Since it was a beautiful day today(after a long time), I said why not change the winter rims. I have put quite some miles on these.

I was alone this time. No help from anyone :(. 5 minutes into it, I realized the bolts has almost stuck to the lugnuts quite strongly(could be all the snow+salts etc). I was jumping on the lug nut wrench, pushing with both my hands - no luck. During the process, I even injured my lower back as I was jumping on the wrench :shakes head: (Feeling a little better now but still it hurts bending).

So, about an hour ago, I went to my local homedepot and picked this small pipe up. It's in the plumbing section. Only costs $4.99.

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...m/DSC03130.jpg

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...m/DSC03133.jpg

I tried it on few bolts, and I kid you not, I was able to unbolt with two fingers! You can't beat it for $4.99! :tup:

Looking forward to tackling this again. Btw, I'm just curious, are you using any grease(Anti-Seize Grease) against the rim surface that contacts the lug area? I know Shrute had some trouble.

A pipe is definitely needed.... no doubt.

I have one that's like 3 times longer than that one and I had to use it to break a stud...lol
The lug nut was seized!!

Yeah the stock tire iron isn't much good except for emergencies. I use a 2 foot breaker bar to loosen things up, makes it easy.

When you installed the winter wheels what did you torque the nuts to?

YES! 80 ft/lbs per bolt as per manual :tup:

I had the same experience. No problems at all, but I felt like 'Mater in Cars when he was "The first on the new road"! :icon14:

NICE RUG!! :tup:

I hate my life at the moment! :(
 

Fu*k MY LIFE! :mad:

Everything was going so smooth until I broke one of the lugs on the front wheel. So, right away I go to the dealer and they don't have the lug in stock. They have to order it and it'll be here monday. I'm so pissed off :shakes head:.

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...m/DSC03137.jpg

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...m/DSC03141.jpg

Btw, this bar help me out tremendously. I kid you not, I was actually sitting down and using one hand to loosen up the bolts! Makes the job so much easier. Pick one up if you swap rims frequently. :tup:

So, what can I get away with 4 lugs? Can I attend autox'ing? :confused:

You'll be fine...lol.... not a huge deal...

Should cost less than 10 bucks to fix... I've broken some in the past.

Damn, how did that happen?

Pick up a sacrificial open ended nut and some washers to use for pulling the new stud into place.

The studs are inserted from behind the hub... They'll just heat it up.. knock it out and put a new one in.

I'm taking my winter tires/wheels off tomorrow morning and putting the sports back on along with my new H&R spacers; I can't wait! :tup: I just hope I don't have as much trouble as you, AK!

You broke a stud after putting them on at 80 ft/lbs? Hell, 80 ft/lbs feels like nothing with a good torque wrench...hell, seized or not...

Dubya tee eff?

I wouldn't dare Auto-X at all, AK...that could be a lot of lateral force put on the wheels, and you may strip out the threads on the other studs. Just take it in and get the stud fixed ASAP. It'll be ok on regular driving for a while Im sure.

Oh yeah - one more thing...get a quality 1/2" breaker bar, extension, and 21MM socket for your lugs. Just food for thought :)

+1 on the 21mm socket. I just about tore up one of the stock nuts with a 13/16". The stock nuts seem to a little angled for some stupid reason. A 13/16" fits on the top of the nut, but won't go all of the way down.

Swapped mine out today. Waxed the wheels and the brake calipers. The car still looks like I've been driving through a barnyard, but the wheels and brakes look great! :icon17:

I'm almost afraid to wash it because I think I have the most incontinent birds on the planet nesting near the Z. How do such small creatures crap so much? :icon14:

Definitely wouldn't auto-x on it. Auto-x often puts more load on the wheels than the track does. Never seen a stud just break like that without reason, it's very odd.

Autozone or NAPA probably carries a few metric studs in a suitable length for an emergency fix. It's pretty easy to do the repair, especially on the front.

