Pros and Cons of Lightweight Racing Lug Nuts

Lightweight racing lug nuts are tailored to speed. They are made for a specific purpose, and they fulfill that purpose well. It’s popular to use racing parts as much as is legally possible in regular vehicles, but lightweight racing lug nuts are best used for the purpose their name suggests. They don’t give many advantages, but they can help racers shave a bit off their vehicle’s total weight, and that’s important when you’re aiming for a win. That weight can make all the difference between coming in first place or second place.  Still, lightweight racing lug nuts have their own set of pros and cons, and it's best to be informed before you invest in new hardware.

Pros of Lightweight Racing Lug Nuts

Lightweight racing lug nuts can cut precious pounds off of a race car, or any car looking to maximize its potential for speed. Although they sometimes require a little extra torque to fit down, most drivers have few issues getting the lighter weight lug nuts to go where they should. Although the idea of a lightweight lug nut may sound like an opportunity for cracks, breaks, and loose wheels, the truth is very different. Most lightweight racing lug nuts are made of aluminum. The materials used come from many of the same programs that produce the gear used in aircrafts. Just because they are light doesn’t mean they aren’t tough. The key advantage is definitely speed, but these lug nuts don’t lack for strength.

Cons of Lightweight Racing Lug Nuts

Unfortunately, lightweight lug nuts aren’t built to fit every vehicle. As mentioned above, they can be made to fit most racing cars. Still, that fit isn’t perfect. They may come loose, especially under rapid speeds. If you use lightweight lug nuts in a race car, you need to check them often to make sure they haven’t come loose. It’s a good idea to routinely tighten them, just in case they’ve become loose just enough to jeopardize your wheel’s stability. Just because they aren’t clearly loose and jiggling around doesn’t mean they couldn’t use a little tightening up.

Are They Right for You?

This ultimately comes down to how light you need your car to be. The best fitting lug nuts may not be lightweight, but they won’t require the same amount of adjustments lightweight options will. On the other hand, a little less weight could help you pull ahead of the competition. The purpose of your vehicle will ultimately determine whether or not lightweight lug nuts will do what you need.

Thanks to their shortcomings, it’s a good idea to test out lightweight racing lug nuts before you hit the track for a race. Check to see exactly how much weight they cut off, and compare that to how much trouble it is to tighten them up all the time. They offer a great benefit, but it comes at a price. If you don’t pay attention to the cons we discussed, you could end up losing more than a race.