Just a heads up, for all of you that have the factory, almost 5$ lug nuts, the break very easily, just like me. Convertible Sebring lug nuts fit, just gotot he chysler dealer, they're chrome, and one peice, and fit, and are about 2$'s instead of almost 5. Next time you mess up a lug nut, you might want to think about replacing them.

Mike

Okay.. I think I have finally ran into the problem that so many others have had... How the H E L L do you get the tires off this car??? I grabbed my 13/16 that I normally use, way sloppy... okay, 3/4... nope... metric, 19's tight and 20's about as bad as my first chioce. 6 point 12 point it doens't matter. Did I mention the tire iron in the trunk measures 0.756 inches?

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Over!

Does anybody happen to have the part number for the Sebring nuts?

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Over!


hahahhahahahhahahhahahahhahahahhahaha

Sorry I don't have an answer though...

Ya tell me about the lug nuts suck... I had a flat and i couldn't get the lugs off i ended up stripping the lug and had to get the car towed. When i checked all the lugs later turned out that almost all of them couldn't be taken off. So I had all of the lug nuts replaced under warranty (they said they found water on the inside)...i also think there is a recall out for them.

Take it from me, check your lugs to make sure they'll come off. Sucks having your car towed.

check your lugs to make sure they'll come off.

Oh they'll come off... :zgreenbou :wrench

Go to the store and get a $3.00 tube of antiseize and put some on all the studs before you put the lug nuts back on. Its a cheap and easy thing to do that can save ALOT of hassle down the road.

I have broke several wheel studs (several = 9) as I have my tires off and on more than normal. The wheel studs are soft and the lugs tend to crossthread easily.

I replaced all my 01 lugs with new ones from Lincoln (they seem to be redesigned) - and have not had to replace a new one yet.

okay, but back to the original question... what size socket is supposed to fit these things?

Thanks for the other input, I have an impact gun already, and I also use copper antiseize on EVERYTHING. All the bolts for the valve covers have it in there along with the plugs!

I just hope I don't have to replace studs, it's not that tough, but a pain, as usual. Thanks!

The lug wrench should be 20 mm - 6 pt. Do NOT use any 12 point sockets as you will not can a good grip.


BTW: the Sebring lugs are a direct replacement (OEM Part Number MB579290) build dates after 4/97 - however your stock lug wrench will not work on these lugs. I believe you'll need a 13/16" for these new lugs.

The newer Lincoln lugs are 3W4Z-1012-AA List $4.83

Thanks for the help Quik... This should get me started. What's odd is I tried a 20mm and it didn't really fit any better than the 13/16, even as a 6 point. Well I'd better figure something out, as I'm getting new tires on Tuesday, and it would really suck not to be able to put them on!

Thanks for the help Quik... This should get me started. What's odd is I tried a 20mm and it didn't really fit any better than the 13/16, even as a 6 point. Well I'd better figure something out, as I'm getting new tires on Tuesday, and it would really suck not to be able to put them on!

not to deviate from the topic but what tires are your buying. I am looking right now and am open to suggestions. I want to stay around a 150 per.

I went through this problem about 2 years ago while doing my brakes and what a nightmare. I eventually repalced the wheels and new lugs came with them.

I am getting a full set of Pirelli Winter carving, and I'm stuffing them on a set of 16 inch taurus rims. Tire size is 225/60/16. I'll let ya know if I screwed anything up when I do the swap out. One of the reasons I went with these tires (from tire rack BTW) is the stud pattern. I'm old school and I like metal on the road for ice. These things have 5 separate stud lines on both sides of the tires. What I figure is you'd have 10 distinct "chew" marks on the road if you hit some ice. They were $115 each by the way. This is supposed to be the first year for these, so they don't have a lot of sizes out there which sucks, but I'm pretty close. If I pick up another Crown Vic, these tires (and rims) will drop right in. Got my rims from Triplett ASAP for 65 each, and they are pretty decent.

Quik, What do you mean Build date after 4/97? The cars themselves? wouldn't the part number dictate that?

Man I would like to see these things hit the aftermarket. Sounds like they only run for OEMs at the moment.

