The black ones do rust from removal and what not however it is a truck and not an M3 or something to be so paranoid about. I got the long ones as a personal preference..just liked the little bit of offset look

 

Even the nice nickel plated ones will chip after a while, but that's why God invented the rattle can, lol.... As far as longer lugs, in my case I needed them just because the rims I got have deep wells.

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I found an exact (looking) match of the stock ones at Pep Boys in their hardware aisle bins. I did manage to strip a few of the original ones over the years and replaced them with the Pep Boys ones, and from what I can tell they have been holding up.

 

Part of the problem with the original nuts is that they're a really tight fit for a 13/16 socket (I think they're actually 21mm) so some people try to zap them off with the impact when the socket isn't all the way on.

As for tightening the crap out of them, I and every mechanic I know use torque extensions when installing wheels. That way, they're evenly torqued and it doesn't take any longer.

 

Torque extensions SUCK! In theory, they are wonderful, but the problem more often than not is the idiot behind the trigger. They have some very specific instructions on how they work, but when you take the biggest 1000ft/lb air ratchet in the shop and give each lug nut 20 seconds of hammering, you are going to exceed the TQ value.

My 99 Dakota is SUPER sensitive to uneven torque on the front end so I could always tell when the mechanic ignored my specific instructions to hand torque only, and used the extensions. I would get a little wobble out of the brakes. Sure enough when I got home, I would bust out my torque wrench and find about half of the lug nuts were wrong, normally too tight. I have even found lug nuts that were so tight the visibly stretched the lug and had to have been within a **** hair of snapping it. The worst time was when I found 3 lugs on the same wheel that I could not get off by hand, that exceeded the 250lb max range of my TQ wrench.

Now, I stand outside the door and watch the guy when he puts my tires back on, and I holler at him when he grabs the air impact. "No, jackass, using the air ratchet to assemble them and going back and checking with a breaker bar is NOT the same as hand torqueing each one..."

 

This is true lol .

 

Well, idiots can screw anything up. But I've been using torque sticks since they were invented and they've always worked well for me. YMMV.

 

Here's my take on things.
I would suggest getting Spline Tune Lug Nuts, and yes get the 2". I say spline tune because it is some what a deterrent to a idiotic thief, but if they know what there doing doesn't matter what type of lug nuts you have, they'll get your wheels. 2" lug nuts will look nice, but they help with taking the wheel off in a whole. They provide the mechanic ease while taking off your wheels due to the longer travel of lug nut, it acts as a guide so they don't scratch your wheels. Most keys for spine tuner aren't that wider than the bottom beveled side of the nut. So very slim chance you will scratch the hell out of your wheels.
Any time I have someone torque my wheels, I ask them whats the torque spec. I watch for the following, 1- They don't snap the torque wrench(causes over torque) 2- They don't double snap(causes over torque), which means they click it twice to continue second round of torque. 3-That they start with a star pattern and than do a full circle. This will insure every one is torqued equal.
I also go to Discount Tires to torque my wheels, I don't own a torque wrench yet. They get their torque wrenches calibrated frequently and will re-torque your wheels for free. Any time I take off my wheels or just even 1 wheel, I'll go there and have them torque them all for me. I worked there for 2 years in high school. If you feel they over torqued the lug nuts, you can simply ask them to remove the nuts and re-torque it. It is your safety and your family's safety!

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Ya I've noticed that one I have now

 

I just hope you don't misunderstand me...I know there are tons of good mechanics out there that treat every vehicle that they work on as if it's their own and don't short cut jobs. That being said, you're exactly right! Take the extra couple seconds to make sure that the lug is started BY HAND before you throw the impact on it. All lug nuts, for the most part, should always thread effortlessly thread all the way down until they make contact with the rim. So, if your air impact is hammering at all before that lug is even 1/4 way down then you usually got 1 of 2 issues...either the rim isn't flush and the lug well is pinching the socket or you are cross threading...regardless you should stop impacting and readjust...and not just keep hammering it all the way down. I just hope that my studs aren't too far gone to be re-threaded, just cuz I really don't feel like installing new ones...it can be a real PITA.