I had the trolley jack and torque wrench and sockets already. But damn, wakefield was heaps hot last 2 weeks. I sweat like a pig after changing all four wheels.
yeah i agree with you.... but i still go no matter what weather it is...anyway, I'll just see how it goes.... thanks for the advice though. much appreciate it.
what does 80ft lbs means? Like how you judge your strength 80ft lbs?
it's a torque measurement. usually what you do is buy a torque wrench (el cheapo $50 one from SCA or ebay will do for lug nuts), set it to '80 ft/lb' and turn till you hear the click
if you mean 'what is the definition of 80 ft/lb' it is: get a lever 1 foot long, put it on your lug nut with the lever horizontal, and hang 80 pounds off the end of it. keep doing this until your lug nut doesn't move: then it's at 80ft/lb
btw if you're tightening your wheel nuts so much that you broke a breaker bar that's probably way too tight! i use a torque wrench on my lug nuts and tighten by hand every time. you'll feel safe knowing your wheels will never fall off and at the same time the nuts are real easy to get off next time - no impact wrench needed
too tight is when sweat is coming off your forehead trying to remove a nut, hence why if I do need help and it must go to a shop I always have them hand tighten the nuts then I finish it off with my tools instead of the abuse it would cop from a rattle gun in the hands of a 16yo kid from highschool, lol
too tight is when sweat is coming off your forehead trying to remove a nut, hence why if I do need help and it must go to a shop I always have them hand tighten the nuts then I finish it off with my tools instead of the abuse it would cop from a rattle gun in the hands of a 16yo kid from highschool, lol
good advice, tyre shops in particular are butchers with their air wrench. especially when you have aftermarket wheels with lock nuts!
Torque measurements aren't a very accurate way to measure bolt/stud stretch unless you can control the friction of the threads. Wheel studs have got to be one of the filthiest/rustiest threads on the whole car - there's no way that tightening them to 80ft-lb will guarantee "correct" tightness.
Power/Air tools are fast and easy (when you're at home anyway), but you want to ensure that you can get the same nuts undone with the hand-tools you carry with you in the car else you'll be banging your head on the wall trying to get a wheel off when you get a flat.
I only bother using a torque wrench for big critical bolts (head studs etc...). If you're not fully cleaning the threads and lubricating them each and every time, then your efforts are wasted anyway.
what you say is true. i believe torque specs are used as they are the most (only?) practical way of measuring bolt stretch and tension.
i wouldn't quite say that the efforts using a torque wrench are wasted without correct preparation though. i'm not a mechanical engineer so i can't say how far off the correct tension you'd be torquing a clean bolt vs a bolt with anti-seize, or a bolt with oil, or a rusted bolt, etc. etc. but i suspect it'd be closer than using a breaker bar and guessing by hand...
also i consider the lug nuts to be one of the most critical fasteners on the car as it prevents your wheels from falling off
I use anti-seize, it's cheap insurance for the wheel shops to not strip items
even though none of them will use it as they're under the impression (non-engineered backed of course with no formula to show me) that using it could result in failure ie. nut loosening and coming off the stud, lol
I use it to keep off oxidation and for ease of removal and installation during my monthly checks
With dirty threads you're almost guaranteed to under torque it. Even with perfectly smooth lubricated threads, it's an artform to accurately use a torque wrench.
All I know is that I tighten the lugs up "pretty ****in' tight" by hand and I've had a total of zero problems in the 5 years I've been working on cars.
As a relevent reference, ARP head studs (the ones I bought anyway) are rated at 75ft-lb using moly disulphide grease, and 85ft-lb with 10w-30 motor oil. What do you think the torque requirement would be for rusty threads?
Rep me if you think it is mechanically sound 
Originally Posted by cymax
that's probably way too tight! i use a torque wrench on my lug nuts and tighten by hand every time. you'll feel safe knowing your wheels will never fall off and at the same time the nuts are real easy to get off next time - no impact wrench needed 
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