A Little Headsup Warning

[Spurshot]

I'll post this over on the rims and rubber forum, but there's not much traffic over there yet.

 

Recently, I bought some factory GMC wheels for my Silverado and they didn't come with lugs. I didn't know what the OEM lugs looked like so I just ordered some chrome lugs from an ebay seller. I knew they were probably Chinese made, but thought they'd be ok. I was wrong.

 

When I had new tires mounted, I gave the installer the lugs and he didn't mention anything other than one lug was obviously wrong for my truck. He installed one of my OEM lugs (threaded on the outside for covers) in that wheel.

 

Over the next few days, I started thinking about those cheapo lugs. It wore on me. I was thinking about the cheap mild steel they were undoubtably made of and not the heat treated alloy the factory lugs are. I recalled a problem I encountered almost 35 yrs ago regarding lugs that bottomed out and let a little play to develop in the wheel, eventually leading to the wheel coming loose on a trip to Bonneville for Speed Week. I gave up. I decided to put my factory lugs back on and use lug covers of some kind.

 

I found some lug covers for my OEM lugs that looked good and bought them today. I started changing out the cheapo lugs and discovered something I had feared.

 

THE EBAY PURCHASED LUGS WERE MACHINED WITH THE THREAD SO LOOSE (OVERSIZE) THAT THEY LIKELY WOULD NOT HOLD ANYWHERE NEAR THE LOAD THE FACTORY LUGS COULD HOLD. THIS COUPLED WITH THE FACT THAT THEY ARE SOFT STEEL, COULD SPELL A REAL PROBLEM. THE LOOSENESS OF THE THREAD WAS UNREAL. They would not be within any class of thread fit published.

I am relieved that I went back and replaced these lugs.

 

If you have aftermarket lugs, I think you should check the threads for looseness. It'll be obvious if they are way off.

[AllBlkdOut07]

I bought mine on ebay but they're Gorilla lugs, so I know they are quality.

[Matt_]

There's certain things I do not believe in cheaping out on.....anything that has a direct impact on safety- I'll pay the extra $20 or $30 for a proven name brand product.

 

Good call going back and replacing those lugs

[music]

There's certain things I do not believe in cheaping out on.....anything that has a direct impact on safety- I'll pay the extra $20 or $30 for a proven name brand product.

 

Good call going back and replacing those lugs

 

+1, and thanks for sharing the experience.

[Spurshot]

I'm not familiar with any brand names in the aftermarket lugs.

 

I'm sticking to factory lugs.

 

I was in the machine shop biz for many yrs prior to getting into other aspects of aerospace manufacturing, quality assurance, and now continued airworthiness and certification in large commercial airplanes. Not much surprizes me when it comes to finding deficient products. This didn't surprize me. I had let my guard down and just figured "what the heck, the rest of the world lives oblivious to all my concerns and they don't seem to encounter the stuff I find". I was wrong

 

Aftermarket products scare the crap outta me sometimes.

[Irv]

My very first truck (Dodge Chuckwagon) I purchased came with some aftermarket cheap white spoked wheels and even cheaper white lug nuts.

One day just going over things on the truck, I don't know what came over me, but I decided to check and see how tight the lugs were, needless to say I am very glad I didn't do a lot of hwy driving then, nor was on a long trip somewhere! They were so loose I could spin some of them by hand!

I tightened the shit out of them and then checked a week or two later, some had come loose again and some were so tight(from me I suppose?) I could barely budge them loose or tighter.

Needless to say they were replaced pronto with some good quality ones but after rechecking them there was also some loosness noticed, not near as bad but as the cheaper ones but some looseness was still noticed.

I then attributed to the cheap wheels as I had no other choice.

[RyanbabZ71]

What kind of caps did you use on the gmc wheels?

[Spurshot]

The hub caps are the GMC logo ones that came with the wheels.

[cerbomark]

Thanks, good to know.

[RyanbabZ71]

so you have the gmc wheels/caps on your chevy?

[Spurshot]

so you have the gmc wheels/caps on your chevy?

 

 

Yeah. It doesn't bother me in the least. They're barely noticeable. The one dented one bothers me a little.

 

But, if anyone wants to find me some unmarked or chevy caps, I'll take em. I saw some that might fit, but I couldn't verify it and they were $40 a piece. Ain't bothering me $160 worth.

[rodram]

... good call on checking out that nagging feeling of something wrong....

 

... had to smile about the GMC on chevy thing... stuff like that doesn't bother be either... heck safe and functional is what is important..

 

... I even had VW wheels with logos on an old Corolla at one time (only one guy ever pointed it out to me...)

[bigredmariner]

Good info Chuck, thanks for sharing.

[07Graystone]

If you are ever looking for aftermarket lug nuts, look for McGard. Excellent products, (lugs, locks, etc.)

[06Voy]

What did you do with your factory wheels? Didn't they have the plastic covers over the lugs? couldn't you use the center cap from them?