Size of Lug Nuts

[Husker Z]

Okay, so I went to rotate my wife's tires this weekend on her LS, but ran into a major problem, nothing would work on the lug nuts. I tried the wrench in the trunk and it didn't fit, it was too small. I originally thought the chrome looking lug nuts on the rims were just covers, but I don't think they are now. Can someone help me out and tell me what size of socket I need to use in my impact wrench to get these damn things off? I was so pissed yesterday trying to get these off. I had a company mount my last tires and if all else fails I'll return it to them and tell them to deal with it, but would like to just do it myself, if possible.

Thanks.

 

[gcwimmer]

I have used 3/4 in.

 

[NateRW21]

hey man... I'm not exactly sure what size they are... mine were in pretty bad shape when I bought the car and inspected the brakes... so I just ended up using a slightly undersized impact socket and a 2lb mallet; that way I knew I would slip and round the cornors off, then requiring me to use my special nut remover (which doens't always work... then I have to use a metal chisel!). Anyhow, if you hang with me for a little while, I've got a set of brand new after market lugnuts on order from summitracing. It took a lot of research and one mistaken order already to find them, but I think they are the correct lugnuts. Anyway, they are due to ship on the 25th I believe; after I get them and ensure they are infact correct, I'll make a post on here giving all the info. I know this is one of the biggest problems (other than coils and cam cover gaskets) that LS's have, so hopefully we'll get a solution once my lugnuts show up!

 

[ToddG]

19 mm fits on mine perfectly.

If you do a search, you'll find that most owners have issues with the lug nuts, particularly the 00-02 cars. Lincoln has since upgraded the lug nuts to ones that will not deform as you tighten them. There are also other lug nuts you could use, for example, from the Chrysler Sebring.

 

[Husker Z]

19 mm fits on mine perfectly.

If you do a search, you'll find that most owners have issues with the lug nuts, particularly the 00-02 cars. Lincoln has since upgraded the lug nuts to ones that will not deform as you tighten them. There are also other lug nuts you could use, for example, from the Chrysler Sebring.

Thanks guys, I thought the 19mm was going to be the correct size also, but it was a bit small, so I tried the 20mm and it didn't work either.

I may have to use the small socket/rubber mallet trick, I used it on one of my past cars with a locking lug that I had lost the key to. What irritates me is that the wrench in the truck was too small. If my wife was stuck on the highway somewhere with a flat tire, I'd have been furious.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Husker Z]

Another question, do the lugs have caps on them or is what you see the actual lug nut?

 

[ToddG]

What irritates me is that the wrench in the truck was too small. If my wife was stuck on the highway somewhere with a flat tire, I'd have been furious.

You are not the first to complain for this exact reason. I suggest getting a new set of lug nuts from Lincoln or a third party. The new lug nuts on my 06 do not deform.

I suspect you have the old nuts, which had a deformable cap over the actual nut. The new ones are solid without the cap.

 

[Husker Z]

You are not the first to complain for this exact reason. I suggest getting a new set of lug nuts from Lincoln or a third party. The new lug nuts on my 06 do not deform.

I suspect you have the old nuts, which had a deformable cap over the actual nut. The new ones are solid without the cap.

I think you are right, it feels like a cheap cap over the actual lugs. I just ordered a set from O-Reily's and I'll get them tomorrow. I think I'll take the 19mm and a mallet and get the old ones off that way and replace them with these new ones. I'll let you know how it goes. At first I was pissed at the company that mounted my tires, but sounds like it wasn't their fault.

 

[Boomhower]

Some of my lugs are rounded off. I just took them off this weekend and had to use a 6 point 20mm socket. But it still felt a bit loose, however none of the others I tried (standard or metric) would seat on the lug nut right. Keep us informed as to how the lugs from Oreilly's fit. The more soulations we have to this problem the better off we'll all be. I'm not trying to be cheap, well yeah I am. I don't want to pay Lincoln $8 a pc. or whatever they are asking for a whole new set of lugs.

 

[kedaigle]

I can guarantee that the factory lug nuts from any 95-99 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS/GST/GSX. I replaced all of the LS lug nuts with the old ones off of my 96 Eclipse GS.

 

[Husker Z]

O'Reily's Nuts Are On

Okay, so I replaced all of the factory nuts with the O'Reily's ones last night and everything went great. I had to use a 19mm socket and a short handled mallet to get every single one of the old ones off, but that worked pretty slick. The new ones look exactly like the old ones, but you can tell they aren't "soft" like the factory ones. I used a 19mm socket with an impact wrench to reinstall the new ones and they work fantastic. I also put some anti-seize on them for good measure and I left the spacer on them so they would be exactly like the factory nuts. $22 later and the problem is all fixed.

 

[ToddG]

Good deal, Husker. Don't forget that the lugnuts for the LS are supposed to be torqued to 100 ft-lbs. You can't just ram them on with an impact wrench -- use a torque wrench to torque them to the proper value.

Also, can you please post the part number and website where you got the replacement lugnuts? This will be a good resource for others.

Thanks.

 

[tyler1313]

Well i had to buy all 20 Lug nuts. paid $100 at the dealership. i know so people said others fit but i needed them quick. I guess the LS's have the worst lug not design because they swell up and are unusable.

 

[Husker Z]

Here's what I put on and thanks Todd, I will check the lugs tonight to make sure they are tight. I like to put them on with my impact wrench, then drive for a day or so, then go back and re-tighten them with a wrench.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/EW3/ProductDetail.do?id=13012673&client_ip=70.129.193.190&keyword=lug%20nut&descriptionId=1952

I went to O'Reilly's monday and they had them in the store by yesterday at 9:00 am. Pretty good deal I think. Even if they don't last as long, I can replace them 5 times and still come in under what Lincoln is charging.

 

[macboy]

If you do a search, you'll find that most owners have issues with the lug nuts, particularly the 00-02 cars. Lincoln has since upgraded the lug nuts to ones that will not deform as you tighten them. There are also other lug nuts you could use, for example, from the Chrysler Sebring.

Lincoln (Canada) replaced all of the lugnuts on my '02 free as part of the 80000 km scheduled maintenance (which was done at around 73000 km since I was selling the car). They also did the rear brakes under warranty at the same time. I have no idea if the new lugnuts were any different than the originals, and I never had a problem with the originals.

 

[eastcoastLS]

Well i had to buy all 20 Lug nuts. paid $100 at the dealership. i know so people said others fit but i needed them quick. I guess the LS's have the worst lug not design because they swell up and are unusable.

i had to do the same $100 at the stealer. next day autozone said they could order and have them there in 2 days for $50

 

[Boomhower]

Okay, so I replaced all of the factory nuts with the O'Reily's ones last night and everything went great. I had to use a 19mm socket and a short handled mallet to get every single one of the old ones off, but that worked pretty slick. The new ones look exactly like the old ones, but you can tell they aren't "soft" like the factory ones. I used a 19mm socket with an impact wrench to reinstall the new ones and they work fantastic. I also put some anti-seize on them for good measure and I left the spacer on them so they would be exactly like the factory nuts. $22 later and the problem is all fixed.

Don't forget to check the lug wrench in the trunk to see if it fits. If it don't, try to find one that does at a junk yard or somewhere, or get some spare tools together and throw in there. Wouldn't want to be stuck on the side of the road with a flat and no tools to change it with.

 

[Husker Z]

Don't forget to check the lug wrench in the trunk to see if it fits. If it don't, try to find one that does at a junk yard or somewhere, or get some spare tools together and throw in there. Wouldn't want to be stuck on the side of the road with a flat and no tools to change it with.

That is on my list of things to do this evening. Thanks for the reminder.