Torquing lug nuts?
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 1,431
Likes: 233
From: Chicago Illinois
Yep, 100 ft lbs is what they should be. When I and installed new rotors, I gorilla armed the lugs nuts and later went back and applied an air driven lug wrench, just to be sure I did it extra wrongly. Drove the car for a few weeks like that when I ran into a thread on this forum on the topic.
After going back the properly torqueing the lugs I noticed more feel in what the front tires were doing. Is that supposed to happen?
After going back the properly torqueing the lugs I noticed more feel in what the front tires were doing. Is that supposed to happen?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 2,310
Likes: 1,583
From: East Metro (Twin Cities) Minnesota
St. Jude Donor '21
Back in the late 80's I worked at a shop that had a wheel fall off a car on a test drive. I also had customers cars that someone torqued the lug nuts so hard we had to use a breaker bar and a pipe to get off (not due to rust either). At that time I decided I needed to make sure I was close. I never torqued with an impact as I felt I had NO control with one other than super tight with good air pressure. I knew I would not take the time to torque lug nuts down for the rest of my life with a torque wrench so I practiced for a month or so with specific length breaker bar and then checking with a torque wrench until I was always very close every time. Since then I have never had a problem and none of mine have been too loose or too tight when taking the wheel off one of my personal vehicles 6 months or a year later for service. Good enough for NASA - nope. Good enough for me - definately yes.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,841
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
Back in the late 80's I worked at a shop that had a wheel fall off a car on a test drive. I also had customers cars that someone torqued the lug nuts so hard we had to use a breaker bar and a pipe to get off (not due to rust either). At that time I decided I needed to make sure I was close. I never torqued with an impact as I felt I had NO control with one other than super tight with good air pressure. I knew I would not take the time to torque lug nuts down for the rest of my life with a torque wrench so I practiced for a month or so with specific length breaker bar and then checking with a torque wrench until I was always very close every time. Since then I have never had a problem and none of mine have been too loose or too tight when taking the wheel off one of my personal vehicles 6 months or a year later for service. Good enough for NASA - nope. Good enough for me - definately yes.
There is no justifiable reason not to torque.
That excuse goes right along with "the dog ate my homework "
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,841
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
Back in the late 80's I worked at a shop that had a wheel fall off a car on a test drive. I also had customers cars that someone torqued the lug nuts so hard we had to use a breaker bar and a pipe to get off (not due to rust either). At that time I decided I needed to make sure I was close. I never torqued with an impact as I felt I had NO control with one other than super tight with good air pressure. I knew I would not take the time to torque lug nuts down for the rest of my life with a torque wrench so I practiced for a month or so with specific length breaker bar and then checking with a torque wrench until I was always very close every time. Since then I have never had a problem and none of mine have been too loose or too tight when taking the wheel off one of my personal vehicles 6 months or a year later for service. Good enough for NASA - nope. Good enough for me - definately yes.
There is no justifiable reason not to torque.
That excuse goes right along with "the dog ate my homework
Why is it that there is never enough time to do it right, but there is always enough time to do it over.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 2,310
Likes: 1,583
From: East Metro (Twin Cities) Minnesota
St. Jude Donor '21
" didn't have the time "..?????? 20 nuts ...= 2 minutes to insure repeatability, and safety for the customer. . Also how could any shop not allow that extra two minutes. SOUNDS like thin soup to me.
There is no justifiable reason not to torque.
That excuse goes right along with "the dog ate my homework
Why is it that there is never enough time to do it right, but there is always enough time to do it over.
There is no justifiable reason not to torque.
That excuse goes right along with "the dog ate my homework
Why is it that there is never enough time to do it right, but there is always enough time to do it over.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,841
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
I was blessed with gifted hands, a good education, and the ability to be analytical. However, I'm not so self absorbed that I would not choose to rely on experts when necessary. Problem is that its tough to find a qualified expert.
There are a lot of self proclaimed experts out there but in reality, There are a lot of Hacks out there. I'm not willing to subject my safety and that of my family to a hack. People who brag that they are so good, they don't need to follow procedures, or use those tools and test equipment to insure a quality job. Or that they don't have the time to do it right.
Last edited by Evil-Twin; Feb 9, 2017 at 11:16 AM.
