Torque wrench necessary for putting on wheels?

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Still tightening a flat surface against a flat surface. You will snap a lug bolt before you will warp a rotor. People may think they warped one tightening it but it is just not realistic. Unless of course you are using some flimsy ass bargain basement ones I guess.

I think the whole warping rotor thing came about because of steel wheels. They are stamped so the contact surface between the lug nut and wheel is offset from the contact plane between the wheel and the rotor. This provides a much better load distribution through a bit of elastic deformation.

I could "maybe... possibly..." picture a scenario where, under excessive stress and many heat cycles, there might be some creep.

But I've never seen it firsthand.

Originally Posted by Tcoat

...TRD control beams...

Grrrr...

[wbradley]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

AHHHHH I see. Sort of trans dimensional rotors. Suppose that would be OK as long as the rotors don't develop a "sense of existence" like the TRD control beams have.

These would add approximately the same amount of performance benefit that TRD damped strut bracing adds.

[ryoma]

I have read stories of people snapping their studs when tightening their wheels to spec many times (I believe spec is 90 ft/lbs). in that regard, a torque wrench might be useful since the studs are so weak and it would be easy to over tighten if you do not use a torque wrench. I personally have been tightening my lugs to 82 ft/lbs for many years ever since my first car since that's all it needed lol. I thought it was the same for every car until I heard about the 90 ft/lbs for this one, but I still never used 90 anyways.

[mrg666]

I was installing the OEM mud flaps today and had to remove/reinstall the rear wheels. The wheels were installed in the dealer last time supposedly at the correct torque. When removing the wheels, I had to give about half of my weight to loosen the lug nuts. I am about 170 pounds. The torque spec is 89 ft-lbs. The stock lug wrench has about 1 ft long handle. My half weight is 85 pounds. So I applied ~85 ft-lbs torque. I did the same when I was reinstalling. Done!

I will let you know if you lose a wheel or break any studs next week

[p1l0t]

Originally Posted by guybo

You can get a torque wrench and a socket and it's not all that expensive. If you under-torque, obviously that's bad. But over-torquing can stretch threads and if you REALLY over-do it, warp your rotors.

That said, people tighten lugnuts using the German torque spec everyday and do fine.

Hahaha GUTEN TIGHT!

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[C4RBON]

Using a torque wrench is critical if you are doing any track/autox/performance driving. If you are just driving around town, doing it by hand should be "good enough". I think it is more important to re-check your lug nuts after several miles of driving. I usually find one that is looser than the rest, and needs to be re-torqued.

[guybo]

http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/154

I'm not to argue with you about it beyond this, but I have seen it and this article mentions it. It must come from uneven tightening and if you REALLY torque hard enough and it's uneven enough, you're going to warp the rotor. Read the article.

Either way, there's lots of bad things that come of under- or over-tightening and if you are inexperienced you can do some expensive damage. Even a cheap torque wrench will at least get you in the neighborhood. It's not an exact science, there's some leeway. I have a cheapo torque wrench (off Amazon) and when I do my wheels, it's plenty good enough. But when I went to do my header bolts (29 lb-ft IIRC) it was not up to the task and I had to go by feel.

[p1l0t]

Originally Posted by guybo

http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/154

I'm not to argue with you about it beyond this, but I have seen it and this article mentions it. It must come from uneven tightening and if you REALLY torque hard enough and it's uneven enough, you're going to warp the rotor. Read the article.

Either way, there's lots of bad things that come of under- or over-tightening and if you are inexperienced you can do some expensive damage. Even a cheap torque wrench will at least get you in the neighborhood. It's not an exact science, there's some leeway. I have a cheapo torque wrench (off Amazon) and when I do my wheels, it's plenty good enough. But when I went to do my header bolts (29 lb-ft IIRC) it was not up to the task and I had to go by feel.

Yeah I just have one of those clicker ones but these guys who don't even have one... like do you even science bro?

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[humfrz]

Originally Posted by C4RBON

Using a torque wrench is critical if you are doing any track/autox/performance driving. If you are just driving around town, doing it by hand should be "good enough". I think it is more important to re-check your lug nuts after several miles of driving. I usually find one that is looser than the rest, and needs to be re-torqued.