I am getting a full set of Pirelli Winter carving, and I'm stuffing them on a set of 16 inch taurus rims. Tire size is 225/60/16. I'll let ya know if I screwed anything up when I do the swap out. One of the reasons I went with these tires (from tire rack BTW) is the stud pattern. I'm old school and I like metal on the road for ice. These things have 5 separate stud lines on both sides of the tires. What I figure is you'd have 10 distinct "chew" marks on the road if you hit some ice. They were $115 each by the way. This is supposed to be the first year for these, so they don't have a lot of sizes out there which sucks, but I'm pretty close. If I pick up another Crown Vic, these tires (and rims) will drop right in. Got my rims from Triplett ASAP for 65 each, and they are pretty decent.

Quik, What do you mean Build date after 4/97? The cars themselves? wouldn't the part number dictate that?

keeping with the off topic theme I started...

So are you a happy tire rack customer?

How many people here use the dealer for mount/balance and alignment services. Or is there a national chain that you prefer going to?

I go to a private person, or a local garage depending on what I have and what I'm trying to do.

What stuff hits aftermarket?

A little news from my new tires... I hate trying to outhink Ford. I picked up a set of Taurus rims, nice, clean, look great, don't clear the freakin calipers by like, oh, 1/64 of an inch... I was going to attack the caliper with a grinder to take off the paper thin obstruction, but then I thought about replacements down the road. A buddy suggested spacers, but I don't know what that would do to alignment and handling. Ebay to the rescue. I did some digging and found a set of 16 inch LS wheels, with shipping to be $40 less than I paid for the other rims, which I'll be returning tomorrow.
Isn't playing with cars fun? Just shoot me...

trial and error or beat it to fit and paint it to match.

Believe me... I've done heat n' beat more often than you'd think. I've just never seen a car with somemany odd parts and just generally a pain like this. Well, a Ford anyway. All of my other ones were bullet proof.

Why would lug nuts break???

Why would lug nuts break???


two things happen:

- the nuts themselves are too soft and they get 'rounded' by the wrench - so you end up without any good corners to get a grip on to get them off.
- the nuts cross-thread onto the stud. You end up breaking off the stud trying to get them off.

The offical method used in my home garage: 3/4 inch 12 point socket, 4 inch heavy snap on extention, 3 pound ball peen hammer to "seat" the socket. The 4.5 foot chunk of 2 inch gas pipe provides plenty of torque with my 220 pounds sitting on it. Next time around my impact gun will get to chew on 20 new sebring nuts...

Stainless capped nuts can go find residence in the scrap yard somewhere...

I just got done removing all my rounded off lug nuts (I had new tires put on and the shop made them nice and round for me). Some came off by hammering on a 3/4" socket, but the rest I ended up cutting them off. Start by taking a small cutoff wheel (Dremel works well) and cut the rounded end of the chrome cap off. Cut notches to the outside of the chrome cap. Take a flat bladed screw driver and split the cap off the steel nut. Use pliers to break off as much as possible, be careful not to scratch the wheel. Use an 18mm socket to remove the rest of the lug. I got new lugs from the dealer for 4.27ea. Not cheap, but cheaper than getting towed because the lugs don't come off to change a flat.

I haven't looked real hard at these nuts yet, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there may be rust forming between the nut and the cap, which would make it swell. Swelling would then make it tough to get the correct size socket on it. When you torque on it, the rust collapses, then the socket mashes up the cap, and you're stuck. Dunno... My Sebring nuts are in, I may disect a few to see what's up.

Ford lame reasoning (so I've been told) for using sheet metal capped lug nuts is that if debris gets into the lugnut you will be able to fully tighten it since the sheet metal cap will come off. With a Sebring lugnut the nut would not fully seat against the rim.

Now could they really believe this BS (or was I fed a line of BS).

I can't see what difference the cap material makes for dirt resistance.... It's amazing that for what, 50 years, the plain old 60 degree cap jobs worked just fine.


I don't know what it it with me and this car, but I don't think those sebring nuts work... I bought 20 of the damn things and they are about a quarter of an inch longer than the ls lugs. I haven't put them on the car yet, but based on how far they stick though the rim of my spare, they will hit the rotor about an eighth of an inch sooner then the washer and shoulder hit the rim. Looks pretty scary, this is my project this afternoon... will keep ya posted.

I checked them out and low and behold, they do in fact work. Now I'm really confused....