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Pro
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 582
Likes: 170
From: Indiana
Back in the late 80's I worked at a shop that had a wheel fall off a car on a test drive. I also had customers cars that someone torqued the lug nuts so hard we had to use a breaker bar and a pipe to get off (not due to rust either). At that time I decided I needed to make sure I was close. I never torqued with an impact as I felt I had NO control with one other than super tight with good air pressure. I knew I would not take the time to torque lug nuts down for the rest of my life with a torque wrench so I practiced for a month or so with specific length breaker bar and then checking with a torque wrench until I was always very close every time. Since then I have never had a problem and none of mine have been too loose or too tight when taking the wheel off one of my personal vehicles 6 months or a year later for service. Good enough for NASA - nope. Good enough for me - definately yes.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,841
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
Since every bolt or nut has different characteristics of engagement. it is impossible to " feel " that variance without a point of reference. There is a reason why there is a torque spec.. that why they sell torque wrenches, and that why procedures are in place to do it right.. Since these self proclaimed expert never use a torque wrench and since lug nuts are not the only thing they tighten.. how do they dial down or up their feel..? They Don't... they just wing it.. and since Ive already done the testing in the field, I find that most techs who own a torque wrench but never use one, over torque not under torque.. and as much as by 30 %.. and they have stretched the threads beyond their designed stretch. the next time that nut or bolt is tightened using the same logic and over torque, that nut is now at the point of fracture.. all because the tech was a self proclaimed expert, a know it all, lazy, did not have the time, a hack, or all of the above.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,841
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
There are also some really great people on this forum who dot their " i " 's and cross their " T " 's. People who know the value and pride of doing a job right.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,728
Likes: 142
From: Iowa
I always torque to spec. Always.
All these guys who just torque it to anything or use a gun to just zip it on explain why I got home one day after taking my BRZ for a simple tire change and couldn't get the lug nuts off as easy as usual. They had torqued the damn things to over 130ft-lbs with their impact gun without a care in the world.
The torque spec is only 89ft-lbs.
I never take my cars anywhere any more. I can't recall one single time I've ever been to a shop and came home without a problem, however minor it may have been. Having the shop change the tires was the last thing I had them doing besides alignment. Now, I just haul over the wheels and tires and ask them to mount and balance and I go back home and put the wheels on myself...
All these guys who just torque it to anything or use a gun to just zip it on explain why I got home one day after taking my BRZ for a simple tire change and couldn't get the lug nuts off as easy as usual. They had torqued the damn things to over 130ft-lbs with their impact gun without a care in the world.
The torque spec is only 89ft-lbs.
I never take my cars anywhere any more. I can't recall one single time I've ever been to a shop and came home without a problem, however minor it may have been. Having the shop change the tires was the last thing I had them doing besides alignment. Now, I just haul over the wheels and tires and ask them to mount and balance and I go back home and put the wheels on myself...
Last edited by Quickshift_C5; Feb 9, 2017 at 03:02 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,502
Likes: 61
From: Toronto
Although this video addresses anti-seize on lug nuts, it shows you how you have a certain torque range to work within for a given fastener. Also lists some possible consequences if you over torque or under torque.
Last edited by doublec4; Feb 9, 2017 at 03:07 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 82,175
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From: McKinney TX
St. Jude Donor '21-'22-'23-'24
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For the most part, the CF community remains a friendly place where ideas, thoughts, and assistance can be found. Unfortunately, there are times when members forget that this is an Internet forum and issues between members can get out of hand. This includes members turning to the forum to air a personal offline/on-line problem which results in sides being drawn by participating members.
In these situations, it is the forum's role to expeditiously end any conflict for the good of the forum and its membership. The forum's goal is not only to remain family, work, and corporate server safe, it also will not serve as a battleground where offline/on-line personal matters and drama are permitted to be played out in front of other members.
Any thread(s) that contain open bickering, name calling, subtle derogatory messages, "digs," personal attacks, or anything negative in nature will be closed/edited or deleted, and any participating members who post in violation of this rule, will jeopardize their posting privileges.
If any member is being harassed on-line in a thread or privately via PM, they should avoid a confrontation with the offending member and immediately report the problem to a section Moderator via PM, or by clicking on the "report post," icon under their user name.
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