So I got some Eautolite D1 spec 7075 aluminum lugs today. Go to put them on the car and one of them is not threaded. Can I run a tap through it on the bench? Im afraid it wont be straight. Or should I take it to a machine shop and have them run it? Suggestions?

 

Call the company and ask them to send you a new one?

 

I ordered it through an amazon vendor and the company is japanese. There is a phone number but I don't think I want to call japan. Rather just figure out a solution that involves not shipping anything anywhere.

 

On your advice I contacted the vendor. We will see. But if its easier to run down to a machine shop, or even tap it myself, I would rather just do that.

 

if you've got time, the vendor should exchange it for a new package of lug nuts. No Japan required.

If you really really need those lug nuts right now, then I can't think of a reason you can't just tap it. Then again I've never heard of anyone doing that so who knows.

 

Yeah I mean i know I can tap it easily. Im more worried that i wont start the tap out straight. Im gonna go into the shop tomorrow and ask my friend. Before he opened this shop he was a machinist at the ship yard so maybe he can say what best idea is. I personally just think its easier and faster to deal with it here.

 

The trick: run a tap through it backwards. Lined it up perfect. Cut good threads.

 

I wonder if the lugnuts are heat-treated or anodized after the threads are cut. If so, if you thread the lugnut yourself, it's conceivable that it will be weaker than the lugnuts that received the post-threading treatment.

Having said that, I don't see the dilemma here. Ask the manufacturer for a replacement nut, and run one of your old steel lugnuts until the replacement arrives.

 

theres been a HUGE influx of cheapo china made aluminum lug nuts out on the market. Ive seen these before and they are definitely not made in japan. If you are doing any type of racing or track events, I would advise staying away from the cheap china made aluminum lugs, the threads strip way too easily and ive even seen some fail on several occasions. If you really want strong lightweight aluminum lugs, opt for the japanese made ones like the Rays Duraluminum ones, those are much higher quality and stronger. But beware that there are alot of fake Rays lugs out there was well.

 

If we're going to discuss the merits of aluminum lugnuts in general, then put me in the "not worth the tradeoff" camp as well. The amount of weight saved is minimal, and it's near the center of the wheel where it has minimal effect on rotational inertia. You'll lose a lot more time if / when an aluminum lugnut fails than you would gain by running them.

Test after test has shown that the benefits of reducing rotating weight are overblown (which is not to say that they don't exist). If you care that much about rotating weight, you should be shaving your tires to the minimum usable depth, which saves a lot more weight that's also farther from the center of the wheel.