Well then ...... I reckon you didn't do it right the first time ......




humfrz

[C4RBON]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Well then ...... I reckon you didn't do it right the first time ......




humfrz

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/...jsp?techid=107

New wheels should be re-torqued after the first 50 to 100 driving miles.

This should be done in case the clamping loads have changed following the initial installation due to the metal compression/elongation or thermal stresses affecting the wheels as they are breaking in, as well as to verify the accuracy of the original installation.

I reckon TireRack knows what they're talking about.

I have actually seen this phenomenon happen. Last year I helped a friend change to his new winter wheels since he doesn't have a garage. He torqued the nuts, and I checked all of them. I told him to come back in a day or two so we could check them again. He didn't came back. A week later, he was on the highway and got a really bad vibration from his front-right wheel. A lug nut had fallen off, and another was loose. There is essentially 0% chance that we both missed multiple lug nuts on the same wheel. I re-tightened all of his lug nuts using the same torque wrench, and found several more that weren't up to spec.

Even if we had both missed the lug nut, re-checking them a day later would have prevented this hazard from occurring. I see little reason why anybody shouldn't re-check their lug nuts. It takes less than 5 minutes. I frequently find one that isn't up to spec.

Originally Posted by humfrz

Well, I've tightened hundreds, maybe thousands, of lug nuts in my 73 years, never used a torque wrench and never had a wheel fall off.

...

humfrz

And I'm the one who isn't doing it right? Really?

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by C4RBON

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/...jsp?techid=107



I reckon TireRack knows what they're talking about.

I have actually seen this phenomenon happen. Last year I helped a friend change to his new winter wheels since he doesn't have a garage. He torqued the nuts, and I checked all of them. I told him to come back in a day or two so we could check them again. He didn't came back. A week later, he was on the highway and got a really bad vibration from his front-right wheel. A lug nut had fallen off, and another was loose. There is essentially 0% chance that we both missed multiple lug nuts on the same wheel. I re-tightened all of his lug nuts using the same torque wrench, and found several more that weren't up to spec.

Even if we had both missed the lug nut, re-checking them a day later would have prevented this hazard from occurring. I see little reason why anybody shouldn't re-check their lug nuts. It takes less than 5 minutes. I frequently find one that isn't up to spec.



And I'm the one who isn't doing it right? Really?

Well, there, @C4RBON , you do have a couple good points.

* new wheels should be checked after the settle in.

* since you and your buddy can't seem to get the lug nuts tight the first time, there are most likely others ...... so, maybe ya'll should check them twice.

Ya, know, after a shop rotates my wheels, I've never had them say that the lug nuts should be rechecked after a few miles...??

Why didn't the dealership where I bought my car (with 2 miles on it) insist that I bring it back in for a lug nut tightness check, after a few miles.....??

Now, I've tightened lug nuts on 10 hole bud wheels off of large trucks, large (6') tractor wheels, drive sprockets on M-60 tanks, several other military vehicles and many, farm tractors, trailers, wagons, combines, hay bailers ........ and I've never used a torque wrench or re-checked them ....... and never had a wheel fall off.

NO, @Tcoat ...... I have not changed the wheel on a covered wagon or an ox cart.

So, there, C4RBON if YOU need a nanny torque wrench and have to check the tightness of lug nuts twice ....... that's OK........I don't.




humfrz

[guybo]

I torque and then re-torque. It's just laziness not to. I have never had a lug nut get loose but on re-torquing I always get a just a little out of at least 1 or 2.

[Yardjass]

I use one. Anything involving your brakes/wheels/tires is not something you half ass. If the wheel studs on these cars are really so weak, that's just another reason to use a torque wrench so you know you're not putting too much on them.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by guybo

I torque and then re-torque. It's just laziness not to. I have never had a lug nut get loose but on re-torquing I always get a just a little out of at least 1 or 2.

Sorry, @guybo but I'm gonna hafta to you in the same bucket with @C4RBON on this point. I reckon if you find a loose lug nut on a wheel after you have properly tightened them down ....... ya done something wrong the first time around ......

HEY! I AM NOT lazy! .......now, I have to go take ma mid morning nap ... ZZZZZ


humfrz