Titanium lug nuts.

Only place I could find was here:
http://www.allstarperformance.com/product.htm?prod=377

Don't know anythign about them.

 

I poked around a little more and didn't have any luck either. Maybe they don't exist for light passenger cars. I was surprised how light they are, pretty cool.

 

Doc -- you're going off the deep end!

C'mon, I understand your other performance mods, heck I'm even following along in my own timid way with some of 'em. But titanium lug nuts??!? To reduce the rotating mass by a few ounces?

What am I missing here?

 

OK I have a titanium cook set and fuel bottle for backpacking is this the same thing? BTW they were a bit pricey. I gave them all to my son who goes backpacking during the summer for a living. He needs it more than me. B) So how cheep can you go with this and does REI carry them?

 

yep.. you're nuts. ... but see.. on the other hand that's just what makes you awesome. I admire your mods... although i swear this is a space for that brace. hehe.

 

There has to be something wrong with the numbers here; the stock lug nuts can't weigh so much that by replacing them with titanium you save 3 pounds per wheel..... per wheel??????????

 

I read that the same way initially. On rereading, i think it's wheel, say 2.5 lb, and lug nuts, 0.5 lb savings, respectively. By the way, is that a Somali or Abby? We've got 3 Somali's at home, and they're a riot.

Doc, if you do this, check to see if you need to use a Ti antiseize. Good bicycle shops should have have it.

-- rick

 

boeing has a surplus store where they sell misc items. i bought a hand full of titanium 5/8 and 7/8 nuts and bolts. i only bought them because titanium is stronger than steel, lighter than aluminum and they were the biggest items in the bin. (they sold by the lb) i have them as curiosity items. they are huge and i actually convinced a few people that they were for a kids play set because most wouldn t believe that the bolts were metal.

i actually had one lady who insisted on knowing the manufacturer and name of the toy so she could write in and complain since the 5/8" nuts were choking hazards. when i tried to tell her the truth, she went absolutely bezerk accusing me of not caring for the safety of her future children....

 

First,I have never heard of Ti lug nuts or studs, so I have no experience with them.

But, while Ti is very "strong" and light it is also very brittle (in general terms). Used in race car applications it is constantly inspected for cracks. I would torgue them very carefully and inspect them off the wheel near the the threads on a regular basis.

Aw crap, just throw them on and drive fast...

 

At $50. per wheel to save 8 oz works out to $6.25/oz. At $491. (wheel) + $72. (tire) to save 40 oz works out to $14.08/oz. Those lug nuts are actually a much better buy than the wheel/tire combo!

 

titanium is still reliable enough to be used on airplanes. so i doubt that a wheel lug which does not see anywhere near the same amount of stress would be subject to any real risk factor.

torque it to its specs and call it good. same as any other bolt

 

Note: some Ti alloys are stronger than some steel alloys. But in general, steel would be stronger than Ti. For example, on aircraft the strongest Ti that I know about is 180 ksi ultimate strength. The strongest steel is 280 ksi (strongest "corrosion resistant" steel is about 240 ksi, verrrry expensive). Strongest aluminum is on the order of 75 ksi.

Titanium weighs about 1/2 of steel (.16 lb/cu in for Ti, .28 in for steel, .10 for aluminum). All three materials have approximately the same strength/weight ratio at their best alloys.

Ti is softer than steel (would strip easier). Also it's more flexible (modulus of elasticity) than steel.

I don't know what alloy is used for car lug nuts. But Ti nuts are used all over airplanes. Nonetheless, I'd hate to have a lug nut fail. That happened to my mom during WWII. She was driving on a mountain road, and the wheel fell off! Yikes, that was scary.

 

Rick-
He is an Abyssinian named Cairo; he is the ruler of the house and just to smart for his own good. He is so much like a person is cracks me up. Inside cat only; never been outside. His brother is a tabby named Murphy. They get along great.
I would love 3 of them but would spend all my time playing with them.