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Time for some full disclosure here. My name is Terrance and I am the Director of eh Ford Division at Signature Wheel. Wanted to provide you all with some information on a titanium lug nut option I developed that will benefit us all, similar to what we have done with the GT350/GT350R. But first, here is a little background.
I recently purchased an F150 Raptor and have felt very welcomed into your community. The truck was purchased to fit life/work needs, and as an R&D platform for our forged wheel company at Signature Wheel. We will be launching some of our 6-lug fully forged aluminum wheel line soon, but that is a story for another time. I also own a GT350R which comes with extended front wheel studs to accommodate the OEM carbon fiber wheel. That carbon fiber wheel had a thick front pad for structural/heat reasons. The thicker front pad was not needed when moving to a fully forged aluminum wheel. What many found when switching to an aftermarket wheel was that the extended front stud was left exposed, and created issues both in aesthetics and lug nut options. For that reason I developed a custom titanium lug nut with specific lengths that would sit flush with the stud front and rear.
The F150 Raptor and the GT350/R all share the same dimensions on the wheel stud. Ford upgraded the OEM wheel stud to M14 starting with the new S550 Mustang in 2015, and apparently found it appropriate to equip the Raptor with the same hardware. This turns out to be extremely beneficial in terms of making our titanium lug nuts compatible with the F150 Raptor.
In most cases those switching to aftermarket wheels on the Raptor have to switch to a tuner style lug nut due to manufacturers building smaller than OEM lug nut recesses. Variances in wheel center designs may also require you to run aftermarket lug nuts that are not as strong or durable as OEM. Not to mention those who have had the OEM lug nuts swell or distort after hard use.
The titanium lug nuts are designed to be open ended in order to work with various wheel stud types and the differences on the wheel pad that come from various wheel offsets. Meaning one set of these will last you the life of your wheel changes. Here are some of the benefits:
These lug nuts have been tested the last few years on street and road racing track conditions. Designed with the help of several automotive industry engineers and built to SAE standards. The only modification needed to run a titanium lug nut with a steel stud is the use of anti-seize and a slight reduction of the OEM torque values. This is done to prevent galling that can occur with using dissimilar metals.
Cost on these is $515 shipped per set of 24 lug nuts. The cost is the same whether you run the long or short version. I generally do two production runs per year in the spring and the fall. These runs have a 60-day lead time from production to delivery to you all. I need a minimum of 30 sets total to make it happen. At this time I am only seeking to gauge interest in this solution for the Raptor community, and should there be enough interest I can go about creating a vendor account here before we move forward with a group buy.
If you guys in general don’t have an issue with the lug nuts on your OEM or aftermarket wheels let me know as well.
I recently purchased an F150 Raptor and have felt very welcomed into your community. The truck was purchased to fit life/work needs, and as an R&D platform for our forged wheel company at Signature Wheel. We will be launching some of our 6-lug fully forged aluminum wheel line soon, but that is a story for another time. I also own a GT350R which comes with extended front wheel studs to accommodate the OEM carbon fiber wheel. That carbon fiber wheel had a thick front pad for structural/heat reasons. The thicker front pad was not needed when moving to a fully forged aluminum wheel. What many found when switching to an aftermarket wheel was that the extended front stud was left exposed, and created issues both in aesthetics and lug nut options. For that reason I developed a custom titanium lug nut with specific lengths that would sit flush with the stud front and rear.
The F150 Raptor and the GT350/R all share the same dimensions on the wheel stud. Ford upgraded the OEM wheel stud to M14 starting with the new S550 Mustang in 2015, and apparently found it appropriate to equip the Raptor with the same hardware. This turns out to be extremely beneficial in terms of making our titanium lug nuts compatible with the F150 Raptor.
In most cases those switching to aftermarket wheels on the Raptor have to switch to a tuner style lug nut due to manufacturers building smaller than OEM lug nut recesses. Variances in wheel center designs may also require you to run aftermarket lug nuts that are not as strong or durable as OEM. Not to mention those who have had the OEM lug nuts swell or distort after hard use.
The titanium lug nuts are designed to be open ended in order to work with various wheel stud types and the differences on the wheel pad that come from various wheel offsets. Meaning one set of these will last you the life of your wheel changes. Here are some of the benefits:
- Increased strength & hardness
- Inherent corrosion resistance,
- Resistance to heat expansion/swelling,
- Smaller circumference to provide clearance to your lug nut recess
- Higher engagement point for easier access to the lug nut
- Standard 19mm hex socket
- Reduced weight
- OEM 60 degree conical fitment
These lug nuts have been tested the last few years on street and road racing track conditions. Designed with the help of several automotive industry engineers and built to SAE standards. The only modification needed to run a titanium lug nut with a steel stud is the use of anti-seize and a slight reduction of the OEM torque values. This is done to prevent galling that can occur with using dissimilar metals.
Cost on these is $515 shipped per set of 24 lug nuts. The cost is the same whether you run the long or short version. I generally do two production runs per year in the spring and the fall. These runs have a 60-day lead time from production to delivery to you all. I need a minimum of 30 sets total to make it happen. At this time I am only seeking to gauge interest in this solution for the Raptor community, and should there be enough interest I can go about creating a vendor account here before we move forward with a group buy.
If you guys in general don’t have an issue with the lug nuts on your OEM or aftermarket wheels let me know as well.
