Lug nut torque specs exist for a reason..

[traquer]

My car started developing a symmetrical pattern of black hot spots on both front brake rotors for seemingly no reason...

On a whim I took the wheels off to inspect and realized the lugs were way over-tightened. I could barely get them off! BMW specs 90 ft-lb, these were probably double that.. And inconsistent as well. Stupid body shop.

I did some research, and believe it or not this is the #1 cause of warped rotors.

Don't ask me how or why it works the way it does (maybe heat distribution or acoustic resonance imbalance of some sort), but I re-did my lugs and within a hundred miles or so these black spots have all but disappeared! I know if I would have left things as they were, I would have totally shot those rotors.

Class dismissed!

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Because BMWs have stupid lug bolts instead of studs

But yea improperly torqued wheels can cause odd problems like that.

 

[HOOTER SLED-]

Maybe that's why Beemer drivers drive like assholes.....cuz their nuts are squeezed too tight.

 

[traquer]

But yea improperly torqued wheels can cause odd problems like that.

I would have never guessed if I didn't try to take the wheels off.

I'm always doing them at home now. Loosen then torque them down to spec... I've seen tire shops come out with the torque wrench and check each lug only to immediately get a click on all of them. Guess what, you didn't do shit besides check if they weren't too loose LOL

 

[SHOCKtheMONKEY]

I always bring my torque extension for the tire guys to use.
So far so good...

https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=torque limiting

 

[lbhsbz]

I always bring my torque extension for the tire guys to use.
So far so good...

https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=torque limiting

Those are useless

 

[SHOCKtheMONKEY]

I disagree.
Better than having your nuts at 150 foot pounds plus...

Edit: Way Better
@lbhsbz
If you have a better solution, I'd love to hear it.

 

[mash on it]

I disagree.
Better than having your nuts at 150 foot pounds plus...

Edit: Way Better

Mine are spec'd at 140lb/ft, 150 would be just fine.

Dan'l

 

[napanutt]

Maybe that's why Beemer drivers drive like assholes.....cuz their nuts are squeezed too tight.

I love my bimmer. Warped nuts or not.

 

[lbhsbz]

I disagree.
Better than having your nuts at 150 foot pounds plus...

Edit: Way Better
@lbhsbz
If you have a better solution, I'd love to hear it.

torque wrench, by hand

 

[79 HUSTLER]

I always bring my torque extension for the tire guys to use.
So far so good...

https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=torque limiting

Man I hope you’re joking...

 

[bagged97taco]

Torque stick and harbor freight= disaster. Hand tighten and good torque wrench. IR ingersol rand has torque limited impact guns. They max out 55 ft lbs.

 

[cakemoto]

Ever herd of swollen lug nut? Friend took his truck to dealer and they would not rotate his tires do to swollen lug nuts. New to me

 

[DaveC]

Swollen nuts??

Did he go to Thailand recently??

Ever herd of swollen lug nut? Friend took his truck to dealer and they would not rotate his tires do to swollen lug nuts. New to me

 

[bagged97taco]

Ever herd of swollen lug nut? Friend took his truck to dealer and they would not rotate his tires do to swollen lug nuts. New to me

Google ford lugnut lawsuit. It’s a huge deal. The case was dropped but the lugnut issue is still real. Two piece lugnut=garbage

 

[SHOCKtheMONKEY]

I was referring to the tire shop. I'm still giving this to the tire monkeys. Last time my wife had a flat repair I had to use a 1/2 inch breaker bar with a cheater pipe to loosen the lugs on her VW. If I do it myself I use a torque wrench.

 

[Sleek-Jet]

I stand there and make the tire guys use a torque wrench. Pisses them off to no end.

One time the wheels in my BMW were driven in so tight I could not break them free with hand tools.

 

[DaveC]

I had two studs on the boat trailer broken off by tire monkeys using those torque limiting extensions.

When I complained the manager was like oh well not their fault

 

[lbhsbz]

Ever herd of swollen lug nut? Friend took his truck to dealer and they would not rotate his tires do to swollen lug nuts. New to me

Dodge, ford, Toyota (on their US built vehicles) and I’m sure plenty of others use a steel nut with a stainless cover over them. The become damaged from using a worn socket or from corrosion wicking its way between the nut and the cover, then the only way is the wrong sized socket and a hammer. They suck.

 

[was thatguy]

Last couple times I’ve bought tires at discount (American in Vacaville) I watched them snug up with impact, then properly finish with torque wrench.
When I did my brakes at home the caliper bolts were all screwed up torque wise. I had to heat and cool one slider bolt to get it loose, another one was stripped.
Proper torque is critical on all suspension fasteners, brake component fasteners, and lug nuts, IMO.

Winter project is the Miller trailer.
Ditching these stupid mag wheels with slotted lug holes and going with coated steel wheels and real lug nuts.

 

[bowtiejunkie]

With America's Tire, I hand carry my wheels in for tire balance or new tires. Too many times they've left the lugnuts loose. You shouldn't have to watch over them to do this basic task involved in R&R'ing wheels. But, really, the new car dealers are becoming more competitive on tires, and they seem to care about wheel finish and lugnut torque more than AT does. It sucks as I've been exclusively buying from AT since 1992. But the constant wheel damaging and lack of torque of lugnuts, forces me to do business elsewhere. So, I'm just going to transition my tire servicing to GM/Ford/Honda dealers when applicable.

