Titanium Lug Nuts... Worth their weight in gold?

[smlobx]

I think if you skipped a couple of cheeseburgers you would achieve the same weight reduction and have more money for other more significant projects…
I didn’t even use titanium lug nuts on my Porsche race car…

Sponsored

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I think if you skipped a couple of cheeseburgers you would achieve the same weight reduction and have more money for other more significant projects…
I didn’t even use titanium lug nuts on my Porsche race car…

But his wheel's lug nuts wouldn't be as cool.

At least in this case, the "cool factor" has another advantage - weight loss.

If it was always about saving a buck, we'd be running stock bumpers and stock wheels on everything and half the racks, lights and other accessories would never be purchased.
The halos, the color changing lights and I could list pages of stuff - serve no other purpose. These look cool, save weight and should last.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Just be sure to have those nuts tested -



Who has it correct - hoomons, or.......Ferengi?

 

[JAPE]

The referenced Galvanic Corrosion chart indicates your steel studs would become sacrificial anodes while the TI lugs would last a considerable time.

https://trianglefastener.com/conten... compatibilty chart technical information.pdf

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Except that titanium doesn't follow that chart or the rules. It's not efficient at reducing dissolved oxygen, so you don't get the same reactions as you would with other metals against steel.
So far I've never seen anyone talk of corrosion on lug bolts due to titanium lug nuts.

They also reduce the mass of the spinning wheel to a small degree - lighter wheels and tires mean better performance due to lowered mass and inertia - so anything that reduces that spinning mass is a help (granted, pretty hard to measure on such a high performance truck as the JT)

Anyway, in checking my gut feeling on titanium and double-checking myself before responding, I ran across this -

This testing for the military showed less problems between a Ti/Fe joint than a Fe/Fe joint.

 

[ajkaz]

Factory look NOT terrible at best, but some sweet black aftermarket spline drives look like trash 3-6 months after I open the box and install them. Not just once, but every time. SO,
Ti will give me:
Weight savings
Appearance improvement
Longer lasting lug nuts (the nuts and threads themselves)
A one up cool factor over my friend @ajkaz who thinks I'm (lug)nuts... ?

This is very true! HA!

 

[ajkaz]

Personally I would avoid swapping to a different alloy. Ti has different qualities from steel besides weight savings stick to OEM. There is nothing worse than a snapped or stuck lug nut on a side of the road /trail when you are trying to change a tire…

Nothing a little anti seize wont fix.

 

[zxd9]

They look cool for sure. Had a Titanium shifter in my Mustang GT.

 

[staying_tuned]

You haven't lived unless you're flown a Miata at redline across a cracked and crumbly tarmac kissing cones as you crush your previous time AND your buddy's VW R32 time...

ahhhh memories...

Titanium is brittle and an illogical choice for truck lugs. By your definition, I have lived (minus the buddy’s R32 although post Miata I had an MK7 R, big turbo too loved it) and I would say this is the equivalent of posting up in tech inspections on track day with maxxtracks strapped on with the reasoning being you wanted to get a wee bit more utility out of your track car. Crazy talk man, crazy talk I tell you : )

 

[Curt Oz]

So in my effort to cut weight at every possible mod, I'm looking into Ti nuts! They are less than half the weight of OEM nuts, and look cool as a bonus.

I know they're not cheap. I know I won't "feel the difference." I know plenty of people don't care about this topic.

What do you guys think?

Looks like 5 OEM lugs would be .88 lbs. Titanium, .43 lbs, less than half the weight!

Yes there are cheaper things to spend money on, or better places to save weight, but I just like knowing each part is exactly what I want. I'm OCD and picky and dumb like that.

Looking at these:
https://www.bonoss.com/product/bono...eep-wrangler-jl-gladiator-grand-cherokee-2013

or these:
https://solisracinggroup.com/jeep-dodge-performance-parts/open-ended-lug-nuts-titanium/

Also I'd imagine that the Ti nuts would look better after a year of use, on and off the Jeep, than say my Teraflex nuts, or OEM, or Gorilla. I've had them all, and NONE (save for maybe OEM) look great after even 6 months.