Honestly, even I didn't know how it happen. I think I blame the socket. I think I tried 13/16 but it didn't fit. Then went with 7/8 (can't recall correctly). I'll pick up a 21 mm. thanks :tup:

Anyway, the dealer did not have the lug in stock. So, maybe Tuesday or Thursday I have to get it fixed. Dealer wants at least $140 labor + lugs :icon14:

They want like $140 labor. Dam dealers :shakes head:


ok .. thanks.

Awesome. :tup:

$140?!? Jesus...thats ridiculous. I'd buy the stud from them and take it to any other shop with a machine press, personally. All it has to be done is pressed in. I used an old set of lug nuts on my old Camaro to simply pull the new stud through, but it wasnt very fun lol. $140 sounds ridiculous though...I'd call around...

And 21MM fits like a glove :)

Just gave my baby a bath and put her summer shoes back on along with spacers and the coilovers. I think she looks purrrrdy! :tup:

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/y...ment-8aspx.jpg

You don't need a press, you can do it yourself easily. See Modshack's DIY. A little tiring without an impact wrench but still quite doable.

http://www.the370z.com/diy-section-d...r-install.html

Thanks everyone for your help and useful links. Due to my busy schedule, I had the dealer do fix the lug. Surprisingly it wasn't too much at all. Labor + part (lug nut and bolt) was ONLY $118. While I was there, I asked him to reset my TMPS as well. Since it takes ONLY 5 minutes, I asked him if he would do it for $25. He agreed. :tup:

Unfortunately, the system (computer that they use to reset the TMPS) was down. So they couldn't do it that day.

Today, I go back to the dealer for the reset. I bring my car into the service area (open area in front of service desk instead of the back area where they have lifts and stuff). So, I simply stood there and saw the whole thing which was pretty cool.

Basically first they connect this small OBD ll device (connector with a wireless tail) into the OBD ll connector. Turn the car on to ACC ll mode (before ignition) Then, they turn on this small netbook type PC. I think once all four tmps are recognized in the PC, they take a small wireless device (4"x 4") close to the valve stem and hold it for 5 seconds. The hazard flashed confirming that it's reset :tup:. He did this on all 4 wheels. This whole TPMS Reset process (from start to finish) takes about 5-7 minutes.

So, when everything is all done, they guy (tech) gives me the key and say, "Here's your key. You're all set and good to go". So, I thought he meant I'm good to go and now I should pay at the counter. But in reality, he meant "I'm all done. He wouldn't take any money from me" . I think that was pretty awesome. Probably the nicest thing any dealer ever did for me. I felt really bad I couldn't tip him. He simply gave me the keys and disappeared. I couldn't find him again.

So, this shows how simple and quick this procedure (TPMS reset) really is. If your dealer charges more than $50 (some members even reported $110 :shakes head:), maybe it's time you go to another dealer :tup:

I had the same thing happen a couple of years ago on my 350. I mentioned my problem to the tech and he said no problem I'll reset them.
Of course I had to pay $92 for my first oil change at the same place. :mad:

AK, this has been my experience at the tire store I frequent as well. Whenever I have needed a TPMS reset they have just given me the key fob when done and made it clear there was no charge. I have purchased a few sets of tires from them and had a few alignments there and their willingness to do the TPMS resets free of charge have certainly made me a more loyal customer, as I am aware of how much some dealers charge for the service (especially considering it just takes a few minutes as you stated). I'm glad you had a similar experience at your dealer.

Silly question. All you guys that are driving your Z in the snow...Do you all have the Sport package and do you think the LSD helps in the snow? Also, if you have an automatic..If you are stuck starting off on ice, can you start an auto in 2nd gear, and do you have to turn the traction control off...at least to get moving?

We have serious car hockey as a winter sport in Denver....It sucketh. I know the trick about starting off in 2nd gear in a manual.

An LSD by its very nature would help in a slippery environment...thats just a silly question...

Yah...Had to think it over before I put it in writing... :nutswinger: Getting mixed info from salesmen. Was told it may cause "unexpected traction" and "jerkiness (paraphrasing)" in snow/ice...different condition than what it was designed for.

