Stainless Steel Lug Nuts----Don't Use Them!

Put some anti-seize on the studs and the nuts won't gall.

Sometimes, maybe, factory install is really the best!

Anti seize and a little knowledge of the nobility of metals will help.

Rollnhome wrote:
Anti seize and a little knowledge of the nobility of metals will help.

No anti-seize and proper knowledge of wheel nut installation and torqueing is better. And yes, certain types of stainless will gall and seize badly.

"And yes, certain types of stainless will gall and seize badly." Which is the reason for the anti-seize. Works great.

From Permatex site FAQ

Does Permatex® suggest applying anti-seize to lubricate lug nuts when installing or tightening the nuts?
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Permatex® does not recommend the use of any anti-seize product on wheel studs. Many people have used anti-seize for this applications, however, there is the potential for over-torqueing and therefore, higher clamp loads and potentially dangerous bolt stretch. Because of the lubricity of anti-seize, there is a tendency to over-tighten because of the ease with which the nut will bear down on the lug. For this reason, even if you try to torque the nuts to factory specs, the clamp load may become too high depending on the type of bolt, size and manufacturer.

Never use anti-seize unless you are given two torque values, one for wet and one for dry. To my knowledge lug bolts do not come with a wet torque value. Anti-seize is playing with fire.

Bosh. I intend to keep using it because I've used it on many, many different wheelsets for over 3 decades with never any, I mean any, issues. I would be interested in any examples that can be cited that were directly caused by using anti-seize. I've never had a nut come loose, or damage a wheel due to overtightening. And on the plus side I can always get my wheels off when necessary without resorting to extreme measures.

If you notice all the "potential for over-torqueing", "tendency to over-tighten", "may become too high". No where does it say you'll cause damage, it says you may, might, perhaps, etc. typical CYA disclaimers. Now perhaps, again with the "perhaps" :) , if you're particularly ham-fisted you could cause some issues. But then that happens when shops use air tools to tighten lug nuts even without anti-seize.

I would be interested in any examples that can be cited, that were caused by using anti-seize.

fj12ryder wrote:
Bosh. I intend to keep using it because I've used it on many, many different wheelsets for over 3 decades with never any, I mean any, issues. I would be interested in any examples that can be cited that were directly caused by using anti-seize. I've never had a nut come loose, or damage a wheel due to overtightening. And on the plus side I can always get my wheels off when necessary without resorting to extreme measures.

If you notice all the "potential for over-torqueing", "tendency to over-tighten", "may become too high". No where does it say you'll cause damage, it says you may, might, perhaps, etc. typical CYA disclaimers. Now perhaps, again with the "perhaps" :) , if you're particularly ham-fisted you could cause some issues. But then that happens when shops use air tools to tighten lug nuts even without anti-seize.

I would be interested in any examples that can be cited, that were caused by using anti-seize.

The potential is there because you are using a torque value intended for a dry application and using it wet. I don't see how you could do that without over torquing. You won't know if you have done any damage until a lug breaks. The bottom of the V in a thread is the stress point and that is where any crack will form.

So this was a solid stainless nut or a steel nut with the stainless pressed onto the outside?

Did you always use a torque wrench?