Should I use lubrication to wheel lug nuts/bolts?
2026-04-19 22:26 UTC
Replies (5)
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@toor@lemmy.world 2026-04-19 23:25
No lube, just dry, torque to spec. Don’t know where you got the idea to lube them, that’s super dangerous.
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@Know_not_Scotty_does@lemmy.world 2026-04-20 00:14
100% a question to get angry answers on both sides. I use anti-sieze on lugs but I also use an adjusted torque value with that to compensate for the reduced friction, and check my lugs frequently. There are two possible failures here, you overstretch the stud and yield it from the reduced friction in the thread increasing the tension in the stud threads which weakens the stud and either pops it off when you tighten it or it fatigues and pops off later. The other failure is that the nut comes loose later when you are driving. I’ve never seen that actually happen. Reason for me using anti-sieze is, I tow a trailer in salt water and have had lugs rust to the studs then snap the hex off the lug leaving me to drill out the little nubbin that got left behind. Luckily it was in my garage that it happened and not on the road.
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@PetteriPano@lemmy.world 2026-04-20 05:50
I usually don’t. But this year I have a new-to-me car that had a couple of cross-threaded wheelbolts. Changing the whole hub is pricy and the shop refused to replace just the bolt. I managed to re-thread the other. Anywho, most lug nuts were really on there, so I gave them a dab of marine grease. I always re-tighten at 1, 100 and 1000km and before any longer trip. But they haven’t moved at all since the 1km re-tightening.
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@icanwatermyplants@reddthat.com 2026-04-20 23:06
I’ve always done dry in lugs. I do make sure my threads are really clean. I don’t think that anti seize is that bad on a bolt that can withstand a lot of torque. Just make sure you apply a thin layer on really clean degreased threads. Don’t plaster, use a torque wrench. Usually anti seize is applied in areas where bolts aren’t very accessible or rarely removed. People used to put them on spark plugs, but that is no longer recommended by most manufacturers.
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@Sualtam@lemmus.org 2026-04-23 16:17
I wouldn’t do it. Instead clean the bolts and replace the nuts if they are too corroded.