Time to change your lug nuts
- Thread starter Snapcat
- Start date
I’m think changing your tires would be more effective for winter.
Actually the regular rim lug nuts are not a good fit on winter rims for a Pathfinder I’ve been told
Make sure to replace your summer air with winter air at the same time
If you get the correct wheels (hub centric not lug centric) the factory nuts should fit just fine. I have never had to change lugs when I change the rims on any car I've ever owned (aside for cosmetic reasons)Actually the regular rim lug nuts are not a good fit on winter rims for a Pathfinder I’ve been told
One thing to watch for when changing to new lug nuts is the possibility that the new nuts take a different size of wrench. Happened to me, fortunately in a place where I could borrow the right size wrench, not at the side of the road.
Am I the only one who read the title and wondered if Changing your Lug Nuts was a new sexual term? Now I’m disappointed.
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If you are using chrome lug nuts from your summer rims on steel winter rims it might be a good idea to buy some sacrificial plain steel nuts instead to save the chrome ones from rust, also as mentioned some alloy wheels use lug nuts not compatible with a typical steel rim that generally has a conical seat.
If your summer lug nuts are like some of the OEM's that are 2 piece and use a stainless steel cap over a plain steel nut using a different nut is even more important as the OEM nut will eventually rust and bulge the nut so that the lug wrench will no longer fit on the nut.
If your summer lug nuts are like some of the OEM's that are 2 piece and use a stainless steel cap over a plain steel nut using a different nut is even more important as the OEM nut will eventually rust and bulge the nut so that the lug wrench will no longer fit on the nut.
And turn on your air conditioner every so often. It lubricates it.
Defrost in many cars will do the same thing however. Depends on the car. Exercises the compressor.
And don't forget to change your blinker fluid to winter fluid so your signals don't freeze.
I never had that problem. When I buy a car, I always negotiate for winter tires and manufacture rims. They never give me the tires, but I always get the rims in the deal.
Your dealership must like you. I asked the dealership when I bought my current car about rims for winter tires and their price was ridiculous and wouldn't budge even when I told them I can buy the same rims for a lot less than what they offered. They wouldn't budge on the price and I just said to them that I was surprised they're trying to gouge a customer that just bought a new car.
LTO_3
Your mistake was negotiating after you bought the car, your bargaining power is before you buy the car. When I bargain with a car salesman I already know what he can do and can not do. Choose the sales person carefully, the best person you can choose is the one with the most sales that month, sometimes they have a board with the sales of each person the dealer uses to motivate the sales people. The sales manager will allow lower prices for this person as they are bringing in the sales. Go to the dealer several times, the first time you get a price it will be full retail price. Go a second time and they will give you a small discount. Third visit another small discount. When you are ready to deal, go at the end of the month when the dealership needs to make quota to get manufacturers discount on quantity. Sometimes they will even sell you the car at cost to cross over the quota and the manufacture discount to the dealership might be substantially more than the profit on one car. If the dealer closes at 9:00 arrive after dinner after 7:00, that way they have to make the deal before they close. It also leaves less time for the aftermarket sales person to pester you to buy the dealer installed ceramic coat, anti-theft markings, rust proofing ect. Present them with a low price and let counter higher offer . Ask them for rims and tires, they will probably say rims only.
Watch out for the Low Ball deal, where they will give you a low price but write in extra cost into the contract. Always negotiate an all in price. Taxes, dealer prep., no extras in the price.
On my last car purchase I bought tires before I bought the car. In early October, there are always tire sales. You can get 25% off tires at that time. The dealership that sold me the car even installed and balanced the tires on the rims for me.
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… or the cousin to your described situation: the wrench will fit, but only enough to have the bulged out layer crumble and jam the nut in the socket when torque is applied, necessitating driving the nut out with a punch or screwdriver once off the stud, or threading it back on the stud a bit so that you can try and wiggle the socket off. On multiple nuts. In a snowstorm. Every. Time.
I was bargaining with them before I finalized the deal for the car to include new winter tires and rims as part of the deal. And before I did that I researched rim and tire prices on my own as well as with through my usual tire place. And the dealerships price was way inflated for rims and tires before I closed the deal on the car and I refused their pricing on winter tires and rims since they refused to give me a better price. Got a way better deal and discount with my usual tire place.
LTO_3
There is no better deal than FREE. When you negotiated the lowest price on the car and are ready to sign, you should have asked for the rims free. If they tell you they can not do that, tell them you know someone that got that price with free rims. Tell them you will check with the other dealer, but you prefer to buy at a dealer near your home. They might give you the deal to stop you from walking out. If they do not give you the deal, then call back a few days later and tell them you will buy from them if you get them rims. Car dealers do not have good prices for tires, but they can do a deal on the rims.
Tried all of that and they didn't budge or care. Only problem was the other dealership had nothing on their lot I would have bought (I didn't say that to them that either). The other problem was that dealerships were hard pressed for good used and new vehicles and they were selling their 2-3 year old used vehicles for almost new prices because demand was high and bargaining at all dealerships was negligible. And I didn't feel like driving 1-2 hours down the road to hopefully find something, even after checking on-line too. Anyway, that's old news anymore since I have the vehicle I wanted.
So back to changing lugs nuts...I likely won't do that until next month, similar to what I did last year!!
LTO_3
