Mike MeltonI Fix Broken Crews and Build Leaders That Run Without You

Dumbest Thing Vehicle Manufacturers Did #automobile #lincolntonnc #tips #training

20 Aug 2026 · 1 min

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In this instructional video, Mike Melton of Speedy Tire in Lincolnton, North Carolina, explains why the aluminum caps that some vehicle manufacturers place over lug nuts are a poor design choice. He demonstrates on a truck that the caps swell over time due to thermal expansion and repeated heating/cooling cycles, and also when mechanics use the wrong socket size. The swelling prevents proper tightening, and even trying a larger 21.5 mm socket does not resolve the issue. Melton advises that the caps be discarded and replaced with all‑steel lug nuts, emphasizing that the problem is inherent to the aluminum design rather than user error.

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This is the dumbest thing that manufacturers ever did. I'm Mike at Speedy Tire in Lincolnton, North Carolina. I'm going to show you exactly the issue with these lug nuts with this truck. So what they did, they put a little aluminum metal covering over the lug nut itself. What happens, it swells up over time when either people are using the wrong socket, or a lot of it comes from heat where metal expands and contracts, expands, contracts. That's why they swell up. And they should replace this with all steel and get rid of these dumbass caps. So it doesn't matter if you use a 21, which is supposed to be a 21, and you see it swell up, it doesn't go on there. Well, if you use a 21.5, it still doesn't go on there. For all the people who are talking about, oh, use a 21.5, doesn't work.