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But when I finally did the brake job the lugs were almost impossible to loosen. My 350ft/lb impact wrench wouldn’t loosen them, I bent my old lug wrench, I needed a breaker bar with a pipe extension. I’ll bet they were over 400ft/lbs. I’m no expert but that would seem to be getting close to stripping out the studs or lugs..
This also happened to me. My wife works at COSTCO we get our tires from there. They are very paranoid about about tightening lug nuts for good reason. They had one car leave their bay and the wheels fell off in the parking lot, the tech, or techs, only finger tightened the nuts. Now before a car leaves the bay the manager goes around with a torque wrench and verifies the nuts are all tightened to specs. Well, I had my truck tires put on there and a few months later I went to remove the wheels and I couldn't budge the nuts. I ended up using a breaker bar with a piece of pipe to break them loose. It was a warm day and I was in my driveway in front of my shop full of tools. I went back and talked to the tire manager and let him know I wasn't too pleased and I'd be a lot more upset if I had a flat on a country road and only had my X lug wrench. It probably didn't make any difference to the guy but I got to let some steam off. They must have that torque wrench adjusted all of the way to the highest setting.
Yes, overtight lug nuts will stretch and weaken the studs and can warp brake rotors. I had a similar experience with a tire shop where the manager tried to demonstrate to me that the lugs were torqued to 85 lb/ft. He set the wrench to 85 and sure enough, click, click, click, click, click. I then had him set the wrench at 185 and you guessed it. I actually had to explain what was going on with his procedure.
Yes, overtight lug nuts will stretch and weaken the studs and can warp brake rotors. I had a similar experience with a tire shop where the manager tried to demonstrate to me that the lugs were torqued to 85 lb/ft. He set the wrench to 85 and sure enough, click, click, click, click, click. I then had him set the wrench at 185 and you guessed it. I actually had to explain what was going on with his procedure.
A lot of highly torqued bolts in industrial applications can only be used once. The high torque deforms and weakens the metal. Some head bolts are one-use only.
Yes, overtight lug nuts will stretch and weaken the studs and can warp brake rotors. I had a similar experience with a tire shop where the manager tried to demonstrate to me that the lugs were torqued to 85 lb/ft. He set the wrench to 85 and sure enough, click, click, click, click, click. I then had him set the wrench at 185 and you guessed it. I actually had to explain what was going on with his procedure.
Steve, what did the manager do that was wrong? When I use a torque wrench I get one click and stop, did he just keep going after the first click? I wouldn't doubt many of the techs working at tire shops, especially places like COSTCO where one day a guy is stocking shelves, the next day he's installing tires, really are fully trained in the use of tools. COSTCO I know the personnel are continuously shifted from department to another on almost a monthly basis.
Steve, what did the manager do that was wrong? When I use a torque wrench I get one click and stop, did he just keep going after the first click? I wouldn't doubt many of the techs working at tire shops, especially places like COSTCO where one day a guy is stocking shelves, the next day he's installing tires, really are fully trained in the use of tools. COSTCO I know the personnel are continuously shifted from department to another on almost a monthly basis.
I had new tires installed on the family car. When I got the car home, I wanted to verify the lug torque, so I used my quite expensive and calibrated torque wrench and found them all to be over 200 lb/ft. So I took the car back down there and had him demonstrate that they were at 85 which spec for the car. He thought that since his wrench clicked at 85 on all five lugs that they were indeed 85. I had to explain to him that after the techs had used the air gun on them, that they were over-torqued and that his indicated wrench value was meaningless. He corrected it, but it does suggest that "trust but verify" is sound practice.
Steve. I didn't think about them tightening them with the impact wrench first. I suppose all they want to prove is the nuts were torqued to at least the manufacturer's specs. I operate a cUL industrial control panel shop. One of the requirements of UL is that all wire terminals have to be torqued to manufacturers spec. The procedure I follow it I do all of my terminations tightening them by hand without going nuts. I follow through with calibrated torque screwdrivers and wrenches, turning the screws until I get one click. If I do happen to find a screw is initially tight enough to click the tool when I first go to torque them I back them off and retorque it. This is the procedure the tire places have to use.
