wheel [lug] nut torque ?

Talkwrench

Talkwrench

Well-known member
Just out of interest anyone torque their wheel nuts .. If so is there a torque spec? Ive never bothered over the years but lately using the torque wrench more..
 
We torque wheel nuts on our auto-cross cars, our track cars and even torque rims on brass car wooden wheels--my tire guy uses torque tubes that only work in an impact wrench up to their stated poundage on all modern cars--so why won't you torque your toy wheels. Just use the torque chart poundage for a #5 bolt the size of your studs--that should hold and not overload the stud.
 
I've never felt the need to torque lug nuts using a torque wrench, but it's probably not a bad idea to do it to the spec and check yourself to make sure you have not been over or under torquing. I have been guilty of forgetting to tighten lugs once or twice but luckily caught my mistake before I ruined a wheel or had something worse happen.
 
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I always torque mine to 60 ft lbs. When I worked in the modern car shops if the wheels were pulled the lugnuts were always retorqued with a torque wrench not the torque sticks. Over time the sticks lose accuracy, at least that's what our tool guy told us. I hated doing the BIG trucks. Some had 175 torque ratings and weighing 150 it wasn't too easy.
 
ken ct said:
Have you ever seen a tourque wrench uaed in a tire shop on any modern car??? ken ct.
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My local Costco always uses one. The tighten first with air wrench and then check each one again with a torque wrench. They also ask you to come back to recheck the torque. Other than that, no.

Charlie Stephens
 
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General rule of thumb I learned was 7/16" lugnuts 60 to 75 lbs,,,, 1/2" from 80 to 95 lbs

depends on the lug hole bevel in the wheel, so it can vary a little




.
 
Well I was playing around and I settled on 60 lbs to start, felt about right I didnt feel the need to go overboard.
 
Another reason to torque wheel nuts. You ever been out on the road and had a flat and have to stand on the tire iron five times to break to nuts aloose after they were over tighen with a air gun.
 
Talkwrench said:
Just out of interest anyone torque their wheel nuts .. If so is there a torque spec? Ive never bothered over the years but lately using the torque wrench more..
Click to expand...

IMO, just as important as checking tire pressures. :)

ken ct said:
Have you ever seen a tourque wrench uaed in a tire shop on any modern car??? ken ct.
Click to expand...


Ken, most shops use torque "sticks" vs. a wrench, but all torque the lugs that I've been in. :)
 
I tended not to use a torque wrench until recently, and I wanted to try out a new torque wrench. So my coupe's wheels are torqued to 75lbs ft.

Actually the tyre place I go to do use a torque wrench on all the wheels they do.

Mart.
 
I agree-most shops use torgue wrenchs on new cars-if you read your owners manual they are supposed to be re-torgued after 100 miles. If you don't re-torgue they can come lose.
 
All quality shops today torque aluminum wheels when they work on the vehicle.My 2012
gm requires 100 lbs.

R
 
Seems to me we should first know the diameter and TPI of the vehicle's wheel studs. Then, knowing that, suggest that the nuts be torqued per the manufacturers' standards. Here is an old Budd Company chart that provides this information. A similar chart can be found in Accuride's current on-line catalog. It's also important to know whether the nuts are to be torqued dry, as is recommended on stud piloted mountings, or with a drop of oil as is done on modern hub piloted mountings. Stu

torquechart3.jpg
 
quickchange34 said:
Another reason to torque wheel nuts. You ever been out on the road and had a flat and have to stand on the tire iron five times to break to nuts aloose after they were over tighen with a air gun.
Click to expand...


I had my wheels put on my Ranger at a shop that did a brake job. they where tight as hell, I had to jump my 200 lb body on a 1/2 braker bar to brake them free!
 
I torque mine to 80#. Has worked great for 30 years. I won't use a tire place that doesn't use a torque wrench.
Butch
 
Too many shops don't properly instruct their employees on the right way to use a torque wrench, and the employees don't much care anyway. Just watch the procedure yourself and when you get home, redo it correctly. You can't get them to do right, they "no english" when they don't want to.
 
I recently had the tires rotated on my wifes Nissan. After observing the "mechanic" tighten the wheels with the air wrench I asked the service manager how they got the correct torque on the lugs and he stated that they use torque sticks. When I got home I checked the torque with my torque wrench and they were all about 95 ft lbs. Us old timers don't trust nobody! In my case they were right and I learned something new. I still don't trust them and will continue to double check their work. It had been my understanding that rotors are more critical to proper torque as the rotor can be twisted out of round by uneven torque. As a side note, I had new tires installed on my '66 Mustang 45 years ago and a few days later had a flat tire. The factory wrench wouldn't budge the lug nuts and I went to my 1/2" drive socket set. I had to stand on the breaker bar and the socket split. Fortunately I was at home and not on the side of the road and was able to get a new socket. All 5 lug nuts had been hammered on with an air wrench and I had to stand on the breaker bar to loosen them.
 
If you want a Ford number...there wasn't one in the early Ford time period, but Ford used the same threads and lug nuts at least into the 1970's on 1/2 ton pickups and I thing full size passenger cars, so a shop manual from that period should cough up an official number.
My policy has been never tighten with your biggest wrench...save that for getting the thing back off!
 
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