It was my understanding that the whole purpose of these stupid assed nuts was for the washer and the bottom of the nut to bottom out on the rim and the rotor at the same time, respectivley. I took a much closer look at the factory nuts. They don't stick though the rim. How the heck can they engage the rotor if they don't touch? Better still, these replacement nuts don't touch either. Okay... so what centers the rim on the hub? A near loose fit between the nut and the hole in the rim? Yeah that's accurate, no chance for an out of round condition there. At least with the old style nuts with the taper on the front face, as long as you ran them down gently and in sequence (like you're supposed to anyway), you know you're centering the rim on that stud. How is this an improvement? Am I missing something obvious?

I had my 2000 in to the dealer for heater valve replacement, and they replaced all the lugnuts without me asking. I never had a problem with the old ones. I hope they didn't give me the difficult ones that are described in this thread. Removal of the old ones was never a problem but I alwayys ued an impact gun so really don't know if they were frozen.

I checked them out and low and behold, they do in fact work. Now I'm really confused....

It was my understanding that the whole purpose of these stupid assed nuts was for the washer and the bottom of the nut to bottom out on the rim and the rotor at the same time, respectivley. I took a much closer look at the factory nuts. They don't stick though the rim. How the heck can they engage the rotor if they don't touch? Better still, these replacement nuts don't touch either. Okay... so what centers the rim on the hub? A near loose fit between the nut and the hole in the rim? Yeah that's accurate, no chance for an out of round condition there. At least with the old style nuts with the taper on the front face, as long as you ran them down gently and in sequence (like you're supposed to anyway), you know you're centering the rim on that stud. How is this an improvement? Am I missing something obvious?



so is it ok to use the sebring nuts ? will I get any vibration in my front end ?
how do you center the wheel on the hub ?

Nut that is a funny word. After reading all this I think I am going to go out to the garage and check the nuts myself.

so is it ok to use the sebring nuts ? will I get any vibration in my front end ?
how do you center the wheel on the hub ?


I've been using the Sebring lug nuts for a couple of years now. No issues. The p/n used to be MB579290, and you need to get the ones for a manufacture date of 4/1/97. IIRC, they're ~$3 a piece.

For a savings of $8 i dont see the point of going non-oem. If there are "new" versions that have been improved upon then just spend the extra $8. Putting Chrysler parts on a Lincoln.....come on people. Have some pride in your LS. :N

For a savings of $8 i dont see the point of going non-oem. If there are "new" versions that have been improved upon then just spend the extra $8. Putting Chrysler parts on a Lincoln.....come on people. Have some pride in your LS. :N

You would be surprised how often that happens right from the factory. One that comes to mind is Dana front and rear differentials. Ford and GM used them for years...and that's a Mopar company. Also, power steering gears and pumps, alternators, etc. Heck...even the 71 429 Cobra Jet Mustang came with a Quadrajet on it!!! I'll never forget the feeling I had when I opened the hood on my car all those years ago and saw the GM carb on my CJ. I about died. Damn good carb though!!

For a savings of $8 i dont see the point of going non-oem. If there are "new" versions that have been improved upon then just spend the extra $8. Putting Chrysler parts on a Lincoln.....come on people. Have some pride in your LS. :N


The difference is the Chrysler nut is a solid piece, whereas the Lincoln piece is a nut with a tin cover (which WILL deform over time!). The Chrysler nut is of exceedingly higher quality than the Lincoln (Ford Tempo) nut.

That part number is a mitsubishi number. Just thouht I would throw that out there.

I would have to think that most people with lug nut problems are those up north changing wheels and tires every winter or those who regularly take their wheels off. But with mine being an '02 and not having any problems i'll still probably be on the safe side and put the newer "revised" LS nuts on next tire purchase.

I would have to think that most people with lug nut problems are those up north changing wheels and tires every winter or those who regularly take their wheels off. But with mine being an '02 and not having any problems i'll still probably be on the safe side and put the newer "revised" LS nuts on next tire purchase.

Good idea. And one more VERY important step...use a light coating of anti-seize on the studs. You will be very glad you did down the road.

Good idea. And one more VERY important step...use a light coating of anti-seize on the studs. You will be very glad you did down the road.

NOT a good idea.

Tire rack says:

NOTE: We suggest removing the wheel and applying a thin coating of “antiseize” around the axle hubs to help prevent rust and permit easier removal when it’s time to rotate your tires. Do not apply “antiseize” to the lug hardware or studs

And Gorilla Lock Co. says:

McGard does not recommend the use of oil, grease or anti-seize lubricants on threads. Spraying the threads with a greaseless lubricant (such as LPS-1) once a year is recommended.