My story
Took my daily into the dealership for its annual safety. Told me it needed brakes. Thought I would try and do them myself with some guidance from my son. Go to take the tires off, broke an extension and then a socket. Called the dealership then went in. Watched the tech do the work. He tightens the lug using a torque stick to tighten the lugs but runs the impact at full bore. Then checks the lugs with a torque wrench. It clicks right away and is happy with his work. While in front of him I take out mine and check one lug. I'm up to 140 ft/lbs and the guy looks at me like I have 3 heads. I stop and leave. Got home and checked. Up to 160 ft/lbs and I get some movement. Spec is 110 ft/lbs. Asking my son how the sticks work and he says they don't. You tighten the lug with them slowly then us the wrench to check, you should see movement. That was the final mistake the dealer has ever made with my truck as I will never be back. They also made a couple of others earlier in the trucks life including one the could have ended poorly for someone with less driving experience than me.
Unbelievable! You just can't assume these guys working on your car are doing it right. It's like the one where you ask "What do do call the guy who finished at the bottom of his class in medical school?"
my neighbor can not grasp the "let the hammer hit two times and it is tight" that I tell him. He will take my snapon 350 ftlbs gun and let the hammer hit 15 times, then go around and 15 hammer hit each lug nut again.
Then complain when he can not loosen lugs with a 4 way bar.
I even showed him with the torque wrench he has them 180- 200 ftlbs..he still don't listen though. He has ocd BAD.
This also happened to me. My wife works at COSTCO we get our tires from there. They are very paranoid about about tightening lug nuts for good reason. They had one car leave their bay and the wheels fell off in the parking lot, the tech, or techs, only finger tightened the nuts. Now before a car leaves the bay the manager goes around with a torque wrench and verifies the nuts are all tightened to specs. Well, I had my truck tires put on there and a few months later I went to remove the wheels and I couldn't budge the nuts. I ended up using a breaker bar with a piece of pipe to break them loose. It was a warm day and I was in my driveway in front of my shop full of tools. I went back and talked to the tire manager and let him know I wasn't too pleased and I'd be a lot more upset if I had a flat on a country road and only had my X lug wrench. It probably didn't make any difference to the guy but I got to let some steam off. They must have that torque wrench adjusted all of the way to the highest setting.
Funny, my daughter bought her tires at Costco too.
Funny listening to this talk about torquing nuts and bolts. I've never applied a torque wrench to a lug nut. Other than the above mishap I had, my usual procedure is to install the wheel on the vehicle using my dad's advice, "Always rotate the brake drum or disc until one stud is at the 12:00 position". This makes it easier to line up the wheel to the hub. Tighten the nuts as tight as I can alternating opposite studs. Lower the vehicle to the ground and go around twice as tight as I can with cross wrench.
Another thing about torquing specs. In the shop manual for my '37 Buick the instructions for tightening head bolts says to take a 9" wrench and tighten until it can't be turned. What occurs to me is a 150 pound person isn't going to be able to turn the wrench as much as a 250 pound person. I think the war brought about torquing specs. The government wanted uniformity in every piece of equipment they were having different vendors.
Wound up finding a used rim at a wrecking yard off a 1990 4x4 F-150 that matches. $50...
I see they are available new and shiny for $69. Same rim? I dunno. The rim I bought does have an oval "Ford" stamp on it, so maybe its better than a new one of questionable origin.
The studs I bought at NAPA won't work. They have no actual listing for a 1956 truck wheel stud, so they gave me a universal stud that has a shoulder between the splines and the threads that is too wide. I test fit one of them and it was clear that it would not work, so I had to order them from Dennis Carpenter. Forgot to take a photo of the studs, but here is the rim.
Turned out I could have used the NAPA studs. Idiot that I am, when I test fitted the wheel, I forgot to mount the brake drum. Wow. Anyway, these studs from Dennis Carpenter are a little longer than stock. I hope the judges don't notice at the concourse truck shows. Oh. and they are at 100 lb/ft now!
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