Wheel Locks

Things are as simple as they seem to be. In nine out of ten cases it's true, but, as you know, there is always an exception to every rule, and lug nuts and bolts are such an exception. At first sight they look very simple, but if you scratch beneath the surface, you'll find out they do a lot for your driving comfort and safety. Making their primary job, securing your wheels on the vehicle, they prevent your car or four-wheeler from losing the wheels when in motion and ensure a vibration-free ride, while allowing for quick and simple removal and installation of a wheel.

Depending on the type of your vehicle and its wheel hubs, you may have either lug nuts or bolts. Both of them serve the same purpose, but do the job in a different way. Lug nuts are fastened onto the wheel studs, while bolts screw into the hub. Lug nuts seem to be a more popular type of wheel fasteners as they can be found on most domestic vehicles as well as many Asian vehicles. However, most European automakers, for example BMW and Volkswagen, give preferences to wheel bolts. On CARiD you'll find both types of wheel fasteners for your vehicle at affordable prices.

For the most part, we do not pay special attention to the condition of lug nuts or bolts, and deal with them only when we need to replace the wheels with new ones or have to disassemble a wheel to fix a puncture. However, it is recommended to inspect your fasteners for rust from time to time to make sure they are still able to properly secure the wheels on your vehicle. If there are any signs of corrosion or your wheel studs or bolts do not form a straight line, we recommend you to replace them with new ones as soon as possible. When choosing replacement lug nuts or bolts, it is necessary to use the wheel fasteners of the same type and length. If you have factory wheels, use the same fasteners as your original ones to maintain a perfect fit and function.

In design, lug nuts are divided into a number of types. There are tapered seat lug nuts, ball seat lug nuts, mag and flat seat ones, tuner style lug nuts, etc. The manufacturer of your vehicle used a specific type of lug nuts to mach the seats in the wheels and ensure proper tightening. The latter one is crucial for your driving safety since it prevents any free movements of the wheels. Improperly tightened lug nuts leave a gap between the hub and the wheel, which causes vibration and may put your life at risk. Whereas overtightened lug nuts can fatigue your wheel studs. The same rule is true for bolts in case your wheels are secured with the help of them. When it comes to wheel bolt replacements it is highly important to use bolts of the same length to ensure proper tightening.