Can you tell if you have the newer nuts just from looking at them? I have a 2002 that was manufacturered mid year '02.

Has anyone had problems with the ebring nuts ?

(Sebring)

Can you tell if you have the newer nuts just from looking at them? I have a 2002 that was manufacturered mid year '02.

Has anyone had problems with the ebring nuts ?

I have a 2002 that was built in June of 2002 and it appears to have the old style lug nuts. I just picked it up and it has new rotors (another common LS problem), so I wanted to hand torque the lug nuts to avoid warping the rotors. Anyways, they have tin covers and several were a real bear. I had to hammer a 19mm six point socket on to get the re-torqued. I will be buying new lug nuts shortly. If I got a flat, I would be out of luck with the garbage lug nuts on there now.

Is there any where online that I can get those Sebring lug nuts?....
I dont have a Chrysler dealership close to where I live. I've checked ebay but cant find any......

There was a recal a friend of mine works at a ford dealer and the chrome plating falls off the lugnuts allowing them to rust solid! so just bring it to ford and givem hell cause ford did have the techs roll out into the parking lots and pull all LS's and another car with the same lug nuts and replace every one!
Nate

The lug wrench should be 20 mm - 6 pt. Do NOT use any 12 point sockets as you will not can a good grip.


BTW: the Sebring lugs are a direct replacement (OEM Part Number MB579290) build dates after 4/97 - however your stock lug wrench will not work on these lugs. I believe you'll need a 13/16" for these new lugs.

The newer Lincoln lugs are 3W4Z-1012-AA List $4.83


I tries to get these (OEM Part Number MB579290) from a Chrysler dealer and they told me it was not a valid part number. Does anyone have another#.

I tries to get these (OEM Part Number MB579290) from a Chrysler dealer and they told me it was not a valid part number. Does anyone have another#.

I'm guessing we can just ask for sebring lug nuts....for any recent year...

can anyone confirm this?

I'm guessing we can just ask for sebring lug nuts....for any recent year...

can anyone confirm this?


From what I understand, these are a certain lug nut that was used on the Sebring Convertable only but I'm not sure what year(s).

I tries to get these Sebring convertable nug nuts (OEM Part Number MB579290) from a Chrysler dealer and they told me it was not a valid part number. Does anyone have the proper part number. By the way they told me that these are actually made by Mitsubishi.

Just did a quick search found a site

https://www.1stchryslerparts.com/part_number.html

searched for part number MB579290 came up with


Part Number Search Results : Collision Catalog
Item Number MSRP Core Price Price
MB579290 $3.50 $0.00 $2.73
Wheels - Wheels - Wheel nut - Aluminum wheel
From 4/1/97 1995 - 2000
Add to Cart Contact Us

MB579290 $3.50 $0.00 $2.73
Wheels - Wheels - Wheel nut - Silver
Silver - 2001-02 2001 - 2002
Add to Cart Contact Us

Part Number Search Results : OEM Catalog
Item Number MSRP Core Price Price
MB579290 $3.50 $0.00 $2.73
NUT,WHEEL
Add to Cart Contact Us


I have never used these people so I know nothing about them.

Just did a quick search found a site

https://www.1stchryslerparts.com/part_number.html

searched for part number MB579290 came up with


Part Number Search Results : Collision Catalog
Item Number MSRP Core Price Price
MB579290 $3.50 $0.00 $2.73
Wheels - Wheels - Wheel nut - Aluminum wheel
From 4/1/97 1995 - 2000
Add to Cart Contact Us

MB579290 $3.50 $0.00 $2.73
Wheels - Wheels - Wheel nut - Silver
Silver - 2001-02 2001 - 2002
Add to Cart Contact Us

Part Number Search Results : OEM Catalog
Item Number MSRP Core Price Price
MB579290 $3.50 $0.00 $2.73
NUT,WHEEL
Add to Cart Contact Us


I have never used these people so I know nothing about them.


i was just reminded today by the dealer to replace my "nuts" lol just wondering do these wheel nuts look exactly like the oem ones? i really need to replace all of them

i bought these Sebring nuts about 1 month ago. About $75 for all 20. They dont look the same, but they fit perfectly and look good. One solid nut!

