Removing lug nuts
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 2,003
Likes: 327
From: North Carolina
What you tried to do was unwise for several reasons, including your personal safety. That you did not perceive this on your own, even without any "learning", suggests that you do not have natural mechanical aptitude and would be better off letting others work on your car. In no way am I implying that you are not intelligent. Albert Einstein is reported to have left home in the morning without his pants.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 2,780
Likes: 934
From: Indianapolis IN
Good on you taking the initiative on trying to learn! That is how we better ourselves.
Just be cognizant of the fact that you WILL make mistakes. Learn from those as well.
Always ask questions, you have a wealth of knowledge and experience available to you here. Use it as much as possible BEFORE you make those inevitable mistakes. It may help minimize the cost and headache of those mistakes.
Just be cognizant of the fact that you WILL make mistakes. Learn from those as well.
Always ask questions, you have a wealth of knowledge and experience available to you here. Use it as much as possible BEFORE you make those inevitable mistakes. It may help minimize the cost and headache of those mistakes.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 2,003
Likes: 327
From: North Carolina
Good on you taking the initiative on trying to learn! That is how we better ourselves.
Just be cognizant of the fact that you WILL make mistakes. Learn from those as well.
Always ask questions, you have a wealth of knowledge and experience available to you here. Use it as much as possible BEFORE you make those inevitable mistakes. It may help minimize the cost and headache of those mistakes.
Just be cognizant of the fact that you WILL make mistakes. Learn from those as well.
Always ask questions, you have a wealth of knowledge and experience available to you here. Use it as much as possible BEFORE you make those inevitable mistakes. It may help minimize the cost and headache of those mistakes.
Advanced
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 70
Likes: 16
From: MA
To really understand the issue, take a look at the lug nuts. When tightening, they're tapered in a way that they center themselves into the holes on the wheel, thus centering the wheel onto the hub. This happens easily when the car is in the air and there is no weight on the wheel. As you tighten the lug nuts, the wheel gets properly centered on the hub. Once the lug nuts are tight enough, even the weight of the car won't pull the wheel off center. At that point you can lower the jack and use a torque wrench to torque to spec.
Now think about what you did. You loosened all lug nuts which made the wheel come off of center on the hub with the full weight of the car on the wheel. The only way to get the wheel back on center is to tighten the lug nuts, but the entire weight of the car is now working against you. As you tighten each lugnut, it has to slowly pull the wheel back toward center while fighting the weight of the car. This puts a LOT of stress on the wheel studs and lug nuts and could even damage the threads.
Now think about one more scenario; you keep 4 lug nuts tight and change one at a time. Even with the full weight of the car on the wheel, the wheel can't come off center because 4 lugs are keeping it secure to the hub.
Hopefully this makes things more clear.
Now think about what you did. You loosened all lug nuts which made the wheel come off of center on the hub with the full weight of the car on the wheel. The only way to get the wheel back on center is to tighten the lug nuts, but the entire weight of the car is now working against you. As you tighten each lugnut, it has to slowly pull the wheel back toward center while fighting the weight of the car. This puts a LOT of stress on the wheel studs and lug nuts and could even damage the threads.
Now think about one more scenario; you keep 4 lug nuts tight and change one at a time. Even with the full weight of the car on the wheel, the wheel can't come off center because 4 lugs are keeping it secure to the hub.
Hopefully this makes things more clear.
Last edited by flenn; Sep 10, 2019 at 02:09 PM.
