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aftermarket lug nuts with oem BBS wheels?

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79K views 45 replies 27 participants last post by  yamahaSHO  
#1 ·
i was just wondering if i can use aftermarket lugnuts on my OEM BBS wheels on my '08 sti? thinking Rays or something similar. i know that there's issues with fitment, see:

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#5 · (Edited)
You really have the option of stock or Mcgard. Our lugs have the 60 Degree taper or conical seat. but the factory BBS lugs have a shorter seat length. Our thread pitch is 12x1.25. McGards are very nice and are high quality also. They are available in gold, black, chrome and they also make the custom sti logo lugs. They offer several layers of theft prevention as they are spine driven and are available with locks. They also have the spinning seat which helps to not scratch your wheels. I purchased mine from the lugshack.com. They have great prices and fast shipping.

gold mcgards
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Chrome Mcgards
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#26 ·
I too have been using the McGard spline drive lugs on both me OEM and aftermarket wheels. It works just fine.
Yes, I have been using them since I got the car, they work fine.
When I was buying wheels from Fikse,I sent them a stock nut,a Subaru/McGard locknut,and a McGard spline-drive nut. Fikse told me that all three had the same correct cone seats and could be used interchangeably

Yes.

Subaru uses a M12x1.25 nut with 60º cone seat just like aftermarket tuner wheels. The face that meets the wheel is a bit smaller then aftermarket nuts, but all else is the same.

I've been running black McGard spline drives on both my OEM BBS set as well as my SSR winter set essentially since I got the car. The McGards are nicely made with a two piece design - the cone seat doesn't rotate with the rest of your nut as you torque down. So far the black finish has survived two midwest winters with nary a tarnish to be found.

OEM Subaru lugs (at least the locking ones) are also made by McGard if that means anything to you.

Go to the The Lug Shack for decent selection & prices.

You really have the option of stock or Mcgard. Our lugs have the 60 Degree taper or conical seat. but the factory BBS lugs have a shorter seat length. Our thread pitch is 12x1.25. McGards are very nice and are high quality also. They are available in gold, black, chrome and they also make the custom sti logo lugs. They offer several layers of theft prevention as they are spine driven and are available with locks. They also have the spinning seat which helps to not scratch your wheels. I purchased mine from the lugshack.com. They have great prices and fast shipping.

gold mcgards


Chrome Mcgards
Would this hold true for '08+ OEM STi 5-spokes? Due to an unforeseen OEM lug nut shortage, I would like to use my McGard spline drive nuts until the replacement OEMs arrive.
 
#12 · (Edited)
OK, maybe I'm totally crazy, and I'm probably risking major embarassment (because nobody else seems to have this problem), but after some test-fitting this week, I'm sticking with my OEM lug nuts for my OEM BBS wheels.

So I bought a set of used BBS wheels and had them powdercoated (let's leave the paint vs. powdercoating debate for another thread ;)) and also bought some Project Kics R24 lugs for the additional bling factor. With the wheels off the car, however, I was quite concerned when I found that the R24 lugs were barely seated in the BBS lug holes. My first reaction was that the thickness of the powdercoating material threw off the tolerances, but when I pulled an OEM lug off my car, it fit fine. Here's a comparo shot:

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It seemed like the Project Kics lug nut was somehow wider than the OEM lug nut, sorta like an \__/ vs. \_/ issue. The R24 lug nut was really only barely in there. I always thought all 60-degree taper lugs were the same and my research suggested that any aftermarket 60-degree taper lug ought to work on our OEM wheels. When I stacked the OEM lug nut with the R24 lug nut, here's what I found:

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I just kept thinking "this can't be right"...

From the inner side of the wheels, the OEM lug comes up flush to the wheel, while the R24 lug definitely left a gap (sorry, pics don't show this part well):
<<Edit: these are pics on my winter OEM non-BBS wheels--the same thing happened on the BBS's, but forgot to take pics of that>>

OEM:
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R24 (pics doesn't demonstrate this well, but there is a few millimeter gap between the end of the wheel and the rotating seat of the R24 lugs):
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So I thought maybe I got a bad batch of Project Kics lugs, but when I set the R24 lug onto my wife's unmounted Konig wheels, they seemed to fit fine. However, the OEM Subaru lug nut never seemed to make contact with the tapered portion of the lug holes--instead, the lug nut sank into the lug hole and was sitting on the outer part you turn with your lug wrench/key (again, like the Subaru OEM lug is somehow of a narrower radius than usual).

I'm initially concluding that while my OEM lug nut probably has the usual 60-degree taper, the lug radius is smaller than standard. Am I totally nuts? Nobody else has had an issue like this? I was actually hoping I had a lug nut left over from my 03 WRX (to see if somehow the lug radius changed in between), but no luck.

Any ideas from the wheel gurus?
 
#13 · (Edited)
Very interesting. Can you still torque the lug down to the same value?? I think we are supposed to be somewhere around 78ft lbs. Are the lugs the same size as stock lugs, meaning is the thread pitch 12 x1.25?? Do you have factory wheel locks?? B/c I compared my factory OEM installed supposed 60 degree seat to my factory lug nuts and the seats look almost like what you found between the factory nut and the R26. Then I compared my factory lugs to a set of mcgards that I had on my OEM BBS and they seat looks the same as the factory locks. So from what I can tell if the seat on the locks is good enough to be on our factory wheels and we can torque the lug down to the specified value I am not sure if it is necessary to have lug fit perfectly all the way into the seat. Also those factory locks are made by mcgard. Can someone else shed some more light on this?
 