I just finally ran into this dreaded lug nut issue today. I had to have my rear brake pads changed for my inspection and low and behold, I broke a stud, ripped a cap off, stripped the nut down (not the cap), and one came off semi clean, with one more that just won't budge........ALL ON ONE WHEEL!!!! I didn't even bother touching the other wheel. I don't even want to think about it right now. Why would Ford make such an @$$ backwards product? Just venting.

I just went to a shop to get a simple tire rotation and balance. I was told that all of my lugs had been stripped and the work could not be completed. I bought some aftermarket lugs but they were the wrong size/wrong type. What size are these and can I get them anywhere else besides the dealership? And what type of wrench is used? Apparently it is hard to match??? It's an '01 LS v8 sport. I've only taken my car to 2 places - the local tire place and the dealership. Between the two, some yahoo managed to strip the lugs.

And while I'm at it - has anyone had problems with the ball joints/steering knuckes needing replacing at 60k? Or a front valve gasket leak?

The LS is not showing the love lately.

I have broke several wheel studs (several = 9) as I have my tires off and on more than normal. The wheel studs are soft and the lugs tend to crossthread easily.

I replaced all my 01 lugs with new ones from Lincoln (they seem to be redesigned) - and have not had to replace a new one yet.

where did yuo get them? are they locking?

They are the ones that came on the car. I bought it used from the dealership. They aren't locking.

I checked them out and low and behold, they do in fact work. Now I'm really confused....

It was my understanding that the whole purpose of these stupid assed nuts was for the washer and the bottom of the nut to bottom out on the rim and the rotor at the same time, respectivley. I took a much closer look at the factory nuts. They don't stick though the rim. How the heck can they engage the rotor if they don't touch? Better still, these replacement nuts don't touch either. Okay... so what centers the rim on the hub? A near loose fit between the nut and the hole in the rim? Yeah that's accurate, no chance for an out of round condition there. At least with the old style nuts with the taper on the front face, as long as you ran them down gently and in sequence (like you're supposed to anyway), you know you're centering the rim on that stud. How is this an improvement? Am I missing something obvious?

The wheel is centered by a boss on the spindle that engages the round opening in the center of the wheel. If your rotor is held on by two wafer thin nuts, I recommend removing them because it appears they may cause the lugnut to bottom out against the rotor before the washer and lugnut shoulder bottoms out against the wheel.

I found the Sebring lugnuts at http://allchryslerparts.com for $2.42 each plus shipping. The part no. is MB 579290 Models since 4/97. I installed them yesterday and they seem to work perfectly.

The wheel is centered by a boss on the spindle that engages the round opening in the center of the wheel. If your rotor is held on by two wafer thin nuts, I recommend removing them because it appears they may cause the lugnut to bottom out against the rotor before the washer and lugnut shoulder bottoms out against the wheel.

I found the Sebring lugnuts at http://allchryslerparts.com for $2.42 each plus shipping. The part no. is MB 579290 Models since 4/97. I installed them yesterday and they seem to work perfectly.


Hi:

I ordered 20 of the Sebring nuts from the same source, and they just arrived. I own an '02 LS Premium package with the 17" rims.

I immediately noticed the same thing that a previous poster had mentioned--the Sebring nut is about 1/4" longer than the LS nut. Everyone I've read says the Sebring nuts work fine, but does this extra length cause any issues?

Without dissecting the wheel, it would seem that the taper on the nut would tighten down BEFORE the washer and the back of the nut are firmly seated. I can only imagine that this would result in the washer bouncing around loosely.

Does anyone have any comments or experience with this? I'm anxious to believe that these nuts will work fine, but my analytical side won't let me get comfortable yet. Thanks for any help.

I've had the Sebring nuts on my car for over 4 years... no problems and was one of the first to have them. Stop worrying and put them on :rolleyes:

The wheel is centered on the hub by a boss on the end of the axle. The Sebring lug nuts have worked well for me for over a year now.

One thing I recommend is to remove the 2 or 3 thin clips that were used to hold on the rotor during manufacturing.
That will allow the lug nuts to really seat tightly against the wheel and rotor.

The wheel is centered by a boss on the spindle that engages the round opening in the center of the wheel. If your rotor is held on by two wafer thin nuts, I recommend removing them because it appears they may cause the lugnut to bottom out against the rotor before the washer and lugnut shoulder bottoms out against the wheel.