I can see spending $459 on lug nuts on a $$$ half million dollar top fuel funny car but not on a freaking Jeep

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Are we talking a PURE titanium that is not heat treated, or an allow which would be less brittle, and can be heat treated to make it even tougher?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I can see spending $459 on lug nuts on a $$$ half million dollar top fuel funny car but not on a freaking Jeep

And yet every month someone spends thousands of dollars on wheels and tires, angry grills and other stuff purely for looks. Not even to save weight or have any other advantage.
So what's the difference? Pretend bead lock wheels that are for looks or lug nuts that are neat looking and lighter and tough?
Those criticizing may well have spent even more just for appearance's sake. Bet no one blasting his idea has a stock Jeep. And I'd bet some of the mods were "just because" or "it looks better".

Is that $1,500 bumper NECESSARY, or just cool looking?

 

[staying_tuned]

Is that $1,500 bumper NECESSARY, or just cool looking?

I think those that are providing critical feedback are taking the argument at face value. Spending decent money to save weight equivalent to crawling under the truck and kicking out a few packed dirt clumps while introducing 20 extremely high maintenance items is not a great idea to save weight. Don't let a 12 pt. socket touch them, stick to 6 pt. sockets and no matter what tape them before torquing and breaking them loose. Impact wrench will mangle them so also never allow them near a shop. Supplement your recovery gear for your Ti lugs for sure. Lastly, nothing more infuriating than realizing you forgot to clear out your open ended tuner lugs often enough. It's amazing how easily they'll collect grunge and seize up so for sure get the closed end option you linked.

Of course to each their own, they look awesome and feel like pure witchcraft. Just kind of silly for a truck specifically for weight reduction.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I think those that are providing critical feedback are taking the argument at face value. Spending decent money to save weight equivalent to crawling under the truck and kicking out a few packed dirt clumps while introducing 20 extremely high maintenance items is not a great idea to save weight. Don't let a 12 pt. socket touch them, stick to 6 pt. sockets and no matter what tape them before torquing and breaking them loose. Impact wrench will mangle them so also never allow them near a shop. Supplement your recovery gear for your Ti lugs for sure. Lastly, nothing more infuriating than realizing you forgot to clear out your open ended tuner lugs often enough. It's amazing how easily they'll collect grunge and seize up so for sure get the closed end option you linked.

Of course to each their own, they look awesome and feel like pure witchcraft. Just kind of silly for a truck specifically for weight reduction.

I never use anything but a 6 point socket on any lug nuts -even on my trailer or my trailer's spare - so no biggy if it were me.
I''d also likely opt for closed end nuts - I like the looks and never did like the idea of a wasp nest haven on my vehicles. So again, no problem there.
I maintain all wheels and lug nuts so I guess if it were me buying them, I'd not have to change a thing.
Check the 3/4" and certain other 6 point sockets in the top of my tool box - you'll find traces of tape, and you'll find rolls of blue tape in various points in my shop.
I can't see why they'd seize up - sure don't find people hollering about that out there.
In fact I posted how a study for the military saw more Fe/Fe oxidation than with Ti/Fe so it's apparently not a big deal in fact, just in fear.

If you do your own tire rotation as often as you should, you will never have a problem.
But then aren't a lot of things that we do to our cars, trucks and especially Jeeps, seen as silly to more other people than we imagine?
For me, it would be business as usual, I guess. There's nothing at all I would need to change if I were so inclined.
Maybe that's why I can't see the big hate for doing it - it's no worse than some other money I've spent if I were so inclined and I'd not have to change tools or habits.
Not everyone who would consider these does hard-core off-roading, either. I'd not worry about needing to kick chunks of mud out from under mine to save weight - it's rare it gets that bad (except in winter) and if it does, yeah, I knock or wash it out.

I'm still looking for a downside, I guess, other than the money. There are upsides - appearance (that's purely personal) and long life. They won't look crappy like stock nuts do in a year or two.

 

[RacerAV]

I think if you skipped a couple of cheeseburgers you would achieve the same weight reduction and have more money for other more significant projects…
I didn’t even use titanium lug nuts on my Porsche race car…

Yeahhhh, I can't skip cheeseburger day man... ?

Sponsored