Torque setting OCD. Do you suffer from it?

[wheelhaus]

Being a high end bicycle mechanic for many years one learns to hand torque many things by feel. The fastener develops friction and tension, and the threads stretch a small amount when proper torque is applied. If you're bolting down something solid, it will feel different than something with a gasket, etc. For many things I will use hand torque, feel when the fastener resistance spikes, and then snug it a bit more and you can sort of feel the threads stretching a tiny bit. For critical assemblies, such as engine block components or suspension attach points, I'll use a torque wrench. Whatever method I use, I'm happy to say I haven't found loose or stripped threads in at least 15+ years.

[gramicci101]

Originally Posted by Captain Snooze

Screwed?

It's not the size of the driver, it's how you torque it.

And as so many vehicle maintenance shops around the Air Force say, "we screw, we nut, we bolt!"

Originally Posted by wheelhaus

Being a high end bicycle mechanic for many years one learns to hand torque many things by feel. The fastener develops friction and tension, and the threads stretch a small amount when proper torque is applied. If you're bolting down something solid, it will feel different than something with a gasket, etc. For many things I will use hand torque, feel when the fastener resistance spikes, and then snug it a bit more and you can sort of feel the threads stretching a tiny bit. For critical assemblies, such as engine block components or suspension attach points, I'll use a torque wrench. Whatever method I use, I'm happy to say I haven't found loose or stripped threads in at least 15+ years.

Yes, but a calibrated elbow takes a long time to fine tune, and you're still hand tightening them, not using a screw gun or impact wrench.

[speargunsandracecars]

Buy yourself a good American made torque wrench. I have a Wright Tool 4477. 1/2 inch drive and has a range of 20 - 150 ft/lbs. All metal construction, and can be recalibrated by sending it in. Best tool I have purchased thus far. It's a little pricey, and I got mine at retail price. Here's a link to one that's nearly half the retail price.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Wright-Tool-4477-Torque-Wrench/dp/B00279JLOI"]http://www.amazon.com/Wright-Tool-4477-TorqueWrench/dp/B00279JLOI[/ame]

I apply anti-seize compound to the studs and torque my lug nuts at 100 ft/lbs. Impact guns are nice and all, but I prefer to do things the old fashioned way.

[solidONE]

Originally Posted by diss7

Here's how I tightened mine.

The gun made this noise....

DerruerrrNAKNAKNAK.

I think 3 naks was the correct setting.

I realise this forum is as anal about "correct torque settings" as it is about removing the driving aids, but do you REALLY think that in the real world, in a real workshop, mechanic a is yelling out to mechanic b "hey is this bolt here 90 or 100 ftlbs? They're not.

I have replaced every suspension component, mount, drivetrain and subframe bolt, which the exception of the front subframe. (Have not had a reason to) I also track/best on my car more than most. Do I have issues? No. Did my car explode because I didn't use a torque wrench? No.

On the entire car I've used a torque wrench twice. On the crank pulley, and the flywheel. Because they're bolted to the crank. Everywhere else is just OCD bullshit.

Ever seen a pit crew / race team use a torque wrench on wheels/suspension arms?

I see people asking for torque settings for accessory mounting points, like a catch can. It blows my mind.

Now tell me how much of a butcher I am, and how wrong I am. And how much safer you are for having every bolt torqued just so, with what is probably a cheap torque wrench that doesn't read right anyway.

Edit, I also used a torque wrench when changing my final drive.

Here's a quick tip. If the bolt is just mounting something to a fixed mount, it almost certainly doesn't matter. Just use your common sense (if you have any) and apply an amount of force equivalent to the bolt use. Eg don't going using the snap on gun or the 100cm power bar on a 12mm bolt. Equally, don't just soft wrist tighten that big 19mm bolt.

But if it's some attaching to something, that both move very fast, and a slight over/under compression of something could seriously affect it, eg driveline/motor internals, crank attachments, then yes use a torque wrench.

"Brakakakakaka" is about 90 ftlb on the second to max adjustment with the Mac tools 1/2" gun. "Brakaka" then a "braka" immediately after is 82 ft lbs.

[Calum]

Originally Posted by speargunsandracecars

Buy yourself a good American made torque wrench. I have a Wright Tool 4477. 1/2 inch drive and has a range of 20 - 150 ft/lbs. All metal construction, and can be recalibrated by sending it in. Best tool I have purchased thus far. It's a little pricey, and I got mine at retail price. Here's a link to one that's nearly half the retail price.

http://www.amazon.com/Wright-Tool-4477-TorqueWrench/dp/B00279JLOI

I apply anti-seize compound to the studs and torque my lug nuts at 100 ft/lbs. Impact guns are nice and all, but I prefer to do things the old fashioned way.