#16 ·
#18 ·
#19 ·
i just put on muteki lugs that i got from evasive, they are not 2 piece like the kics, but i had to run out and check the clearance after reading this and the 60 conical fit my stock bbs fine.

though i dont recommend the lugnut, i returned 1 set because it had dings during shipping and the second set was a bit better but still had some also. so not sure how long these will actually last.
 
#27 ·
Hey guys,

Sorry to bring up an old thread, but I searched before posting the same question... Does the info in this thread also apply to other OEM STi wheels (or any Subaru wheel for that matter) besides the BBS, or just the BBS wheels? I have a 2010 Special Edition with the OEM Enkei "Spec C" wheels and want to get some blue anodized lugs. Found the Vision Motorsports ones on e-bay and they have the 60 degree acorn/tapered/conical profile and want to make sure they will work. 20 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STI RACING LUG NUTS 12X1.25 BLUE - eBay (item 250484944579 end time Apr-10-11 17:11:45 PDT)

The guy selling them won't guarantee fitment, but states that he's sold "hundreds" without any problems and will fit any wheel that doesn't require a skinny, tuner-style lug. I told him that he may well have sold "hundreds" to Subaru owners, but without knowing the wheels they had them mated to, makes NO claim for compatibility what so ever!

Why would Subaru spec a lug so close in spec to a regular, 60 degree, conical shape/size, but change the diameter of the seat so that these won't fit? It's almost asking for failure!

Thanks for any help you guys can offer.
 
#28 ·
Here's some info I received from the guys at Evasive motorsports on this topic. Didn't want to start yet another thread, but wasn't sure which thread to tack this on the end of. I chose this one. Here's the response, original question below:

Hi Dan,

You need to take both the diameter of the lug nuts and the key adapters into account. All are conical lugs.

The regular Mutekis have a seat diameter of 22mm and the key adapter is 20mm.
The SR series have a seat diameter of 24mm and the key adapter is 25mm.
The Kics R26 and R40s have a seat diameter of 22mm and the key adapter is 24mm.

You will need to measure the diameters of the hole on your wheels to see if they can accomdate the diameters of the lug nut + adapters. I would recommend at least 2mm additional clearance for the adapter side so you don’t scuff up the inside of the wheels where the lugs will go. Let me know if you have any other questions or would like to order. Shipping is going to be an additional $20 to Canada for any set of the lugs and I can send you a paypal request if you want to proceed with an order. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Tony
Evasive Motorsports
www.EvasiveMotorsports.com | blog.evasivemotorsports.com
T: 626.336.3400 | Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm PST

Here's my original question:

Hi guys,

Just wondering what the cost would be to ship a set of the SR 35’s to the postal code: L0C 1G0? I’m waiting on confirmation that these lugs have the same diameter 60 degree conical seat as my OEM Subaru lugs. I have a 2010 STi Special Edition with the OEM Enkei wheel (also the wheel spec’d on the base model 2011 STi) and I’ve spent way too many hours reading forum posts about some aftermarket lugs not fitting our wheels, despite the fact that they are both 60-degree conical seat. It seems that the OEM McGard lugs have a narrower diameter than SOME aftermarket lugs with 60 degree conical seats, i.e. OEM: \_/ vs. SOME aftermarket: \__/. One make and model we have confirmed that does not match our OEM wheels is Project Kics R26 lugs. However, another member has confirmed that these Mutekis do fit; Muteki Lug Nuts - BLUE OPEN Ended: Evasive Motorsports | PH: 626.336.3400 Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm PST.

Would it be too much to ask if you guys could verify for me that the SR 35’s match these other Muteki lugs AND have a slightly smaller diameter 60 degree conical seat than the Project Kics R26’s? Either that, or waive your policy regarding no returns for wrong fitment, as long as I don’t open the package to compare when they arrive?
 
#32 ·
I realize this is an old thread, but I just went to the Lugshack site and I was going to order the McGard Spline Drive Black kit and noticed the statement:
**Lug nuts are intended for use with aftermarket wheels only. (Tuner wheels or wheels with very small lug nut holes.)?

Does this mean they won't fit my OEM BBS Wheel?

Thanks!
 
#37 ·
Just received some Muteki SR's... then saw this thread. Was going to use them on some '16 OEM STi base model wheels.
Now I'm a bit concerned about the seating surface... if they might gall or get that ridge on the seat surface like pictured earlier in the thread.

Anyone double check theirs from the backside?
I'm sure they look ok when installed, but can't see inside.
 
#39 ·
Hello me,
I've decided to keep Muteki closed ends for use only with my Enkei winter wheel setup. Nice choice, bravo on your excellent job. :D




To be completely safe, Id only run the OEM or Mcgards on an OEM wheel no matter the brand.

The issue is the seating of the lug to the wheel. Moteki lugs are going to have the same taper as any tuner lug.

I did just that!
I've already got some black Mcgard splines on there right now. Work great and torqued up with no struggle nor galling with the separate seat.

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