Lug Nuts: Which One Is Right For You

• May 13,
• / Story By Andrew Modena

If you’ve ever swapped out your stock wheels for aftermarket wheels, you’d know that there is more than one type of lug nut. Maybe you even found out the hard way when realizing your old lug nuts don't fit on your new wheels. Lug nuts vary in size, taper and thread pitch. Depending on the wheel or purpose your lug nut type may vary—so how do you know which ones to use for your application? 

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First, let's get to know the different type of lugs nuts.

Hex Nut

The hex nut is the most common type of lug nut. It features a hex shaped head that threads onto the wheel stud to secure the wheel in place. Wheel studs are the threaded studs that stick out of the wheel hub (and if you're a Subaru owner, you've probably broken many wheel studs). Hex nuts come in different styles and vary with the shape required to sit on the wheel properly.

Hex nuts are typically made of steel and chrome plated but you can also find them in lightweight materials such as aluminum (and anodized in different colors) or titanium.

Spherical Seat

Also known as a ball seat lug. These have a hex shaped head and a round/dome shaped end for the part of the lug that makes contact with the wheel. 

Where would you use these?

On wheels with dome shaped lug holes, commonly found on European cars that do not use a lug bolt set up. More on lug bolts later.

Conical Seat

The conical seat is a very common type of lug nut. You can differentiate this style by their cone shaped lug seats which feature a 60 degree taper that self-centers the lug onto the wheel when tightened down. Unlike the spherical seat, conical seats differ with their angled shape. They are often referred to as acorn lug nuts because of their similar appearance. 

Where would you use these?

For aftermarket wheels with 60 degree tapered lug holes. Typically made of steel but could be found made of aluminum or even titanium for racing applications. These are also the type of lug nuts currently used in NASCAR (until NASCAR moves to a single lug nut in ) and many other forms of motorsports.

Mag Type with Flat Washer

The mag type has a unique look which features a long thread and a flat washer seat which allows them to sit flush against the wheel. Unlike the spherical or conical seats, mag type sits flat on the face of a wheel.

Where would you use these?

These are likely the type of lug nuts your car came with. The mag type with flat seat washer can be found on many OEM wheel applications with a chrome plated finish.

Tuner Nuts 

A tuner style lug nut features a conical seat with a 60 degree taper but a major differentiating feature is the requirement of a special key/tool to install and remove the nut. Tuner nuts are often much smaller in diameter than other styles of lug nuts. Depending on design, the tuner nut can make a wheel harder to steal by requiring a special key to use, utilize an increased amount of torque when tightening and possibly minimize the chances of stripping a lug nut.

Tuner Nut with Hex Socket

A tuner nut with hex socket features a smooth outside that can not be loosened or tightened with a typical socket. Instead, it requires a special hex socket that fits inside of the nut to install or remove.

Where would you use these?

Although less common these days than the spline drive, the tuner with hex nut would be used in aftermarket wheel applications and for added security. 

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Spline Drive

This type features a conical seat with spline grooves along the length of the bolt and require a special tool. Where the key on the tuner nut with hex socket inserts on the inside, the spline drive key fits around the outside grooves of the nut. The requirement of a unique tool reduces the risk of stripping the lug nut and reduces the risk of theft. The Gorilla lug nuts is one of the most popular brands of spline drive lug nuts.

Where would you use these?

Like the tuner nut with hex socket, these are mainly found on aftermarket wheel applications and for added security. Their smaller diameter typically makes them lighter than other types of lug nuts which makes them a good choice for weight conscious track goers.

Open ended

Open-ended lug nuts are threaded the length of the nut and do not have a closed end. This allows you to run the lug nut on longer wheel studs where you may be running a wheel spacer, without worrying about running out of thread on the wheel studs. The longer thread also allows for more contact with the wheel stud.

Where would you use these?

Commonly found in racing applications or when wheel spacers and extended wheel studs are used. 

Lug Bolt

Many European cars use something called a lug bolt. A lug bolt features a threaded stem attached to a tapered head. Unlike a lug nut, where the bolt threads onto the wheel stud that is fixed onto a hub, a lug bolt threads onto the hub. A lug bolt, bolts the wheel and brake rotor directly onto the hub. This makes changing the brake rotor easy but an added hassle of lining up the wheel and brake rotor when mounting wheels/tires.

The seats of a lug bolt very just like a lug nut and can be found with a hex head or tuner style with a spherical or conical seat.

Where would you use these?

These are commonly found on European brands such as BMW, VW, Audi and Mini to name a few. Many owners who tend to switch wheels often usually end up replacing lug bolts with aftermarket wheel stud kits for their ease of use.

Once you know what type of lug nut you need, always be sure to have the correct thread pitch and wheel torque specs. Otherwise the nut may not secure the wheel onto the hub properly. That can lead to cross treaded wheel studs, broken wheel studs or even your wheel falling off the car!

Wheel bolts are standard hardware on most European-made cars. They feature threaded stems that secure the wheels directly onto the vehicle hub. People who like to swap their wheels usually end up replacing the wheel bolts to fit the aftermarket wheels. Aftermarket wheel bolts are made in a variety of styles, seat types, and materials. Getting the correct wheel bolts installed ensures that your wheel is safely and securely fastened.

If you are in process of replacing wheel bolts, it is important to figure out which set is right for your vehicle. High-quality wheel bolts provide a better installing experience as well as good safety. Besides, if you would like to improve the performance, you can replace the originally equipped wheel bolts with ones made of higher-strength materials.

Are Grade 12.9 Wheel Bolts Better?

Wheel bolts are made of different grades of steel. The grade of a bolt determines the maximum amount of stress (tensile strength) that the bolt can handle. Most car wheel bolts express performance in metric bolts grades. The metric grades are set according to rules set by the ISO (International Standards Organization). There are four common metric grades: 5.8, 8.8, 10.9, and 12.9. Each grade has a specific bolt strength. The higher number means the higher the tensile strength of the bolt.

The minimum tensile strength of grade 12.9 wheel bolts is MPa which is far exceeds the standard grade 10.9’s. Since tensile strength is the amount of pull the bolt can withstand before breaking, changing to higher grade wheel bolts improves safety. All BONOSS steel wheel bolts are ISO grade 12.9. For most automotive applications, you will need at least metric grade 10.9 wheel bolts. However, grade 12.9 wheel bolts are much better and safer. The property class is expressed in raised or depressed numerals on top or on the side of the bolt head. Before purchasing a new set of wheel bolts, check the grade first.

How Do You Protect Corrosion from Wheel Bolts?

It is very important to keep the wheel bolts working well. If a wheel bolt breaks or otherwise fails, it may gradually loosen over time. To protect wheel bolts from corrosion-related failure, manufacturing companies often treat their bolts during production. How the wheel bolts are coated is also a critical factor in choosing safe wheel bolts. Here are two of the best corrosion protection treatments for wheel bolts.

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1. The Dacromet surface treatment offers excellent protection for wheel bolts. It is 7-10 times better than traditional galvanizing treatment. The neutral salt spray test can last for more than 500 hours and even higher, which is far better than galvanized. Since the Dacromet treatment fluid can penetrate into the tight joint of the workpiece to form a rust-proof coating, it performs greatly in automotive wheel bolts.
2. Electrocoating offers good corrosion resistance performance, improving the rust prevention ability of wheel bolts. Moreover, it also behaves greatly to stand up to extreme environments such as water and sunlight. It can evenly coat the wheel bolts, which provides better surface quality.