My first thought, anyone that uses the country a product is made as an indication of quality can't be very bright. And sure enough you're using a torque wrench and you're still over torquing because you're not using a lubricated torque value. BTW, op isn't an american.

As for the calibrated elbow discussed above I've actually tested mine. I've also tested my impact at different settings and air pressure. I can typically get to within 5% of a specified torque value, with steel on steel construction. And my gun at its lowest setting ranges from roughly 90-100 lbft.

[Juvenile]

I totally understand Brakakak and naknak but I'm not sure what the settings for Trrrrr are...

and yes i'm OCD but definitely not about the car

[Guillaume]

Originally Posted by gramicci101

I'm pretty sure professional racing teams have air tools that are calibrated to release at a certain torque. How embarassing would it be if your team's car ate the wall because you overtorqued the lugnuts and the studs snapped?

You tell me: http://jalopnik.com/5921170/watch-a-...he-nurburgring

[speedrye]

Having driven very sensitive cars in the past, I'll always torque my wheels. On my 91 MR2 and current FJ Cruiser, if the individual torques vary by more than about 2 ft/lbs, you get a shimmy in the drive. No idea why and most cars don't do it, but better safe than sorry. Also, having replaced wheel studs before, it's not worth not torquing properly. I see people above tightening anti-seize lubed studs down to 100 ft/lbs and know how badly they've stretched their studs and feel bad for whoever owns that car down the road.

For most things, I could care less. I'm sure as hell not torquing the 10mm nuts down that hold the stock amplifier in place. Like someone said before, I'll also do any rotating mass, anything with gaskets but also anything with bushings or bearings.

[sshole]

Affects safety or operability? Torque wrench.

Everything else? Those feels.

I think a lot of people get hung up on torque values here because so many are current or ex-military, where they're not allowed to make any decisions unless it's written down on paper and approved by someone else.

[7thgear]

torque matters, period


the only difference is that some components are torque sensitive, with a narrow range of proper pressure, for which you use a torque wrench and those that have a much wider range.. for which "hand feel" is enough to land you the general area of correctness.

Furthermore, someone that could bend an iron rod with their hands will probably have different sensitivities to torque than someone who has trouble changing their tires.

[solidONE]

Originally Posted by Juvenile

I totally understand Brakakak and naknak but I'm not sure what the settings for Trrrrr are...

and yes i'm OCD but definitely not about the car

'Trrrrr...' Is not a setting. It's either you don't have air pressure or when you have the trigger only slightly depressed. Otherwise it should be 'troooooounng troooooung' or 'hweeeeer hweeer' (yes all pneumatic tools are fluent in Vietnamese)

[Sellout]

Originally Posted by gramicci101

I'm pretty sure professional racing teams have air tools that are calibrated to release at a certain torque. How embarassing would it be if your team's car ate the wall because you overtorqued the lugnuts and the studs snapped?

Hmm, maybe that's why professional race teams never ever have wheels come off or cars crashing because stuff broke under stress during hard cornering. Oh wait...

[gramicci101]

Originally Posted by Sellout

Hmm, maybe that's why professional race teams never ever have wheels come off or cars crashing because stuff broke under stress during hard cornering. Oh wait...

Wow, you're right. Mistakes made in the heat of the moment or material failure under extreme stress must mean that they don't bother torquing their wheel nuts at all.

Oh wait, no. That's wrong. Do you really think that the Ferrari F1 team will completely overlook something so basic as torquing a wheel nut properly? Or do you think that they would have designed a tool that applies the proper torque for them? Nice try though.

[Sellout]

Originally Posted by gramicci101

Wow, you're right. Mistakes made in the heat of the moment or material failure under extreme stress must mean that they don't bother torquing their wheel nuts at all.

Oh wait, no. That's wrong. Do you really think that the Ferrari F1 team will completely overlook something so basic as torquing a wheel nut properly? Or do you think that they would have designed a tool that applies the proper torque for them? Nice try though.

Do you have any clue how much torque it takes to over-torque a nut that large? They don't need an impact gun that is designed for a specific torque capability. All they need is something that doesn't have enough torque to destroy the wheels in the half a second it takes to tighten that single nut.

Furthermore, while the tools you're talking about do exist, they're horribly inaccurate.

Fastener torque isn't anywhere near as much of an issue as people try to make it for the majority of things we deal with or what gets dealt with during a pit stop in a race.

Nascar teams use a gun that makes 1000ft lbs at 110 psi and spins 15k rpm. It's roughly a quarter second per lug nut, and there's nothing on the gun to reduce torque. If they lose half a second in the pit stop they're a lot more likely to lose cash than the off chance that they over-torque and break something. Risk vs reward applies to everything in racing...