Fitting Wheel Nuts/Lugs

[Stuleslie]

Have you found it tedious when fitting the wheel nuts that you have to lift the wheel with one hand and try to turn the nut with the other while centralising the stud in the hole?
I took an old wheel nut/lug and filed down the hex sides to the same diameter of the lower shaft see pic 1. The middle one is my crude filing effort and the one on the right I got a friend to turn-down another nut on his lathe. I then cut a slot in the end to aid removal.
Pic 2. shows the modified nut threaded onto a hub stud. Pic 3. shows the wheel 'loaded' onto the mod. nut then Pic 4. shows the wheel turned 180 degrees and as the mod. nut takes the weight of the wheel it allows you to centre the top stud in the centre of the opening. Pic 5. shows the wheel nut threaded easily onto the stud.
Once three nuts are on you usually can remove the mod. nut by hand but if not a screwdriver can help remove it.
Hope you find this interesting and perhaps useful.
Stuart

[jbcollier]

Much the same can be accomplished using two standard, tapered seat, lug nuts. They also perfectly Centre the wheel as well.

[BDA]

This reminds me of fitting wheels on German cars that use bolts. You use a long threaded "rod" to hold the wheel while you screw in the first few bolts.

That's a clever solution to your problem but I think JB's suggestion would be better at making sure the wheel is centered - something that is not guaranteed on older Lotus Brand wheels since the holes can get wallowed out a bit over time though I wonder if the clamping of the washer against the wheel will hold the wheel tight enough not to move relative to the studs. After all, the washer was clamping the wheel when the hole got wallowed out in the first place.

[dakazman]

Learn something new every day. Something that seems simple, has a secret agenda...
 I would have never thought of checking that.
Dakazman