Please forgive my ignorance...Leave dealerships with more questions than answers sometimes and you folks are all I have.

In my FJ, I've only lost traction twice (offroading), but in my old Sequoia I was told that if I was stuck I would have to turn the traction control off or I wouldn't be able to get moving. Turn TC on, after movement. Valid for Z?

Still valid questions in original post. Looking for actual experience vs theory. Did searches and read everything I found...May not be doing searches correctly.

You would get jerkiness more than likely - if one tire suddenly finds grip and the other doesnt, you'll get jerkiness there. That means its doing its job :)

Okay. Thanks. I think I can see through this now. Don't mean to take thread off track.

AK, Why did you also change your rims for your winter setup? Couldn't you have just installed the winter tires over the original RAYS?

Easier to swap out wheels w/ winter tires when it snows than to take your car in and have the tires swapped...what if the snow melts and it warms up again? Drive on the winter tires and waste the tread?

Cheaper, too, than over the big ol' 19's

So you mean that he swaps his wheels+tires every time it snows? Is it that easy that he swaps every few weeks or so depending on snowfall?


Let's say I wanna buy different rims than AK's but the same tires... Do the rims have to be a certain size, what I mean is do only certain sizes fit on the 370? Or I can just fit any rim I want? Are certain sizes better for snow?

I switch my rims in October and drive on them up till March. Then, mid March, I put the summer rims again. So, 5 months on snow rims and 7 months on OEM Rays.

You want to go with narrower and smaller rims for winter setup because it'll give you more traction on snow. I think I went with 18.5. They are very lightweight and tires are dirt cheap for this size ($139 for Blizzaks I just saw @ CLOSEOUT price :eek:).

You can def buy different rims if you like. I actually like the Spearfish's rims too. They are slightly heavier than C2 but looks a little better. When you put your car in the "your vehicle" portion on Tirerack, any rims you see in the search result MUST fit your car. It's guaranteed by tirerack.

Also, don't forget to click on this tirerack banner and go to tirerack.com.. It helps the forum:

http://www.the370z.com/images/370Z%2...2-10402888.jpg

The wheels you have chosen... how come they don't show up when you search wheels by car? I've tried various combinations for 370's for the search (ex. touring w/Sport, base w/o sport, etc.) but your rims never show up...

Have you never swapped wheels before? Heh.

Its maybe a 5-10 minute process per wheel. If you have a garage, it'd be easy peasy. Outside in the snow...not so much.

I have a question. I plan on using the OEM 18's as my wheels for winter set up and getting winter tires. I would go with a 225/50/18 blizzak on the fronts which are 8.0" wide, but i just realized that they don't make the lm-25 in any wider for the rear (i'd want a 245/45/18) so i'd have to go with the LM-60. Anyone have any experience with these? i had read they were newer, but not as good as the lm-25.

one more question. I am getting new wheels, that i will use for most of the year. So for winter, my choice is either, sell the ray's (and take a loss on them b/c its impossible to get a decent price) and get the oem 18's which would allow me to get cheaper, narrower (better in winter) tires. Or just keep the rays, and get the Blizak LM-60's in a 245/40/19 and 275/35/19

Thanks

Do a trade+cash for OEM 18" wheels, you will be better off. The narrower tires will be much better in snow, although the wide tires would be nicer on the clear and cold days.

^Thanks Chris, that was the plan, just wanted to make sure that i was making the right decision.

If I install a new set of Blizzak's on the OEM 19" Rays, would I need a new set of TPMS for the tires? Can I use the ones already on the OEM tires? If I purchase a new set of TPMS, can I install them myself or do I give them to the shop where I will swap out my tires so he can install them? Are they one use only? Like do i have to buy a new set every time I swap tires?

No haha, not at all...they'll reuse the old ones...

^lol the only reason I ask is that I saw someone sell a set of TPMS and was wondering what they were for

^ for a second set of wheels. The tpms stay with the wheels, unless you take them out. When you swap tires for the same wheels you don't need new tpms