chrome capped lug nuts seems to be a terrible trend ford/chevy are going towards....one day they will swell up and you won't be able to get a socket on them to remove the lugs from the wheel. if you catch it before its too late you can just buy more from rock auto or the local shop. take one off and go to the local parts store (or look on ebay/amazon/rock auto for prices). a non-capped lug nut would probably not be shiny chrome looking for reference.

i would try to stay as close to what you have if possible to avoid issues with seating into the rim. i found these that aren't capped for reference: Sorry! Something went wrong!. but they appear to have outside threads for a hub cap (not sure which wheels are on your 2014 but i'm assuming it's a mag wheel that doesn't use a hub cap).

i know it's not a great solution but you may just have to buy another set like you have and when you start finding the lug nuts that are swelling, just replace them as needed. I will also point out I'm not a mechanic, this is just through personal experience. You should be able to pick up a new set for around 40 bucks give or take (i paid about that or 30 for a set on the wifes cruze that would take a hub cap).

 

could you post a picture with tapatalk of the lug nuts you have currently? might help people understand what you're looking for.

 

factory lugs on 2014 ltz with 19s

 

I have seen GM products with capped nuts since the seventies, nothing new. I have cracks in couple of my wifes Silverado. Since were keeping it for a while, it has me thinking of getting one piece chrome nuts.

I have already gotten rid of the ones that were o.e. on my 70 Cutlass and swapped them for the one piece chrome units. Still not bullet proof, the last yahoo at the tire store broke two of them!:WTF:

Of course I had to buy a set of four to get two, I guess I have backups.

IIRC the old school ones would just shed the outer cap or chrome cover.
Pat

 

Wow - I don't think that I've ever experienced issues with a lugnut in my 30+ years of driving GMs! Is this s common issue and I've just been lucky??

 

I've seen the stainless caps get dented or become loose. I suspect not getting the socket far enough onto the nut contributes to the wear.

I've also observed the caps being dented/distorted just enough to make it hard to get the socket to slide on all the way. In turn, that potentially results in more distorting forces being applied to the cap causing further wear.

If you always take care when removing and installing them, you probably won't see this.

In short, if you take care of your nuts, they'll last a lifetime

Doug

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I've seen lug nuts swollen and rusty just like and old plow truck frame but only on vehicles that were parked without being driven for extended periods of time in a wet nasty area.

 

Ive seen this on a 2013 f150 fx4 out of canada and a ford escape 2015 or newer...apparently this is now a thing to watch out for. Neither were in wet swampy areas that i knew of.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

That's kinda foul. Must be a super cheap grade of low carbon steel.
Shavin those 1/8 cents for the bean counters rather than putting out a quality product. :WTF:

Wonder if the aftermarket has a higher grade of steel...

The other question is... is it the lug nuts or the wheel studs or both that are made of that cheesey grade of low carbon steel? lower grade steel means the studs and or lugs are lower strength... corrosion will make them even worse.

If it's a common problem it's actually something that should be actively reported to the NHTSA.
The manufacturers purposely using a sub-standard grade of steel for the studs and lugs is a serious highway safety concern.

 

Don't know if this is of use, but my factory lug nuts became unusable. I went to pick & pull got another set for hardly anything threading them by hand before buying. NOW--What I have found in my case, for years I used impact wrench or 1/2in pry bar to loosed and reinstall. After replacing, I started using a torque wrench, as I figured the impact or hand tightening was stressing the threads over time heating up, and cooling down. I know lots of pple figure "if they're tight, were good to go." But I have figured out the torque by Manf. is for a reason. I have not had any problems since, and when loosened some, I can remove and reinstall by hand. Just take care not to let the rim slide on threads as this makes them hard to service also.

 

Interesting point. That may be why I haven't seen this even tho I'm in the rust belt.
I don't let the tire shops pull and install my wheels. They get delivered to the tire shop in the bed of my pickup and I put them back on with a torque wrench.

 

Yeah, I'm typically the only one that removes and installs my wheels as well, so maybe that's what I've never ran into any issues....

 

Only lugnut issues I have seen or run into is those that were rounded off due to a knucklehead using the wrong sized or a bad socket. Cannot say as though I have ever seen one that had expanded like what is being said by the op.

With regards to possible inferior steel being used, if that is the case there should be a recall. No doubt lugnuts backing off on their own as a driver is going down the road could have serious deadly consequences for many.

 

so does anyone have a link to some solid ones that would fit the car?

 

so does anyone have a link to some solid ones that would fit the car?

Any auto parts store will have solid lug nuts to fit your vehicle. Probably even Walmart.

I wasn't aware that manufactures still made those style lug nuts. All of my current vehicles have solid lugs or chrome plated.

 

Yaa gotta hate it when your nuts swell up , sorry , just sayin' :laugh