Tighten Lugs While Car is Not Up On Stands
#21
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Torque limiting sockets can warp and hold incorrect torque values after a lot of use. I've actually worked on a BMW (which means it has wheel studs as opposed to nuts) used a torque limiting stick on an impact gun on all the studs. One came off 40 miles later, which means the other 4 came off moments later and sent the car sliding down the road with only three wheels. I got chewed out for that and have ALWAYS tightened every lug nut I touch with a click type torque wrench. My process is as follows:
- Loosen the nuts 2-3 turns while the car is sitting then jack it up.
- Remove the rest of the lug nuts then remove the wheel.
To put them back on:
- mount the wheel and just barely snug the nut.
- do this for the rest of the nuts and 'wobble' the wheel while your doing it, very often I will feel the wheel pull back further onto the hub as I do this. then I can tighten the nut down even more.
- finally I will take a socket with no wrench and get the nuts reasonably tight
- lower the car to the ground and tighten with a click type wrench.
Hope that helped and wasn't useless redundant information.
- Loosen the nuts 2-3 turns while the car is sitting then jack it up.
- Remove the rest of the lug nuts then remove the wheel.
To put them back on:
- mount the wheel and just barely snug the nut.
- do this for the rest of the nuts and 'wobble' the wheel while your doing it, very often I will feel the wheel pull back further onto the hub as I do this. then I can tighten the nut down even more.
- finally I will take a socket with no wrench and get the nuts reasonably tight
- lower the car to the ground and tighten with a click type wrench.
Hope that helped and wasn't useless redundant information.
#22
Originally Posted by coldfire,Nov 4 2008, 09:39 PM
Torque limiting sockets can warp and hold incorrect torque values after a lot of use. I've actually worked on a BMW (which means it has wheel studs as opposed to nuts) used a torque limiting stick on an impact gun on all the studs. One came off 40 miles later, which means the other 4 came off moments later and sent the car sliding down the road with only three wheels. I got chewed out for that and have ALWAYS tightened every lug nut I touch with a click type torque wrench. My process is as follows:
- Loosen the nuts 2-3 turns while the car is sitting then jack it up.
- Remove the rest of the lug nuts then remove the wheel.
To put them back on:
- mount the wheel and just barely snug the nut.
- do this for the rest of the nuts and 'wobble' the wheel while your doing it, very often I will feel the wheel pull back further onto the hub as I do this. then I can tighten the nut down even more.
- finally I will take a socket with no wrench and get the nuts reasonably tight
- lower the car to the ground and tighten with a click type wrench.
Hope that helped and wasn't useless redundant information.
- Loosen the nuts 2-3 turns while the car is sitting then jack it up.
- Remove the rest of the lug nuts then remove the wheel.
To put them back on:
- mount the wheel and just barely snug the nut.
- do this for the rest of the nuts and 'wobble' the wheel while your doing it, very often I will feel the wheel pull back further onto the hub as I do this. then I can tighten the nut down even more.
- finally I will take a socket with no wrench and get the nuts reasonably tight
- lower the car to the ground and tighten with a click type wrench.
Hope that helped and wasn't useless redundant information.
The "wobble test" is akin to my "spin the wheel" step. These days, I just do the wobble. But for someone who's never put a wheel on, I reference the "spin the wheel with the lugs snug" bit.
#23
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The 'wobble test' is also good because your applying a small amount of force to pull the wheel toward the hub. This can accomplish more than the 'spin test' because if the hubcentric rings have a lot of dirt on them then they can cause resistance to the wheel going on.
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