I found the Sebring lugnuts at http://allchryslerparts.com for $2.42 each plus shipping. The part no. is MB 579290 Models since 4/97. I installed them yesterday and they seem to work perfectly.


I went to this website and the search results turned up nothing??? Am I missing something?

Bringing back an old thread, does anyone know if this in fact was a recall? I couldn't find any information about it online. What are the odds of my dealership replacing these? I was trying to put the fuel filter I got in and my slotted/drilled rotors + new pads on and I couldn't get the left front wheel off(2 lugnuts didn't fit in either one of my tire iron(dads metric + my regular).

AFAIK, the only recall the LS ever had was for the '00 (and maybe '01) ball joints.

If you want the best lug nuts, get some 2nd gen LS lug nuts. They're solid nuts, not those POS chrome-capped things, and they're a perfect fit.

Updating an old thread, from NickT88LSC on here who just replaced all of his on his '02 LS8:

I just got the lug nuts from Rock Auto, damn they are fast. They are exactly the same as the factory ones, thats probably who supplies em to Lincoln.

Anyway, better option at I think $1.78 each than $5 something each at the
dealer. Oh, fyi, dorman part number 611-229 if you wanna post it on the
board, I am busy, and by tonight I will forget :)

:Beer

So is the Dorman 611-229 the solid lug nut or the chome covered piece of crap?

So is the Dorman 611-229 the solid lug nut or the chome covered piece of crap?

Curious as well if these dorman nuts are any good or not. I see they are only .99 each now.

I just ordered 20. I plan on doing my brakes probably this weekend. I'll need to wait until I get these.

Yeah, I'd like to hear some feedback, I've had bad luck with lug nuts in the past.

PM NickT88LSC on here. He's the one who bought them. I just posted the info for him.

Gorilla lug nuts SHORT SHANK (13/16)


http://www.gorilla-auto.com/products/?sfID1=249&sfID2=249&productName=SHORT+SHANK&image=5209.jpg

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=GOR%2D72137&N=700+115&autoview=sku

I just got the box today. They "appear" to be chrome capped. I don't know if I'll get around to breaks this weekend - it's rainy.

On the good side, they look like they match the originals.

OK so WHAT lugs are good, and fit, ?

This thread is confuseing,, either Dormans,, Sebring

Which ones>? and where to buy and whats part #'s?

I just got the box today. They "appear" to be chrome capped. I don't know if I'll get around to breaks this weekend - it's rainy.

On the good side, they look like they match the originals.

Bummer. The chrome caps are crap. That's why I'm looking for a reasonably priced replacement.

In response to the above post, the Sebrings are reported to be a good fit and do not have caps on them. They are a one piece lug nut. I haven't tried them myself.

The lug wrench should be 20 mm - 6 pt.

The size for the stock lugnuts (at least on my 2002) is not 20 mm, it is 19 mm. I went out and bought the 20 mm at first and noticed that it was very loose. Had I used it and applied 100 ft/lbs torque I probably would have rounded the hell out of the lugnuts. :eek:

I'm a tire guy. I've been a tire guy since 1994. I can settle the dispute on what causes the lugnuts to become misshapen.

It's a pretty, cheap chrome sleeve over an even cheaper lug nut. The original size from the factory is 19mm. The size of the chrome cap is 19mm. The lugnut underneath is roughly 18mm. The lug wrench that comes with the car will fit the lugnuts as long as they're not damaged.

Therein lies the rub. Anytime you take your car to a tire shop (like mine) they use older sockets on impact wrenches to take off your lugnuts. These older sockets started out as 19mm (probably flip sockets, 19/21 which is what we use). Once they are used for months, even years, they stretch. When they stretch to 20mm or so, they strike the cheap cap on the lug nut on the corners, instead of mostly on the flat. This striking action stretches the chrome cap so that it's no longer a 19mm. A 20mm fits better because the cap is stretched. Problem is that the 20mm, while not as used as the 19mm is probably stretched some too. This makes the 20 want to slip over the corner and thats how the lugnuts get rounded off. Once this happens, you're screwed.

The only way to avoid this type of problem is to get a good 19mm impact socket and take it with you to the tire shop. If they use a good, new 19mm on your lugnuts, they will never stretch so bad the lug wrench won't fit. This is what we do whenever we work on either a Lincoln LS, or some of the Jaguars which have a similar lug nut. In fact I carry the socket. We don't use this socket for any other car.

