Proper torquing of McGard Lug Nuts

Joined
Dec 31, 2017
Messages
15,069
Location
SE British Columbia, Canada
I thought I’d post this considering the popularity of McGard lug nuts. McGard recommends putting them on by hand and torquing them manually. Last fall I installed 20 of them but used a rather weak 18 V impact wrench to spin them on. The socket was the exact size for the lug nuts. Looks like I accidentally seated 4 of them. I manually torqued them to 80 lb ft with a click torque wrench. Even the ones I accidently seated required more torque to get to 80 lb ft.

Here are the pics of rust that started at the contact edges. Looks like the chrome finish can be damaged easily with an impact wrench. I’m in a mountainous area where salt is applied on roadways. I spoke to the tech department at McGuard and they were very helpful even offering four new lug nuts. Unfortunately their shipping charge to Canada was so high, I declined and ordered four from Amazon. Enjoy the photos.

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I put McGard lug nuts on my wife's car 5 years ago and they look almost new still. I do use an impact to run them down to 80-90% tight, then use a torque wrench the rest of the way. I don't hammer on them much with my impact. Plenty of salt used on the roads here ni the winter too.
 
Ouch. "McGard Tough Nuts are designed to last for life. No chipping, peeling or rusting. Guaranteed to keep on shining for years. Our Tough Nuts are manufactured in the U.S.A. to meet the highest O.E.M. standards for safety and durability. They’re triple-nickel chrome plated for lasting beauty by our experienced staff using our own in-house plating technology."
 
Correct me if I'm wrong or I'm seeing the problem thru a different set of eyes. I too have McGards,no rust,I use a 12 point socket,off corner engagement, with a breaker,then torque wrench.Could it be the impact and 6 point pounds the corner more,cracks or damages the chrome?As this thread pans out I will be a bit curious
 
Those look terrible. I would contact McGard to see what they suggest. I have not had a problem in the past but have only used their security lug nuts ie 1 per wheel.
I did. They said the damage was from using an impact wrench and offered me 4 new lug nuts. They wouldn’t pay shipping to Canada which was more than the price of the lug nuts I can get off Amazon with free shipping. Told them thanks but no thanks.
 
Plenty of complaints of rust in Amazon reviews. I still run them on LOTS of vehicles to get rid of the stupid 2-piece OEMs. No salt on roads here, but mag chloride.

I do nothing special but snug with an impact socket and torque with a TW. Same as any other lugnut. I zip 'em off full-bore with an impact.

What is "accidentally seated?" I feel like this is a language barrier? From reading your post it sounds like "seated" means "broke through" the chrome?
 
Here is some info on their installation recommendations. They don’t recommend impact wrenches, but for different reasons other than damaging the chrome.

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They're smoking the crack pipe. Never gonna happen. Even if the vehicle owner knows this, NO shop in the world has the time.

It's a steel threaded nut that will be handled by gorillas and 16-year-olds paid $10/hr

If anyone -- including McGard -- expects this to be followed, just don't use the product and find an alternative
 
Plenty of complaints of rust in Amazon reviews. I still run them on LOTS of vehicles to get rid of the stupid 2-piece OEMs. No salt on roads here, but mag chloride.

I do nothing special but snug with an impact socket and torque with a TW. Same as any other lugnut. I zip 'em off full-bore with an impact.

What is "accidentally seated?" I feel like this is a language barrier? From reading your post it sounds like "seated" means "broke through" the chrome?
“Accidentally” here means I didn’t intend to contact the rim with the lug nut using the impact wrench. I just didn’t let off in time on four lug nuts. Still, there was hardly any torque on it and it evidently damaged the chrome.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong or I'm seeing the problem thru a different set of eyes. I too have McGards,no rust,I use a 12 point socket,off corner engagement, with a breaker,then torque wrench.Could it be the impact and 6 point pounds the corner more,cracks or damages the chrome?As this thread pans out I will be a bit curious
The 12 point could be helpful. I used a six point.
 
don't see the 12-point making any difference, they contact the corner just like 6-point does. Flank drive is different of course.
Agree with your thoughts, except mine say off corner engagement, thats where I based my statement.
 
If they came from Amazon there’s no guarantee that they’re genuine.
My application uses their # 64012. On Amazon, those are only sold by and shipped by Amazon so they're almost certainly genuine, purchased by Amazon directly from McGard. There are 3rd-party sellers but they also ship them meaning no "mingling" in parts bins at Amazon warehouses.
 
My application uses their # 64012. On Amazon, those are only sold by and shipped by Amazon so they're almost certainly genuine, purchased by Amazon directly from McGard. There are 3rd-party sellers but they also ship them meaning no "mingling" in parts bins at Amazon warehouses.
These also happen to be # 64012. Thanks for that info.
 
I replaced the lug nuts on my f150 with McGard. I paid more than seemed right for 24 pieces, but the quality is quite better than oem. I appreciate it every time I rotate the tires. Good product.

mine came black, as I might re-install some black wheels at a later date. It’s been less than a year, but no chipping or rust so far.
 
Snap-On makes a socket with increased Hex Depth that is less likely to result in this issue:


I replaced the lug nuts on my f150 with McGard. I paid more than seemed right for 24 pieces, but the quality is quite better than oem. I appreciate it every time I rotate the tires. Good product.

mine came black, as I might re-install some black wheels at a later date. It’s been less than a year, but no chipping or rust so far.
I did the same for my Ram, but some of them are chipping. I suspect that it is related to the lug nut socket that has been used to remove/install them.
 
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