Lug Nut Covers

I went to remove a tire with a nail in it today and couldn't get the socket over one of the lug nuts. After "forcing" it on, I removed the nut only to find some sort of cover stuck in my socket!

Go ahead and call me a lug nut but I wasn't aware I was removing both a nut and a cover.

1.) Should the cover be removed first or is it designed to accept the socket?

2.) If it is supposed to be removed what is the secret? I can't seem to get the others off.

3.) What is the purpose of the cover? To keep moisture from the nut to prevent rust? Decoration?

4.) If I decide to buy non-OEM lug nuts what do I look for in terms of material, etc?

Thanks for helping.

2 piece lug nuts are cheaper to manufacture than 1 piece chromed.

I'd ditch all of the OEM lug nuts, and get a set of good 1 piece chromed.

Thank, ChiXJeff.

I'm still curious about the other question of whether the covers are supposed to be removed before removing the nut itself.

Also, is the chrome you mention in order to prevent rust?

The covers should be folded and crimped solidly around the lug nuts. The only way to remove them would be to destroy them, AFAIK. BTW, the whole assembly should take an SAE socket, once the cover is gone, a metric socket frequently is sized better.

Yes, the chrome is to keep them from rusting, as well as appearance. A good oxide finish would also work, but most people wouldn't care for it.

If the nut strips when the cap comes off you may need to remove it with a bolt grip socket. I have a set made by irwin, best money ever spent. 11/16 is the size that fits.

I just replace the them with 1/2-20's from the parts store, they come in a 20 pack for like $22 and since I don't use the locks I buy an extra 4 pack. Just got to remember to carry the correct socket, breakerbar and 4" extension from then on as they are a different size from the stock lug nuts. I keep 4 way lug wrenches in all the jeeps in addition to a cheap 1/2" torque wrench, breakerbar, extension and deep socket.

napa sells these 2 piece lug nuts for 5$ a piece btw(I know wtf). Order some 1 pieces.

Wow, I should have sold my old lugnuts for $3.00 a piece! What a steal that would have been.

I got 20 1 piece chrome lugnuts for cheap...much better than the 2 piece stripping garbage puke crap stuffs.

If you lost the cap over your lug nut you will need a 18 m/m to remove the lug.. I just did 5 of them on mine... The 18 m/m fits nice so it won't round them off..

HTH

I surmise that the main reason for covered nuts is that it's cheaper to manufacture nuts with holes clear through than with blind holes. So this is the way to make a cheap nut that covers the end of the stud. That's just a guess, because I somehow doubt that a stainless steel cover and its formation over the nut would otherwise be cheaper than just chrome plating a nut.

Since the Jeep has exposed nuts, it is important to have a closed end. Conventional lug nuts of the sort used under hubcaps allow the stud end to rust, and can be pretty hard to remove after a few years.

For non OEM nuts, I'd look mostly for a solid body, but be careful about the tapered seat end. I've seen some that are pretty narrow, without much seating surface. They might be OK for steel wheels, but I would hesitate to use them on the alloy wheels, which on a Jeep do not have any steel inserts. Even with the correct nuts they tend to loosen. The best ones I've seen usually are 13/16" outside, so as mentioned above, you'll need to carry a new wrench.

Thanks for the info everyone.

I took the tire to Les Schwab and they fixed the flat for free. They also sold me some one piece, chrome, lug nuts for $1 something each so that worked out well. (They require the 13/16" socket.)

My uncle works for a tire and auto store. I asked him about the crome covers a few years ago and he said dirt and road grime build up on the threads without the covers and cause it to rust. They're chromed because paint or powder coating wont hold up as well. He likes the covers too, said if you cant get one off he'll pull the cover off or cut the end off and use some PB blaster on it. Might get it off without ruining the stud.

Just to be a smart#%s, the covers are stainless, not chrome.
No, they are not supposed to come off ever (but they all do eventually).

19mm with covers.
18mm without covers.
I carry a deep well socket of each, along with a 3" extension and a 30" breaker bar.





I actually like 'em.