If the caps are already stretched, take a nice new 19mm socket and hammer it on so that the cap flattens out onto each of the six sides of the lugnut and then use an impact to tighten/loosen the nut. This will help straighten the cap out SOMEWHAT. The best thing to do is to replace the nuts (see the rest of the thread about which nuts to use). If you do go back with OE lug nuts, always take your own socket to the shop when they work on your car and ask them to use it.

Now, after all this discussion, I have the final question.

Has anyone found a SOLID lug not, not a capped one like OE, that will fit the car and the lug wrench?

A factory looking lug nut but better made, like 90% of the aftermarket lugnuts that are out there? One of the shank nuts would be good, like the toyota style shank with washer, but they're all 21mm.

I've got customers that want to use their original lug wrench and I want the right nut. Any ideas?

Now, after all this discussion, I have the final question.

Has anyone found a SOLID lug not, not a capped one like OE, that will fit the car and the lug wrench?

A factory looking lug nut but better made, like 90% of the aftermarket lugnuts that are out there? One of the shank nuts would be good, like the toyota style shank with washer, but they're all 21mm.

I've got customers that want to use their original lug wrench and I want the right nut. Any ideas?

The sebring lugs seem to work quite well. They actually have a Mitsubishi part number. I am using some Dorman lugs that are for that platform, and have had no problems.

I've had the Sebring nuts and the Dorman nuts from Rock Auto. The Dorman nuts (there are multiple choices, it appears) that I got have a thin, damageable layer of chrome on them. Those things are rusted to crap. The Sebring nuts appeared to be solid stainless or something, they never got a spot of rust on them (but that car got totaled and is the reason I got the cheap ones from Rock.)

The problem is, the Sebring nuts and the Dormans I use are 13/16 or 21 mm, so the question about finding 3/4"/19mm aftermarket lug nuts for the LS would be answered with a no in my case. Two sets of nuts, both of them non-compliant with the factory lug wrench.

Great advice about the personal socket, by the way, and welcome aboard, Tire Guy.

One other thing I could add is, when I got my replacement LS, it had badly distorted lug nuts and I used a 12 pt 3/4" socket to remove them with no issues.

Use the Sebring nuts, they look great, and are solid.
You will need to add the proper socket, or wrench in your trunk though, as they are different from stock.

Exactly. I have the deep well socket on a breaker bar in the trunk. Except for the one time I actually needed it when I got a flat like 60 miles from home. I had left the jack and the wrench in my garage. Go figure.

Exactly. I have the deep well socket on a breaker bar in the trunk. Except for the one time I actually needed it when I got a flat like 60 miles from home. I had left the jack and the wrench in my garage. Go figure.

...must be because we are cabinet guys...or something...:)

I dont see why buying a lug wrench to fit better nuts is a problem. 20 bucks,shouldn't be too expensive right, for a new lug wrench that can save you a big headache by having solids nuts is a good investment. I'll robably have to order a set of those sebrings nuts you guys are talking about for my future wheels

Ok got back from a trip Wed and had a flat at the airport. Tried to remove and put the spare on .. NO GO! Luckily I had a can of fix a flat to get me home. Upon looking more closely (better light) I was able to see how the lugs were slightly rounded out and not true on the edges. I’m the 2nd owner and the tires have about 10k on them. Car overall has only 61k for a 2002. The previous/original owner was pretty good about rotating the tires every 5k at the local tire shop. Ok so, actual 19 mm would not fit so, I used a ¾ impact socket hammered it on and off they came! Dropped off the tire to get patched the next morning and proceeded to surf the web for some Ford/Lincoln replacements for all four wheels. Found on line a Ford/Lincoln dealer who was asking $3.62 each plus shipping. So, I contacted my local Ford/Lincoln dealer who said $6.85 each. Told him about the other dealer’s price and he said ok.. no problem. Next day I had all 20 for $3.62 each plus tax with NO shipping! Yesterday I got all of the remaining 14 off with the ¾ socket due to being slightly rounded off but, naturally lol the last one #15 had to be stubborn! A couple of well positioned strikes with a chisel and off came the chrome cover and next the nut with a 18mm socket. So, all 20 have been replaced and installed with the 19mm socket and the socket will remain with the car for all tire rotations etc.. Hope this helps!