pick up a box full of 16 steel lugnuts and you'll understand the performance benefit.

 

For a race car I agree but for a street car I don't think you would ever notice any benefit.

 

Aren't these open ended? I don't like open ended lugs, since I had a set, and the wheel studs rusted on the open end. That said, I find aluminum too soft a metal to be using on something that needs to be torqued quite often, like wheels. But then again, 949 has a reputation to protect, and I don't see them carrying crap products.

 

Don't know whether the weight means anything to me, but I have changed wheels hundreds of times and torqued them each time with no wear except the black coating on the outside. Still spin on like new and I tend to over-torque.

 

most of these lug nuts are aluminum/magnesium alloy

 

Update-I went ahead and ordered a set of VMS aluminum lug nuts from Ebay. These things are incredibly lightweight-they weight what plastic lug nuts would weigh. I like the fact that they are a bit longer so that spinning them on or off by hand is really easy. I'd say they are worth it if you have the extra couple bucks to spend.

 

I got 949's lugs and was worried at first. Now they've been my car for a year now and I haven't had a problem. I also daily my car...

 

Some sanctioning bodies require tech inspectors to see the stud to insure enough stud is protruding through the wheel, and there is enough stud and nut thread contact.

In other words, race cars typically have open lug nuts.

 

Open-ended will cause steel studs to rust, but if you use a coated stud, it won't rust. this makes open-ended lugs more desirable as you don't have to worry about bottoming out on the stud anymore if you get extended ones.

With that said, open-ended lugs on plain steel studs will have some pretty bad results at the end of a salty winter. so make sure to clean them up good every week or so.

 

I also prefer spline drive for that extra bit of theft deterrent, no matter how small. Since hammering a socket onto a spline lug is pretty noisy. If I have a separate set of race wheels, I would probably get a set of 949 lugs just for them.