Howdy Y'all!
I have received a lot on knowledge on this forum from only being here about a month or two, so I hope I can pass a little on as well. I know there are already a few threads on this, but I think it's important so I'm posting it again (especially for some Jeepers who may be newer or people like myself who simply just never thought about it).
Earlier today I tried to take off my spare tire (35" Nitto Trail Grappler on 17" XD Addict wheels) just to save some time before I installed my tire carrier this weekend. I pulled out my stock Jeep lug nut wrench, along with the provided lug nut key for my particular wheel, and started trying to take off the lug nuts. I tried hard and desperately for about 20 minutes, including slamming the tool with a hammer - they absolutely would not budge. Feeling defeated, I went down the street and asked a local auto shop if they could help me out and just loosen the lug nuts. Took them about 2 seconds to loosen them, and that short experience alone gave me a very important education on the subject.
The moral of the story is this: a long while ago I upgraded my tires and wheels because I wanted my Jeep to look cool and be even more trail capable, and through hours of driving/wheeling/etc, I have been fortunate enough to never have a flat tire issue. BUT, how many Jeepers upgrade their rig without ever thinking about the one day they might be driving on a country road on a rainy evening, accidentally hit some big piece of steel on the side of the road, need to change their spare, and only then realize they don't have the means to do so? Not a great situation to be in. I'm sure many Jeepers (probably more educated than I am) are aware of this, but for those of you who are a little newer or simply haven't thought about it, take a moment to go check out your Jeep a little bit and make sure you're prepared in the event an issue does arise (as well as making sure you have the key/adapter if your wheel has locking lugnuts). As I said, I was fortunate I discovered this playing around in the driveway, but finding this out while driving somewhere all by myself could easily turn into a less than ideal scenario.
I have done a little digging and I have seen a general consensus on the Gorilla automotive tools. Specifically for this topic, I have heard the Gorilla Lug Wrenches work well: Gorilla Automotive Products - Lug Nuts, Wheel Locks, Auto Security, Wheel Accessories . I can't speak from experience, but I will likely be buying these soon or something very similar.
Anyways, I hope this helps at least one person. I had never even thought about this and just realized today how much of a hassle it could be to not be prepared. So do yourself a favor: locate your key/adapter, get a bigger wrench than the stock one, and take your spare off and put it back on just to prove to yourself you know it works. And then throw the top off and take a quick spin just to remind yourself why your Jeep rules.
Happy Jeeping and see you on the trails!
unk:
I have received a lot on knowledge on this forum from only being here about a month or two, so I hope I can pass a little on as well. I know there are already a few threads on this, but I think it's important so I'm posting it again (especially for some Jeepers who may be newer or people like myself who simply just never thought about it).
Earlier today I tried to take off my spare tire (35" Nitto Trail Grappler on 17" XD Addict wheels) just to save some time before I installed my tire carrier this weekend. I pulled out my stock Jeep lug nut wrench, along with the provided lug nut key for my particular wheel, and started trying to take off the lug nuts. I tried hard and desperately for about 20 minutes, including slamming the tool with a hammer - they absolutely would not budge. Feeling defeated, I went down the street and asked a local auto shop if they could help me out and just loosen the lug nuts. Took them about 2 seconds to loosen them, and that short experience alone gave me a very important education on the subject.
The moral of the story is this: a long while ago I upgraded my tires and wheels because I wanted my Jeep to look cool and be even more trail capable, and through hours of driving/wheeling/etc, I have been fortunate enough to never have a flat tire issue. BUT, how many Jeepers upgrade their rig without ever thinking about the one day they might be driving on a country road on a rainy evening, accidentally hit some big piece of steel on the side of the road, need to change their spare, and only then realize they don't have the means to do so? Not a great situation to be in. I'm sure many Jeepers (probably more educated than I am) are aware of this, but for those of you who are a little newer or simply haven't thought about it, take a moment to go check out your Jeep a little bit and make sure you're prepared in the event an issue does arise (as well as making sure you have the key/adapter if your wheel has locking lugnuts). As I said, I was fortunate I discovered this playing around in the driveway, but finding this out while driving somewhere all by myself could easily turn into a less than ideal scenario.
I have done a little digging and I have seen a general consensus on the Gorilla automotive tools. Specifically for this topic, I have heard the Gorilla Lug Wrenches work well: Gorilla Automotive Products - Lug Nuts, Wheel Locks, Auto Security, Wheel Accessories . I can't speak from experience, but I will likely be buying these soon or something very similar.
Anyways, I hope this helps at least one person. I had never even thought about this and just realized today how much of a hassle it could be to not be prepared. So do yourself a favor: locate your key/adapter, get a bigger wrench than the stock one, and take your spare off and put it back on just to prove to yourself you know it works. And then throw the top off and take a quick spin just to remind yourself why your Jeep rules.
Happy Jeeping and see you on the trails!