 

[MK1MOD0]

My car started developing a symmetrical pattern of black hot spots on both front brake rotors for seemingly no reason...

On a whim I took the wheels off to inspect and realized the lugs were way over-tightened. I could barely get them off! BMW specs 90 ft-lb, these were probably double that.. And inconsistent as well. Stupid body shop.

I did some research, and believe it or not this is the #1 cause of warped rotors.

Don't ask me how or why it works the way it does (maybe heat distribution or acoustic resonance imbalance of some sort), but I re-did my lugs and within a hundred miles or so these black spots have all but disappeared! I know if I would have left things as they were, I would have totally shot those rotors.

Class dismissed!

Never heard of that warping a rotor. Ya learn something every day.

 

[warpt71]

Dodge, ford, Toyota (on their US built vehicles) and I’m sure plenty of others use a steel nut with a stainless cover over them. The become damaged from using a worn socket or from corrosion wicking its way between the nut and the cover, then the only way is the wrong sized socket and a hammer. They suck.

I saw this a lot wile driving a tow truck. My wife's car has these and I have been rotating the tires at home trying to not destroy the lugs. I would love to replace them with solid chrome plated lugs.

 

[warpt71]

Winter project is the Miller trailer.
Ditching these stupid mag wheels with slotted lug holes and going with coated steel wheels and real lug nuts.

Post up the mags befor ditching please

 

[cakemoto]

Dodge, ford, Toyota (on their US built vehicles) and I’m sure plenty of others use a steel nut with a stainless cover over them. The become damaged from using a worn socket or from corrosion wicking its way between the nut and the cover, then the only way is the wrong sized socket and a hammer. They suck.

Yep it’s a newer dodge hemi truck.

 

[mjc]

I saw this a lot wile driving a tow truck. My wife's car has these and I have been rotating the tires at home trying to not destroy the lugs. I would love to replace them with solid chrome plated lugs.

complete sets of lug nuts can be found on Amazon for less than $30. I just replaced all of them on my jeep and chevelle.

 

[DaveC]

So by looking at this thread I guess I am not the only one, who after buying new tires, goes down the street from the shop installing them and re-torques the wheels before driving the remainder of the way home.

I thought I was the only one.

 

[Moneypit]

Since the invent of "air wrenches" tire service people have been over torquing lug nuts.. With "drum brakes" it isn't that big a deal, even with the "slide on" rotors it isn't that big a deal.. But when you are pulling on studs that are part of the rotor over torquing distorts the rotor and will adversely affect the braking ability..."Turning" the rotor is moot if you're going to distort it as tires are installed.... My 2500 is torqued at something like 140#s which is waaaay over recommended for the bolt size....
Ray

 

[lbhsbz]

It’s a huge deal for slide on rotors....and everything else.

People need to understand that bolts/studs are not pins. In a properly designed, bolted together assembly, under no circumstances should the bolts be loaded in shear...they need to be tightened such that the clamping force creates the joint between the multiple pieces. If that clamped joint fails and puts the fasteners in shear, the joint has failed.

Also, then it comes to heat cycled assemblies...even clamp load is critical to even expansion and contraction. This is the important part when it comes to rotor/drum distortion due to uneven clamp loads on wheel fasteners that clamp the rotor/drum between the wheel and hub.

Even cast iron will act as a fluid under pressure.

Peanut butter and jelly sammich analogy:

2 pieces of bread w/ 1/2” of goo betwixt them. Push down with your hand on one half...all the goo goes out the other side. Push down evenly on the top piece of bread, all the goo gets pressed out of all sides relatively evenly. The goo is the brake rotor. No throw some heat cycling in there...gets fun.

 

[WhatExit?]

 

[sirbob]

Discount tire always uses a torque wrench to finish the install when I take my cars / trucks there. I'm glad they do.

 

[Ragged Edge]

Dodge, ford, Toyota (on their US built vehicles) and I’m sure plenty of others use a steel nut with a stainless cover over them. The become damaged from using a worn socket or from corrosion wicking its way between the nut and the cover, then the only way is the wrong sized socket and a hammer. They suck.

Pacific uses these lug nuts on their trailers. Friend of mine ruined a nice set of aluminum wheels trying to get the damn things off. We were hammering a socket on but every wheel had one lug nut that would not budge. Shadow trailers finished the job and put the lifetime lugs on.

So, if you have purchased a trailer from Pacific, check your lug nuts and replace if they used these shitty things.

 

[johnnyC]

wheel lug torque is a big deal, for years just ran them down with a impact then one day on a 68 international travel all it didn't work anymore, after putting brakes ( drum) on it started to get a pulsation upon stopping every one was at loss after much ado ended up torquing all the lug nuts to the specified torque pulsation went away the only one that did it back in the day, I torque all the lug nut now

 

[Maestro]

I laugh at the mechanics who claim the can feel the torque specs with their impact guns. Had a master tech get fired for a wheel coming off of a customer's car.
Problem one is torque extension are so you don't exceed a torque spec, you still have to use a quality torque wrench to set to specs to ensure all wheels lugs are torque evenly. Other wise issues can arise.
Problem two; use a quality torque wrench. Have your torque wrench check and calibrated every so often.

 

[copterzach]

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