Replacement lug nuts for those !@#$@## MoPar things

N

N8Nagel

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
Have a Jeep Cherokee with those miserable steel open end lug nuts with stainless caps on them. I (expletive deleted) hate these things, I used to fill in at my buddy's shop when he got busy on Saturdays and so I did a lot of tire rotations and brake jobs, it was a constant battle to explain to customers that they needed to buy new lug nuts because I had to peel the caps off of theirs to get them off (although I do have that process down to a science, I can do it with a hammer and an old flat blade screwdriver in about 30 seconds)

So this is the second XJ I've owned, and ~12 of the original lug nuts have been replaced with McGard. They are 1/2"-20 thread, 3/4" hex. Just had my tires rotated on Saturday and at some point since then yet another one of those miserable caps have flown off. Checked Amazon and now a 4-pack of those lug nuts is over $15! That's almost $4 a lug nut, and would cost me over $30 to replace the remaining original ones!

Does anyone have a recommendation for something that would make an acceptable replacement for the factory nuts so I don't have to worry about stripping them if I get a flat at the side of the road, but won't significantly increase the value of my XJ just by installing them?
 
I got good solid ones for our 05 Magnum from Summit Racing. I also picked up a 6pt deep well socket and breaker bar.
 
God, I hate those things. Especially here in the salt belt. I don't know which ones were worse, the ones where the chrome cap just flew/fell off, or the slightly newer ones where the caps were crimped on better but swelled up from rust inside to where you couldn't get a socket on.:mad:

There probably isn't much out there that is cheaper and worth having. Parts store lug nuts aren't much (if any) cheaper, and the cheap ones I've bought in the past usually rusted the first time water hit them.
 
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Are Gorilla any good? Those are $10/4 which is still more than the McGard used to be but a little less crazy.

Am not seeing anything else other than Dorman, and Amazon doesn't carry them (it's cheaper if I order from them unless there's a significant price difference as my cuter half has a Prime subscription)

local parts stores are useless, I've tried repeatedly to purchase or order this style nut there and have failed.

Edit: which is really frustrating as when my friend had his shop, I was hoping that I could get him set up with at least one of his suppliers to provide solid chrome plated lug nuts to replace the capped ones when this issue came up, but it was impossible - I ordered the McGard ones through I want to say Advance (might have been Vatozone) and they cancelled the order when they realized that their warehouse didn't actually have them. NAPA, Parts Authority, etc. all also a blank.
 
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The last time I had that problem my local tire dealer had solid replacements. I don't remember what they cost.
 
Ford uses those things too. They either bulge so you can't get a socket on, or the cap falls off so the lug wrench doesn't fit right. I've replaced all of the ones on my cars with standard solid chromed ones, though off the top of my head I couldn't tell you what brand. I remember buying a pack of them on ebay with enough lugs to do the whole car though. Just watch the hex size. I think the normal world uses 3/4" heads for 1/2-20 thread, but Ford at least uses 13/16. Whatever it is, match the stock size or the lug wrench won't work.
 
gadget73 said:
Ford uses those things too. They either bulge so you can't get a socket on, or the cap falls off so the lug wrench doesn't fit right. I've replaced all of the ones on my cars with standard solid chromed ones, though off the top of my head I couldn't tell you what brand. I remember buying a pack of them on ebay with enough lugs to do the whole car though. Just watch the hex size. I think the normal world uses 3/4" heads for 1/2-20 thread, but Ford at least uses 13/16. Whatever it is, match the stock size or the lug wrench won't work.
Click to expand...

Right. Jeep = 3/4"; Ford = 13/16"

I remember running into this with old Studebakers, where the recommended modern replacement steel wheels could be either MoPar or Ford, and it was recommended to use the Ford nuts with Ford wheels to prevent the chance of the tapers wallowing out after a lot of "spirited" driving. I sidestepped the issue by using M-body cop car wheels on my last build.

Or I guess I could just carry a 18mm socket, hammer, and old messed up screwdriver in the car and be done with it.
 
'06 Magnum R/T here,and I hate those bloody things too!!!

Don't know if it applies to Jeep,but there were aftermarket lugs being sold for Dodge that had the wrong seat width/angle. If used, they could really chew the s**t out of an aluminum mag.
 
So I found the McGard ones at Jeg's for about what they used to sell for on Amazon... $25 with shipping for what I know vs. $20 for the Gorilla brand ones on Amazon (both two 4-packs). So I ordered the ones from Jeg's. Checked tracking today and they screwed up the shipping label... been on hold with USPS for almost an hour now. Damn, I wish parts stores carried useful stuff, but I guess that's too much to ask.

I hate those stainless ones because I've seen guys who don't know "the trick" with them really get themselves in trouble and end up playing with torches, chisels, hole saws etc. trying to get those nuts off with resultant significant damage to the wheels, which I am trying to avoid.
 
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I switched to tuff nuts back when I had to worry about it.....it was about $30 ...but I spend that and then some for dinner with my wife.....and she is a pain in the azz too
 
olson_jr said:
I believe he is referring to chiseling off the cover and using an 18MM socket on the uncovered lug nut. Least that is what we used to do.

BTW FORD SWOLLEN LUG NUTS CAUSE CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT

https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2017/ford-swollen-lug-nuts-class-action-lawsuit.shtml
Click to expand...

Yep. 18mm is just the right size to get them off after you peel the cover off when the original size is 3/4" or 19mm. If you take a normal size screwdriver, you can usually punch through the end of the cap and then chisel one side open to the point where you can pull it off with pliers, if you do it before someone messes with it too much.

Also: got the shittiest email from Jeg's customer service implying that I somehow entered the shipping information incorrectly when their own order confirmation email to me showed that I didn't, so now I'm back to square one.
 
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