OldCarBum

I'm looking at the Gorilla 1/2" racing lug nuts.
They are available in aluminum and steel.
Obviously I like the aluminum for the weight savings and Gorilla advertises them as just as strong as steel.
any disadvantages with either???
Thanks

REELAV8R

aluminum lug nuts? I wonder how many times you can spin them on and off before you gotta toss them? Better use anti seize at least when they go on if they’re gonna be there a while.

jackson

lots less w/ gun-drilled axles

OldCarBum

My thought as well.
They are probably great for someone with bucks and who can discard them often.

dmaxx3500

just buy titanium ones

OldCarBum

Thanks

gkull

I've changed tires been the pit crew man with both aluminum and titanium lug nuts. Of course we were using air guns set to match the TQ rating when seated, but you always saw metal debris in the threads. Steel galded the aluminum and titanium seemed to eat the steel threads

Big2Bird

I love using aluminum in these cars too save weight. That being said, I would not use them. I would always be concerned rather than enjoying the drive.

REELAV8R

I'm all for reducing unsprung weight in performance applications. That said how much of a performance application are we talking about here?

MCMLXIX

Porsche started using aluminum lug nuts in the 60's.
Do not recall any wide spread problems.
Properly installed with attention to detail they work.
You do clean the threads, lube and torque them right?
I have not lost a wheel yet.

OldCarBum

600+

REELAV8R

I was asking more along the lines of road racing or track racing vs street driving or 1/4 mile stuff. Just if the suspension compression and rebound reaction times are heavily depended upon, then less unsprung weight is always better. If a guy is committed to or needing to get the best performance out of the suspension then lightening everything that the suspension has to control is pretty important.
Otherwise with 600 HP and street or 1/4 mile I wouldn't bother worrying about it. Clearly rear suspension is of great importance for launching, but that is typically controlling wheel hop and tire spin.

gg521

Do you really think that you can tell the performance difference ( measured in lap times ) between aluminum lug nuts and steel lug nuts. I think not.

Big2Bird

And I bet there was a lot of engineering and testing at Porsche.

Alloy, hardness, heat treating, QC, thread pitch, machining, anodizing, etc.........

midigike

My.02
GM engineers went steel for a reason.
Probably 40$ or so bucks for a quality set of lug nuts.

Spend the extra 40$ or so, on better speed parts...

OldCarBum

Would I notice a difference if I were just deleting the weight of 20 lug nuts on an otherwise stock vehicle, of course not.
It is the totality of every weight saving component you replace in the car that makes a difference.
However, I would not replace a billet steel component with an aluminum one if it made the vehicle unsafe or if the aluminum component was impractical in anything but a race application.
So far only Gkull has responded who had any experience using them as a member in a pit crew and his post was not positive, All others have been opinions.
Are they a cool idea to reduce additional weight, yes.
Are they practical, doesn’t sound like they are.
I will order the billet steel.
Thanks to all for your opinions and experience!

MCMLXIX

Are they practical is a mater of opinion.
My experience of more than a decade, on my Corvette, is that they can be used with care.
A major manufacturer has done the engineering and used them successfully for nearly half a century.
If you are going to slam then on and off with an impact I would not recommend them.
As a part of a serious weight loss effort the are low hanging fruit.

OldCarBum

I never tighten or torque anything with an impact gun.
Every fastener is snugged then tightened with a torque wrench using the three step torque method.
Am I ****? Yep.