Wheel nut torque value

Semple said:
No idea why he's finding it funny either. He's probably one of those guys who jumps on the end of the wrench to get it tightened - which is probably overtightening it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I should probably have used a sad face, at thought of all the people incapable of doing there wheel nuts up, without setting them to a specific torque setting
 
lordrobs said:
I'll admit that I've always put the tiniest amount of copper grease on my wheel nuts. Consider me re-educated :o
Click to expand...
How long been doing that for? Any loose nuts?
Also isnt copper grease not a lubricant but an anti sieze thing so doesnt work the same as having used bearing grease or moly etc
 
Last edited:
Cyber-Mav said:
How long been doing that for? Any loose nuts?
Also isnt copper grease not a lubricant but an anti sieze thing so doesnt work the same as having used bearing grease or moly etc
Click to expand...
About 10 years or so and no, never had any issues with loose nuts but my (recently acquired) understanding is that the opposite issue is the problem. i.e. overtightening and therefore applying excess clamping force.

I've always applied it quite sparingly and I must admit that since doing so I never had the battle of the breaker bar when doing swaps between winter and summer wheels.

I just run all seasons now so the only time my wheels get removed is by garages who I'm sure either impact wrench them on as tight as they go or they use the torque wrench that they set, once, about 3 years ago to 110Nm "'cos that'll do for all cars". Or in other words, far further from the correct torque than I was getting with a tiny bit of copper slip applied :p
 
bainbridge said:
I torque them to the specified value, obviously dry.

I do, however, put a thin smear of copper grease on the inner surface of the rear wheels which mate with the outer part of the brake disc on the hub (taking care not to get any near the holes for the wheel studs/bolts), to stop the wheel seizing against the brake disc.
Click to expand...
Shouldn't do that either, it's not actually the bolts that hold the wheel in place but the clamping friction.
 
bainbridge said:
I have heard that, but if you tried using the car without road bolts you'd soon find out that the bolts do actually hold the wheel in place!
Click to expand...

Same reason why wheels do not have their faces painted as well. The clamping force is what holds everything together.

By all means put a little copper grease around the hub as that is merely there for locating the wheel in the correct position and is normally the route cause of wheels getting stuck.
 
Last edited:
jaybee said:
I like to use torque values for everything that has one listed if possible. I don't really see the point in not using them if they are available, especially on critical parts like brakes and wheels.
Click to expand...

I agree. Also, tightening to specific torque values regularly gives me pretty good "feel", for when I'm in a situation where I'm unable to use a torque wrench.
 
Gixer said:
As tight as you can get them with the tool kit provided with the car. That way you stand a chance of being able to undo with the same tool kit when required.
Click to expand...
The toolkit usually doesn't include a torque wrench either, and the manufacturers deem that safe enough to change a wheel.

I've never used a torque wrench (and don't own one)
 
lordrobs said:
I'll admit that I've always put the tiniest amount of copper grease on my wheel nuts. Consider me re-educated :o
Click to expand...

Same. Have always put a little bit on the threads. I also put a bit on the face of the disc to stop the wheel binding. Have to say, I did wonder but as never had a wheel come off, or a nut sieze, I assumed it was OK. I don't torque wheel nuts either to be fair :o
 
A friend recently found a few cracked wheel nuts on his car after a garage hulked them on. They do break.
 
Last edited:
Nasher said:
A friend recently found a few cracked wheel nuts on his car after a garage hulked them on. They do break.
Click to expand...

After a mobile tyre fitter had changed 2 tyres in the Mrs car while I was WFH I went out during my lunch to loosen and re torque the bolts to the specified 110nm. They were all done up ridiculously tight, and one bolt just laughed at my DeWalt 1/2 inch impact wrench on full whack.

In the end I had to use a breaker bar with a pipe slipped over the end and all my weight to loosen it off.

I stopped using this firm and next went to a tyre place which was a few miles away, but was recommended to me. The guy there actually took care and I mentioned the stupidity tight bolt. He said rather than screwing in all the bolts so they were just nipped up, then torquing them, he must have put the first bolt in on full blast resulting in the mating surfaces of the disc and wheel not fully contacting, and then when he put the subsequent bolts in at full blast this would have put even more force in the first bolt as the face of the wheel was tightened down against the disc.

Blooming cowboys!
 
Sadly most of the fitters are like that :( just gun up as tight as they'll go - only one bothered to ask me about the correct torque. Fortunately not had any damage done yet but I think one may have snapped off the hub cap badge recently :( but I only realised it was missing about a week later.

We've a bunch of them blacklisted at work due to damage being done, though sadly that isn't foolproof as sometimes other places sub-contract to ones we've blacklisted. The most recent one the guy didn't even announce himself, just started jacking the van up (I had the keys to move the van to a better spot), setting off the alarm, with about a foot of space to work in, we saw him throw the assembled wheel with new tyre from the van out to the ground near where it was going on and by the time my boss went out to talk to him was gone, leaving the paintwork scratched and covered in oil on the arch above the wheel (probably from gloves) and a small dent.
 
Armageus said:
The toolkit usually doesn't include a torque wrench either, and the manufacturers deem that safe enough to change a wheel.

I've never used a torque wrench (and don't own one)
Click to expand...
They also give you a suicide jack so by that metric it’s safe enough to work on a car just using one of those? The tools in the car are for emergency situations to get you somewhere safe.
 
I hope all you torque freaks get your torque wrench calibrated on a regular basis?

If you don't get it calibrated then you might as well swing off a breaker bar/ do them finger tight, when tightening up nuts.
 
m4rmite said:
I hope all you torque freaks get your torque wrench calibrated on a regular basis?

If you don't get it calibrated then you might as well swing off a breaker bar/ do them finger tight, when tightening up nuts.
Click to expand...
They're not going to fall that far out of spec if at all for a half decent one. Mine are all fine after years of use, big one for the car and two smaller ones I use on my bike.
 
robj20 said:
They're not going to fall that far out of spec if at all for a half decent one. Mine are all fine after years of use, big one for the car and two smaller ones I use on my bike.
Click to expand...
In 12 months you can see up to 10% variance from a 200nm norbar torque wrench.

Most reasons are the spring being kept wound under tension when not in use and water/mud abuse.
I'm sure no one here keeps the torque wrench wound up;)
 
m4rmite said:
I'm sure no one here keeps the torque wrench wound up;)
Click to expand...

Mine is always reset to 20-30nm, which is what the manual recommends, last time I checked it was still accurate after about a year. My previous one got screwed up I think because of lending it to people who'd just leave it on whatever setting they used :( (or they just didn't treat it well) so I don't lend my current one any more.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom