I've seen the question asked here many times...what is the torque on my lug nuts? The answer depends on which truck you have. For most of our trucks you will have 100 ft lbs for the 5 lug wheels and 140 ft-lbs for the 8 lug wheels. Definitely refer to your owner's guide for the exact lug nut torque for your vehicle.

What is more important than knowing the specified torque, is knowing that your torque wrench is calibrated properly. There's many ways to check a torque wrench, go on youtube and see some different ideas. As a basic check for me when using a 26" handled torque wrench, say 2 feet, is that when horizontal I need to put about 70 pounds of my weight on my hand on the torque wrench downward to put on 140 foot lbs of torque. For most of us that is about a third of your body weight on the wrench. If the torque wrench is not indicating 140 when you have that basic condition it might need to be checked further.

Torque wrenches wear out so test them often and don't rely on a suspect torque wrench for a critical application like lug nuts. I've retired my 30 year old 26" 3/4 drive click wrench. It just seemed to be clicking light and when checked it was in fact reading 20 to 30 foot pounds low.

I'm not going to throw it away though as I want to use it now for a breaker bar. Question I have is should I set the torque setting high, low or it doesn't matter? Remember it's only going to be a breaker bar now I just don't want to break it! This is an old adjustable click wrench come breaker bar. I'm leaning towards setting it to the highest setting. What do you know?

Thanks,
BB2

 

Is it no longer adjustable? Anyway, it should do the job either way, and if what you're breaking is that stuck it'll click over no matter what it's set to. But I'm going to say if you turn it up to eleven it'll be less clicky. You should try it high and low and use a cheater pipe with both and then tell me how it responds. Don't forget to use the longest extension you've got and maybe then I'll figure out why I was always told not to use an extension with mine. Something about leverage, but best my brain can figure is it would click over early.

 

It does adjust but when set to 140 ft-lbs you might be getting about 100 ft-lbs. I could probably figure out the exact amount off and add that to my setting. I just don't like having a torque wrench that gives a false sense of security. I did mark up the wrench so that if someone else picks it up there is no mistake the thing doesn't work. After I use it to break off a few tough nuts it will probably be worse! Probably won't need too many cheaters since it's already 26" long.

The thing about not using extensions doesn't make sense to me. As long as you are going slow there should be be a static moment from one end of the extension to the other and then to the socket. Let's face it, it's not possible to reach some fasteners without one.

BB2

 

I've always used 80-85 foot pounds on all vehicles, is it supposed to be 100 on trucks?

 

80 to 90 Ft lbs is pretty standard for most imports (12MM lug nuts bolts) . Most domestics or with 1/2" lug nuts or imports with (14MM lug nuts/bolts) use 100-110ft lbs.
This is for cars, trucks tend to be all over the map for wheel bolt torque so in those it is best to consult the shop or owners manuals.

 

If you have 5 lug, 1/2" nut, your torque should be 100 ft-lbs.

8-lug, 9/16" nut, 140 ft-lbs.

If you have duals the torque is 220 ft-lbs.

Your best resource for the lug nut torque is the owner's guide that came with your vehicle. If you don't have that check with service and repair manuals for your specific year, series and axle weight.

Now imagine if your torque wrench is reading 20-30 ft-lbs low. You're shooting for 80-85 and you end up at 50-55 about half of specified torque! Check your owners guide and check your torque wrench!

BB2

 

Also, if you are running aftermarket rims, check with the manufacturer of the rims....

 

Although I didn't start thread, thanks for the info others shared. so, can torque wrenches be "recalibrated"?

 

They say they can be but I have not had one done.
Talk to one of the tool guys, Snap On or Mac or the like to see what they can do for you.
Then again they may only want to sell you a new one.
Dave - - - -

 

Always use rims that are compatible with the specified lug nut torque for your truck. Never use a rim that is not rated for your specified torque.

BB2

 

If you want your lug nuts to tighten the wheel tighter, using the same specified torque, put a couple drops of oil on the studs before installing the lug nuts. Too much and it will make a mess on your wheels, but a little bit really helps it.

 

My new torque wrench has a calibration screw. It came factory calibrated to +/- 4%. Your question is a good one and I wrote to the company to ask about the how's of re-calibration. An answer will appear here when i receive it from the company.

I think my old wrench could be recalibrated as well. There is a side port in the same place as the new one which says it is access to the calibration screw. Instead of a plastic cap on the access port there was a dob of sealant. I think I could have fooled around with the old one but needed a known good one right away. The old one was way off. By the way I left my torque wrench set for 140 ft-lbs for about 6 months. This is a no-no and is likely the reason my torque wrench went south as they say.

BB2

 

The torque specifications are for dry and clean studs, nuts and rims. Adding lubricants will significantly affect your torque readings and add additional stretch to the stud. Follow the manufacturer's recommended torque and remember this is dry torque.

For those that are worried about getting the nuts off in a tire change throw a can of penetrant under the seat for that emergency tire change. Always clean the studs using a detergent before re-torquing. I use simple green and a clean dry rag to remove any lubricant that gets on the studs, nuts or rims.

 

And the answer is: As long as the torque wrench is stored at the lowest
setting (but *not* below it) when not in use and isn't used to break loose
stuck fasteners, it should never need to be re-calibrated.

 

Interesting video but
I've been using anti-seize on my wheelstuds for years with no adverse affects on various vehicles.
I also have never torqued my lugnuts. I also don't use air, using air I would be more concerned with torque.
I'm not suggesting anyone to do what I do, do so at your own risk.