Locking lug nuts have been around since the 1960s, but I remember when they started getting particularly popular in the ’80s. I was in high school, and my friend loved to show off his fancy rims.

Unless you are a mechanical engineer, you might not realize there’s a lot of nuances to something even as simple as a nut and bolt. How many threads do you need to engage? Do lock washers work?

Typically, we’ll throw a simple helical spring lock washer on a stud or bolt, torque down the nut nice and snug, and call it a day, feeling like we’ve made a secure joint. But nothing could ...