I'm at a loss here and am worried on getting stranded on a flat.

I've stripped the inside of *two* 7 sided Kyokugen keys and am wondering how in the hell i can get these damn lugs off. And yes, i initially torqued them to spec. At this point i've managed to get a few lugs off but finally stripped the keys. I'm actually running with 3 different types of lugs as we speak (kyokugen spline drives on one wheel, the stuborn kyokugen 7sided and McGard Locking)

I'm trying to get these pieces of **** off so i can replace them with Ray's Dura Lugs in blue to complement my gold gramlights with blue valve stems, blue gramlight decal's and WRB car. I've heard good things about them so hopefully these won't strip when torqued properly. They better not at $130 for a set!

Any advice on how in the hell i can get these lugs off? The 7 sided keys are almost impossible to find without having to buy a whole new set of lugs. I even tried 4 different tire shops and they didn't have any 7 sided keys. They also said there's a good chance of damaging the paint on my wheels OR rotors if they torque them off which I already knew.

Do any of you guys have any helpful steps to take these bastards off? Does the "Bolt off" kit at Sears work? Anyone have any tools i can borrow to get the job done?

On a side note, i recommend newbies NOT purchase these lugs as they seem to be a problem for a lot of people (search). The walls of the keys are too thin so they either flex too much and strip or they actually snap (unless you cyro them which defeats the entire purpose of better lugs). Same thing for those gorilla pieces of crap too. The lugs themselves are pathetic... i swear they're made from some type of lead alloy They seem to be good for 1-3 tire rotations and then they're done. Just not worth it to buy them because problems are bound to happen.

I need help fellas...

-Eric

 

Salty, how are the McGard locking lugs? I have them on my car and they seem cool.

I would contact that company and try to work it from that angle. They should be responsible.

 

not taking sides...just playing devil's advocate...

why would they be responsible if it's user error? in this case, what if it is the owner's fault? it's not financially feasible for a company to warranty every set of stripped lugs.

have you consulted the local wheel shops?

db

 

I dont know if this would work.. but Craftsman makes a tools for stripped bolts. I do not know if they would grab on a 7 sided lug, or if they are large enough for a lug in the first place.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00952161000

 

Mcgards are a solid lug and i haven't had any problems with those. People seem to have good luck with the Mcgard Spline drives too. This may be a more cost effective way instead of the Ray's. I just wanted to treat myself to the Ray's though and splurge

I'm not sure if Kyokugen would really be able to help at this point. Maybe they'd give me an extra key which could strip etc. The bottom line is i'm through dealing with them as a result of their ****ty product. I'm sure i'd get some japanese guy too my fiancee would have to talk too. By the time they sent me a key on the boat from Japan I may have already been stranded in BFE.

 

Yeah that's what i'm talking about. I'm just wondering which size socket i'd need and if anyone knows it'll work for my application.

 

doughboy...he said he torqued them to spec. That tells me he wasn't using some impact drill or anything like that so it doesn't seem user error to me. If they are cross threaded then maybe...but it's kinda harsh to assume so. Those lugs aren't the best lugs in the world.

Can you explain how they are stripped in more detail? were they cross threaded and are just stuck on there? Is the outside stripped?

I mean if the outside is jacked up I'd take a socket and hammer it on there and get those things off and trash them. If the inside is cross threaded or just stripped and stuck (usually means cross threaded) you could take them to a machine shop and have them cut off.

 

The actual lugs appear to be fine at this point. I've stripped the POS keys that are impossible to come by without buying a new set.

 

Go to your local tire shop and see if they can help. When I worked at America's Tire co. we used to use a bit that we hammered on the locking lugs to get them off when a cust. forget the key. I'm not sire if they will work on sline lugs, but it's worth a try.

-Chris

 

They are usually pretty good about returns if it doesn't work. I think it said it would fit up to roughly 19mm. If you know someone that knows how to weld.. maybe they can tack another bolt/lug to the existing stripped one so you can have something to grab onto. I am not sure what lugs are made of, and if it is possible to tack weld some thing to it. The only other thought I had was using a dremel to grind some flat spots on the lug so your can get on it with a wrench. You may want to soak the ***** in break free or wd40 to aid in removal.

 

I may buy a set of those from Sears when i get a chance.

I'll give it one last go once i get my lugs with some break free or WD-40.

 

Hey man... read this thread. Some good ideas for your specific problem.

https://www.i-club.com/forums/hawaii-43/help-kyokugen-sucks-21306/

 

i tried the hammer approach on my old VW and it worked wonders. granted, the lugs were shot once i took em off but they at least came off!!

 

Thanks for that link.

 

How exalty did you do that? just hammer a tight fitting socket on and yank them off? I'm assuming you ruin the socket after every attempt, right?