from Triplett ASAP for 65 each, and they are pretty decent.

Quik, What do you mean Build date after 4/97? The cars themselves? wouldn't the part number dictate that?
 
kleetus said:
I am getting a full set of Pirelli Winter carving, and I'm stuffing them on a set of 16 inch taurus rims. Tire size is 225/60/16. I'll let ya know if I screwed anything up when I do the swap out. One of the reasons I went with these tires (from tire rack BTW) is the stud pattern. I'm old school and I like metal on the road for ice. These things have 5 separate stud lines on both sides of the tires. What I figure is you'd have 10 distinct "chew" marks on the road if you hit some ice. They were $115 each by the way. This is supposed to be the first year for these, so they don't have a lot of sizes out there which sucks, but I'm pretty close. If I pick up another Crown Vic, these tires (and rims) will drop right in. Got my rims from Triplett ASAP for 65 each, and they are pretty decent.

Quik, What do you mean Build date after 4/97? The cars themselves? wouldn't the part number dictate that?
Click to expand...

keeping with the off topic theme I started...

So are you a happy tire rack customer?

How many people here use the dealer for mount/balance and alignment services. Or is there a national chain that you prefer going to?
 
I go to a private person, or a local garage depending on what I have and what I'm trying to do.

What stuff hits aftermarket?
 
A little news from my new tires... I hate trying to outhink Ford. I picked up a set of Taurus rims, nice, clean, look great, don't clear the freakin calipers by like, oh, 1/64 of an inch... I was going to attack the caliper with a grinder to take off the paper thin obstruction, but then I thought about replacements down the road. A buddy suggested spacers, but I don't know what that would do to alignment and handling. Ebay to the rescue. I did some digging and found a set of 16 inch LS wheels, with shipping to be $40 less than I paid for the other rims, which I'll be returning tomorrow.
Isn't playing with cars fun? Just shoot me...
 
Believe me... I've done heat n' beat more often than you'd think. I've just never seen a car with somemany odd parts and just generally a pain like this. Well, a Ford anyway. All of my other ones were bullet proof.
 
Pete 2004 LS V-6 said:
Why would lug nuts break???
Click to expand...


two things happen:

- the nuts themselves are too soft and they get 'rounded' by the wrench - so you end up without any good corners to get a grip on to get them off.
- the nuts cross-thread onto the stud. You end up breaking off the stud trying to get them off.
 
The offical method used in my home garage: 3/4 inch 12 point socket, 4 inch heavy snap on extention, 3 pound ball peen hammer to "seat" the socket. The 4.5 foot chunk of 2 inch gas pipe provides plenty of torque with my 220 pounds sitting on it. Next time around my impact gun will get to chew on 20 new sebring nuts...

Stainless capped nuts can go find residence in the scrap yard somewhere...
 
Lug nuts -> removal process

I just got done removing all my rounded off lug nuts (I had new tires put on and the shop made them nice and round for me). Some came off by hammering on a 3/4" socket, but the rest I ended up cutting them off. Start by taking a small cutoff wheel (Dremel works well) and cut the rounded end of the chrome cap off. Cut notches to the outside of the chrome cap. Take a flat bladed screw driver and split the cap off the steel nut. Use pliers to break off as much as possible, be careful not to scratch the wheel. Use an 18mm socket to remove the rest of the lug. I got new lugs from the dealer for 4.27ea. Not cheap, but cheaper than getting towed because the lugs don't come off to change a flat.
 
I haven't looked real hard at these nuts yet, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there may be rust forming between the nut and the cap, which would make it swell. Swelling would then make it tough to get the correct size socket on it. When you torque on it, the rust collapses, then the socket mashes up the cap, and you're stuck. Dunno... My Sebring nuts are in, I may disect a few to see what's up.
 
Ford lame reasoning (so I've been told) for using sheet metal capped lug nuts is that if debris gets into the lugnut you will be able to fully tighten it since the sheet metal cap will come off. With a Sebring lugnut the nut would not fully seat against the rim.

Now could they really believe this BS (or was I fed a line of BS).
 
I can't see what difference the cap material makes for dirt resistance.... It's amazing that for what, 50 years, the plain old 60 degree cap jobs worked just fine.


I don't know what it it with me and this car, but I don't think those sebring nuts work... I bought 20 of the damn things and they are about a quarter of an inch longer than the ls lugs. I haven't put them on the car yet, but based on how far they stick though the rim of my spare, they will hit the rotor about an eighth of an inch sooner then the washer and shoulder hit the rim. Looks pretty scary, this is my project this afternoon... will keep ya posted.
 
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