wheel [lug] nut torque ?

[Talkwrench]

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..

[quickchange34]

Yes, 75 ft. pounds.

[ken ct]

Have you ever seen a tourque wrench uaed in a tire shop on any modern car??? ken ct.

[feelsharp]

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.

[JM 35 Sedan]

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.

[jkeesey]

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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.

[Charlie Stephens]

Originally Posted by ken ct

Have you ever seen a tourque wrench uaed in a tire shop on any modern car??? ken ct.

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

[Lanny]

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




.

[Talkwrench]

Well I was playing around and I settled on 60 lbs to start, felt about right I didnt feel the need to go overboard.

[quickchange34]

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.

[V8 Bob]

Originally Posted by Talkwrench

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..

IMO, just as important as checking tire pressures.

Originally Posted by ken ct

Have you ever seen a tourque wrench uaed in a tire shop on any modern car??? ken ct.

Ken, most shops use torque "sticks" vs. a wrench, but all torque the lugs that I've been in.

[Mart]

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.

[1937pickup]

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.

[Ronnie]

All quality shops today torque aluminum wheels when they work on the vehicle.My 2012
gm requires 100 lbs.

R

[truckdog62563]

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

[Brendan]

Originally Posted by quickchange34

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.

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!

[Butch11443]

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

[ford38v8]

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.

[V12Bill]

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.

[Bruce Lancaster]

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!

[Royal Ryser]

What is a torque stick?

[lowtech36rod]

Originally Posted by ken ct

Have you ever seen a tourque wrench uaed in a tire shop on any modern car??? ken ct.

yes...yes I have. set per vehicle spec. then, checked and re-checked before the tires ever hit the ground. pretty sure it's DOT regulated (what isn't these days).

[Talkwrench]

Over here I have never seen anyone in a tyre shop use a torque wrench to finish.. Its just a kid and a rattle gun Pfft!

[Ronnie]

Originally Posted by Royal Ryser

What is a torque stick?

http://www.torquestick.com/

[Model A Bill]

Originally Posted by ken ct

Have you ever seen a tourque wrench uaed in a tire shop on any modern car??? ken ct.

Although this does not pertain to the OP question.I"ve worked in a garage for over 25 years .We torque every wheel.I was taught the reason for this is to ensure that wheel is tightened equally especially against a rotor surface to ensure the rotor remains true.But you won't many rotors on old fords Maybe I have been doing it wrong all these years.If my shop isn't using a torque wrench I would find one that does

[columbiA]

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If you use the socket on the hand crank,the nuts will be tight with no danger of over tightening.If the stud holes are worn,the nut can bottom out but still be loose on the wheel.Except for cyl heads,I see no reason to use a T-wrench on these old Fords.Of course,being a mechanic all my working life,you develop a feel for the various torque values.One time I changed a tire on my modern car & had to use a 3' cheater pipe to get the nuts off.You should be able to remove wheel nuts with the wrench provided with the car.

[Robert Dip]

Interesting reading all of the comments posted here. One thing to remember is that in today's cars, most have the solid aluminum wheels. It is important to re-torque after so many miles. On the steel rims, observe the design of the lug hole...it does not sit flat on the drum ( disc ), so tightening these have a different role. The steel rim will actually 'spring' in and act as a locking device. I worry about alum rims coming loose, but not the steel wheels. For many of us, we use the 'experienced' hand torque method....worked for me the past 50 years.

[Ole Don]

I retired from Ford assembly in 1998. I was a torque inspector, checking air tools and operator integrity. At that time, steel wheel and aluminum wheels left the plant at 85 to 105. I live in the rust belt, so I always use grease between the aluminum wheel and the steel surface, to make sure they don't fuse together. I also use grease or anti seize on the studs. I always use a torque wrench set to 95.

[Ronnie]

Holy necrothread !!!

R

[itslow]

Originally Posted by Ole Don

...I live in the rust belt, so I always use grease between the aluminum wheel and the steel surface, to make sure they don't fuse together. I also use grease or anti seize on the studs. I always use a torque wrench set to 95.

By lubricating the threads and under-head/nut surfaces, you reduce the amount of torque required to achieve the intended amount of bolt tension. They should be left dry, or you should reduce the torque amount accordingly depending upon the lubricant used.

I, too, live in a part of the country that sees plenty of road salt during the winter. The only time I've had an issue with aluminum wheels seizing on to the hub was with my (then) girlfriend's truck, which I suspect hadn't had the wheels off in years. Just remove them once and reinstall during your annual vehicle inspection/maintenance, and you're not likely to have a problem again.

That said, using a grease between the hub faces or the hub pilot bore of the wheel is fine, so long as not enough it used that causes it to ooze out and fling onto the brake rotors or pads.

[cmbrucew]

Originally Posted by Ole Don

I retired from Ford assembly in 1998. I was a torque inspector, checking air tools and operator integrity. At that time, steel wheel and aluminum wheels left the plant at 85 to 105. I live in the rust belt, so I always use grease between the aluminum wheel and the steel surface, to make sure they don't fuse together. I also use grease or anti seize on the studs. I always use a torque wrench set to 95.

I bought a new f250 in 86. It came with sae studs and metric nuts, or vise versa. those suckers were tight all the way off. Guy at the bowling alley, is a ford mechanic, told me about them.
Bruce