While I had my wife's 2005 XJ8L in pieces all over my driveway (to replace leaking front shocks), I decided to clean the inside of the wheels and replace those miserable OEM lug nuts.

For those that do not know, the OEM lug nuts come with this cheap, ill fitting, and poorly engineered cover for each lug nut. With the cap on, a 19mm socket will do the job (as will the lug wrench that comes with the car). However, the cap can become easily deformed and come off, getting stuck in whatever 19mm implement you have chosen to remove or install the lug nuts. Then, without the cap, an 18mm socket will be required to remove the now capless lug nut.

This may seem like a small deal but if I need to change a tire on the road and that cap comes off and can't be extracated from the socket easily then I am stuck. Frankly for a car that cost over $70K new, it is ridiculous.

Anyway, I replaced all of the lug nuts with this chrome set from L.A. Wheel and Tire. See L.A. Wheel - Chrome OEM Wheel Experts | Set of 20 Jaguar Chrome Lugs 12 x 1.5 Mag Style LN3200 . The lug nut has the correct washer and is a direct replacement for the OEM. The whole set was $125 which is way less than half of the Jag OEM lugs (which would just come with more of those stupid caps anyway).

I highly recommend these lug nuts. No I do not work there nor do I get anything for recommending them. What I do get though is the personal satisfaction of sharing a terrific solution to an annoying problem!

I have attached a picture of the wheel with the new lug nuts installed. Sweet!

 

Yep, OEM lug nuts are terrible. I got a set made for a Mitsubishi. They are the long style so they are easier to turn by hand but don't stick out past the rim. And they were only like $20 from Ebay. Way better than paying $15 for 1 OEM lug nut.

 

Not only are the lug nuts stupidly designed and easily deformable, but also the bad quality of the lug wrench itself that is provided by Jag is apalling.

After having fought to extract one nut when shifting to winter tyres (both the nut and the wrench were damaged), I decided to buy a professional 17x19x22 cross wrench and 20 spare nuts (GBP2 per nut) from British Parts that have to be considered as consumables.

This follows the purchase of a professional 2T alu jack lift (20 kg).

With these tools in the trunk, I am now ready to change a tyre on the road, if needed!

Serge

 

I hated the lug nuts that came with my 2004 Jag XJ8. Gorilla Automotive Products has lug nuts that fit great. They are for a Toyota. Gorilla's part number is 73138T. I bought mine from Autoplicity.com. Check out their prices! I also bought a Gorilla Power Wrench, part number 1334, for the lug nuts. The telescoping handle goes from 14 inches to 21 inches. It is 1/2 inch square drive and it includes a 3 inch extension and 2 thin wall deep sockets. One is 3/4 inch and the other is 13/16. The Toyota lug nuts have 13/16 hex head. There is also a storage bag with it. The shaft of these lug nuts is a little longer than the Jaguar junk lug nuts, but they fit perfectly.

 

So, a year and 4 months later, how have the 73138t lug nuts held up?

Thanks

 

No problems with them. I wrote to the company about my use and they now have lug nuts for Jaguar listed.

 

I just ordered 20 Toyota OEM chrome lugs. The factory ones are cheap.
Have not seen my 22.00 eBay Toyota OEM lugs though. May wish I had spent a little more.

 

So, how do you like them now?

 

I bought these as well, they sell them on ebay under the name "Gorilla". You can pick up a set for about $90 with free shipping if you do a best offer. I ordered mine after a getting a flat tire and struggling to remove the crap ones. You can also get yourself a folding 4 way lug wrench at Harbor Freight tools for about $10 instead of the factory one and tow it along with the tire.

 

I bought a set off ebay and tracking says they'll be out for delivery today.. I'll let y'all know if these $45 ones are OK..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Set-20-12mm-...vip=true&rt=nc

 

The ones listed above were returned for a paypal refund.. I didn't like the dimensions but I might give these Toyota ones a try.. I read above they work.. Are these the right Toyota nuts? Does anyone know ?http://www.ebay.com/itm/Toyota-Lug-N...FWQ4vR&vxp=mtr

 

Try these. Well built. I use them.. You will need a 21mm or 13/16"

 

The Amazon page states quote:This does not fit your:
2006 Jaguar S-Type



but they look right and M12x1.5 is correct so I think I'll try them ..thanks

 

I was worried too about the DPA's, but after ordering mine they fit just fine. As stated earlier you will need a new wrench for the lugs.

 

Bringing this thread back to life. Any problems with these lug nuts after using them for a while? I'll be storing my car for the winter soon and am thinking of replacing the lug nuts BEFORE I have a problem with them.

 

They are not the best chrome in the world. No flaking, but a little surface rust which cleaned right up. But seeing that they went thru a winter in Maine, it doesn't get any better. At $33.00 a set, there are no complaints at all. Put them on before you are stuck on the side of the road in the rain with a flat tire, and no way of changing it.

 

3 years and counting, not an issue one. A few months ago I had the wheels trued and powder coated. This is a shot of them installed at that time..

 

Just to chime in belatedly on this thread, the original Jaguar lug nuts are actually of fine quality, made of strong steel with a stainless steel jacket. When properly cared for, they can last the life of the vehicle. Other luxury automakers use similar lug nuts and bolts.

The reason for the applied jacket is that stainless steel is not strong enough for the main body or core of a lug nut, but its corrosion-resistance makes it an excellent material for automotive components exposed to the elements, and unlike chrome plating, it will not flake off. Jaguar could have easily supplied chrome-plated lug nuts as original equipment, but the engineers must have felt they were offering superior components.

The secret to preserving the original lugs is to never use any tool to remove or install them except a properly-sized 6-point socket. The only problem I've ever had with the lugs on our Jaguars have been due to idiots at tire stores using 12-point or incorrectly-sized sockets (maybe SAE instead of metric), or over-torquing them with an impact gun. This leads to deformation of the stainless steel jacket. Before I learned to insist on the use of a proper socket I had to reshape a few jackets with a small ball peen hammer and the anvil on my bench vise.

Another helpful tip is to use a small wire brush to clean the non-stainless steel inner ends of the lug nuts and the threads of the studs any time you need to remove a wheel. This promotes proper torquing and easier removal next time.

By the way, all the lug nuts on our 1993 Vanden Plas are original and still look great (the car now belongs to a friend).

All that to say, I don't blame anyone for swapping in shiny new chrome-plated nuts, but for those who like the originals, it is possible to maintain them indefinitely if they haven't been too badly abused.

Cheers,

Don

 

Yea Don, life is good until someone hits them with an impact gun. Mine at slow speed make a tinkling sound like an ol' K car that had it's center cap loose so I had to deal with that.

 

To Don B, after striped few nuts and bolts head, I never used 12 point socket to loosen the tight nuts and bolts any more, now I only used 6 point socket, but the guys at tire stores and auto service garages don't care,one time after I have inspection and need replace the brakes, I can't loosen the lug nuts even I used long steel pipe, the car just wiggle as I stand on the pipe, I have to brought the car back to have them loosen the nuts for me.
By the way, right now I only have an 04 X-Type, am in the looking for an 04-05 XJ VDP, for those years it's going to be high mileage, beside the air suspension, can any body give me the particular issues of the cars on those MY, are the touch screen pretty much last long? Appreciated any advise.Thanks