I went to rotate my tires amd found out that the hole for my lug nuts are too small to fit any of my sockets. I measured to ensure they were 19mm but the side wall on my sockets are all too thick to get in there. Short of carrying calipers into the store to measure the outside diameter or using the tiire iron I'm out of options as i would rathet torque them properly with my new torque wrench. Does anyone recomend a socket that works or know of one on amazon or something? I have the factory 17" wheels. I really don't want to be that guy who measures sockets in the store.
That's odd, I was going to guess aftermarket wheels. Are you using an impact socket? Those usually have thicker walls. I'd try a regular socket.
I have never had an issue using any standard Craftsman socket. Or an eBay purchased deep socket with a nylon wrap (to protect the wheel from scratches). Or an old cross wrench. Or a Cusco 2-piece cross wrench. I too think you must be trying to use an impact socket as they appear to me to have thicker walls. Just go buy a standard 19mm deep socket and you should be OK. Personally, I would not think you were weird if I saw you measuring a socket in a store with a caliper.
I had this issue with a set of aftermarket wheels once. I just ran the outer 1" of the socket on a belt sander for a couple minutes. Ground off enough to allow the socket to fit. Never seen it with stock wheels, but could be worth picking up a cheapy socket to do it with if you can't find one that will fit even in the store. Just keep throw in the glovebox or something so it doesn't get lost.
I frequently use impact sockets with my stock wheels on both my WRX 16s and legacy 17s.. neither have a problem.. and these are the CHEAP impact sockets from harbor freight.. so they're none too thin. Try a 3/8ths drive socket, with a 1/2 adapter. They're inherently thinner by a good margin. I've had to use them for race wheels a few times.
You can get some very nice, thin walled and plastic coated (to protect the lug wells) sockets in multiple wheel appropriate sizes at Autozone for about $10. They also seem to fit much cleaner than most impact sockets and beat up the finish of lug nuts less. http://www.autozone.com/ratchets-so...-19-mm-non-marring-lug-nut-socket/453036_0_0/ Northern Tool sells them as a set of multiple sizes for like $50 as well.
This. I bought the set at northern tool a few years ago as a "for now" deal. They've held up well enough that I use them at work more than the MAC set I later picked up.
I initially bought them because standard 17mm sockets didn't play nice with the Muteki lugs on my rally car (which I have because they're the only ones long enough to cover the crazy long ARP studs, and I was getting dinged up threads from rocks when I used standard lugs). The Mutekis would bind in normal 17mm sockets and then I'd have to bang them out. The relieved corners of these prevent that and also don't mar the finish. Now I use these sockets for all my wheels.
Thanks for all the replies. I've tied an impact socket and another cheap one I found in a bucket of sockets I have laying around. I guess ill just pick up one of the non marring ones, if its too big it should be easier to thin down then an impact one.
Just for reference, searching Northern Tool, here was the set I found. Only $30 bucks. http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200643834_200643834
I've had issues where the nuts get covered in dirt / rust / younameit and just need some polishing / cleaning for the appropriate socket to fit. Can you feel the socket fit onto the edge - like it tries to grip the lugnut - or it just spins freely the way undersized sockets do when trying to mount them? If you feel it fit on there, perhaps just rubber mallet it on there.
What car do you have? Usually any type of socket will work with the stock wheels. Aftermarket wheels often need thin walled sockets and/or spline drive lug nuts. Amazon does have the thin walled, non marring ones for pretty cheap. Either the 17, 19, 21mm pack or just the 19mm alone. Both on Prime. http://www.amazon.com/Chicago-Pneumatic-SS413WP-Metric-ProtectorImpact/dp/B001JJBN4I/ http://www.amazon.com/Wilmar-Performance-Tool-W32924-2-Inch/dp/B00H8A57LW/
Oh... here's another set that includes 2 standard sizes as well as the 3 metric sizes. http://www.amazon.com/Wilmar-Perfor...sim_469_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=04NE2CGDFEGSA3B50X8Z I like how this thread has just turned into giving more crap to add to my "Eventually pick this up..." list.
I picked up one of these this weekend since they're on sale for $8. Not even close to fitting in my aftermarket wheels. Gonna have to stick with my Craftsman non-impact ones for now.
I had one set of aftermarket wheels like that. Literally would not work with any lug nuts besides the ones they came with and the special thin-walled adapter. They were nice wheels other than that, but I had to go hunt down an M12-1.25 tap to clean the threads up on one nut when it got crossed up.
The lug nuts I have were on the car when I got it, with stock wheels. Can only assume the nuts are stock as well, with the exception of a "lock" on each wheel. I'm contemplating just getting a set of splined ones for the aftermarket wheels and saving the hassle of rubbing the socket. The wheels are cheap enough I'd almost rather save the socket from rubbing.
