Edward

Pardon me if this is a naive question, but are Steel Lug Nuts necessary (or preferable?) for the occasional Time Trial/DE? I'm using 17" Cups with Kumhos, if that's relevant. TIA.

Edward

dwe8922

According to wheel enhancement, no. They are only preferred for racing b/c they handle and dissipate heat better. I ended up buying them anyway because w/ track tires coming off and on, and swapping, the aluminum lugs are getting beat up. I just bought a cordless impact that will do lugs, and I don't think the Al would stand up to that for long.

David

Robert Henriksen

I've used 17" OEM wheels and aluminum lug nuts for 2+ years of DE weekends w/o problem (although the lug nuts can be a BITCH to loosen at the end of the day when they're hot). I recently switched to steel for a bit of extra safety (perceived or real, who knows? )

Ruf-Racer

David,
Please help me understand this.
quote:
They are only preferred for racing b/c they handle and dissipate heat better. end quote:

If steel dissipates heat better than aluminum why is aluminum the universal material of choice for commercial heat sinks?

Cheers,

R

dwe8922

Yes, you are right that aluminum is better at dissipating heat. I think the preference for steel lugs comes from them being an open ended design, vs. a closed end design. Also, in a racing situation, the greater expansion/contraction of the aluminum is considered a safety risk vs steel.

I was assured that the aluminum lugs were fine for DE events by wheel enhancement. I bought the steel more out of convenience with my impact gun.

David

Ray Calvo

In 25 years of 911 ownership (4-6 track events/year + 3-8 autocrosses/year) I have never had a problem with an aluminum lug nut loosening. They do eventually become rounded where the socket makes contact and can be hard to remove on a hot wheel, but that is the only problem I've had.

For a while I was using steel 911 wheels for track tires with steel lug nuts. Surprisingly, they had a tendency to loosen.

Let's see - everybody is trying to reduce "unpsrung weight" by worrying about an ounce here and there in wheel weight, or contemplating running helium in their tires. So, what do steel lugs do to this equation? Hmmmmm? You numnuts amaze me sometimes.

Tom W

I asked Hank Watts this question 2 weeks ago during the "ground school" that GGR-PCA requires before going out onto tne track with them. He said steel lug nuts are not required for DE/TT. When they are required it's so that it's easy to verify that the lug nuts have adequate engagement (as you can see the threads with them but not with the alloy nuts).

Edward

Thanks, all!!!
<img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

Edward

Bill Gregory

I may have missed someone else mentioning if you try to remove an aluminum lug nut right after coming off the track, you can sheer it off. With steel lugs that isn't an issue.