DIY Tire Roatation

[1sttruck]

I've ended up installing and taking off our winters tires on a regular basis as the dealers are usually booked up when I get around to taking the car down. My current 'system' consists of:

1. Some foot lengths of 4x4 cut at a 45 deg angle to place front/back on a couple of tires.

2. A Craftsman 18in breaker bar with a deep socket that I carry in each car, to break the nuts loose.

3. Craftsman 3k or 4k (?) lb scissor jack, which I don't mind using as jack stand, at least compared to a hydraulic jack.

4. A new addition is a Craftsman 1/2 dr impact wrench that was on sale for about 1/3 price, running off of a small Dewalt compressor that I picked up at a neighbor's garage sale. It makes a lot of racket, speeds the job up a bit, but is only worth using when dealing with all four tires.

5. Craftsman 150 ft/lb beam type torque wrench.

6. Extra lug nuts as the dealers are hard on them.

7. Anti-sieze, a small dab will do ya.

 

[obbop]

"Anti-sieze, a small dab will do ya."

Here it comes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The great anti-seize-on-the-lug-nuts debate.

Let 'er rip!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[1sttruck]

A former coworker's daughter had a flat one day and her daughter couldn't get the tire off to change it, so she went over to help but couldn't get it off either. Her husband went over, he's a tall, stout fella, and he barely got the lug nuts off as they were rusted on. It was also raining pretty hard at the time. If mine did that I guess I'd twist off a stud as I carry an 18in breaker bar in each car. I've also not found any loose lugnuts when changing the tires next season, so I'll continue using antiseize.

 

[2002 Maxima SE]

So, how often should the tire be re-balanced?

 

[kenw]

whenever it needs it.

Unless you throw a weight off or damage the wheel, rebalancing isn't usually necessary.

Of course "usually necessary" and this board are not often mentioned in the same breath....

One of my more anal former coworkers insisted on rebalancing every time he rotated. "Never had a problem with balance that way" was his stated reason.

I never rebalance unless it needs it and I've never had a problem with balance either. (PS: you can feel it and even tell exactly which tire it is if you pay attention)

 

[msparks]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Timothy Ferguson:
I want to do my own tire rotations. I have every thing I need except for the impact wrench. I found this neat cordless jobby that put out 85 ft/lbs of torque. Is that too much torque. I want an adaquate enough of torque and not too much. Others told me not to over torque lug nuts because there is a chance of stripping bolts and nuts. I think 85 is a good universal average for tourque. I have a Ford Ranger and a Mazda MPV.

Thanks
TIM

---

Why not just buy a good torque wrench??? Then you can use it on a variety of things.

You don't need an impact wrench. Just make sure you have a good 4 sided wrench to get the lug nuts off as they are probably torqued to 200 lb ft. From then on torque them yourself.

AS far as the spec for your car it should be in the owners manual, mine is for the jetta, otherwiise call the dealer they should have it in the shop manual.

 

[labman]

Don't buy an impact wrench for lug nuts. In some states, using one on lug nuts is illegal. I break them loose with a breaker bar, spin them off and back on with my air ratchet, and then tighten with a torque wrench. I think many of the ''over tightened'' lug nuts are seized. I put a DAB of antisieze on the stud and tighten the 100 pound feet spec nuts to 80. Been doing it that way for 20 years and no problems. Seldom let anybody else touch them.

 

[chas3]

quote:

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Originally posted by obbop:
The great anti-seize-on-the-lug-nuts debate

---

not even close. steel on steel. no antiseize. you are going to remove the wheels more than once every 100,000 miles right? no antiseize. does the lugnut ever get to a couple thousand degrees? no antisieze.

you should not apply anything to the thread. the ft/lb ratings are given with this idea in mind.

all of my domestics have been 100 ft/lb.

 

[Ugly3]

quote:

---

Originally posted by chas3:

quote:

---

Originally posted by obbop:
The great anti-seize-on-the-lug-nuts debate

---

not even close. steel on steel. no antiseize. you are going to remove the wheels more than once every 100,000 miles right? no antiseize. does the lugnut ever get to a couple thousand degrees? no antisieze.

you should not apply anything to the thread. the ft/lb ratings are given with this idea in mind.

all of my domestics have been 100 ft/lb.

---

Right on!

 

[labman]

quote:

---

Originally posted by chas3:

quote:

---

Originally posted by obbop:
The great anti-seize-on-the-lug-nuts debate

---

not even close. steel on steel. no antiseize. you are going to remove the wheels more than once every 100,000 miles right? no antiseize. does the lugnut ever get to a couple thousand degrees? no antisieze.

you should not apply anything to the thread. the ft/lb ratings are given with this idea in mind.

all of my domestics have been 100 ft/lb.

---

I don't like the way many dry lug nuts feel when I take them loose. With a little lube, they come off smoothly way below the twist off torque.

 

[rpn453]

quote:

---

Originally posted by chas3:
not even close. steel on steel. no antiseize. you are going to remove the wheels more than once every 100,000 miles right? no antiseize. does the lugnut ever get to a couple thousand degrees? no antisieze.

---

Yup. There's a good reason that many manufacturers specifically say, in owner's manuals and service manuals, to not use anti-seize or grease on the lugnuts. The dry torque spec often takes you to about 80% of the yield strength of a threaded fastener. Anti-seize will take you beyond 100% in that case. Will it fail? Almost certainly not, but why use up your safety factor?

85lb-ft is pretty useless. A decent impact wrench will be at least 350lb-ft. If you loosen them off first then I suppose you could use it to spin them off and on. You should get a torque wrench for the final tightening of them though.

If you want basic info like torque specs I'd recommend buying an inexpensive shop manual, such as Haynes or Chilton, for each vehicle. They're not perfect, but they're cheap and they do come in handy.

And for the Canadians here:
Check out page 224 of the 2005 Can Tire catalogue. There's a pic of a guy demonstrating how you can use their cordless impact wrench to break off the plastic "nuts" moulded into the wheel cover.

[ April 19, 2005, 11:54 PM: Message edited by: rpn453 ]

 

[srivett]

Putting them on with a torque wrench is quite effortless. Taking them off with a powerbar after they've been put on with a torque wrench is also easy and does not take a strong person. I always overtorque them when I put them on without a torque wrench but no big deal.

Using a standard length 3/8" or 1/2" drive socket wrench will definately leave you shopping for a new wheel and a handful of lug nuts.

Cheers, Steve

 

[metroplex]

I can rotate the tires on my cars in under 30 min each, with just little 'ol me hauling around the tires.

Of course it's easier when you have 8 tires... 4 snow tires and 4 summer tires. I do this every year on my cars.

With all 4 wheels ON THE GROUND, use a breaker bar to loosen the lugnuts (just a tad).

Jack up the appropriate corner and use a crossbar to remove it (or a ratchet). Install new wheel, hand tighten lugnuts, then tighten them using the cross-bar.

After the wheel is on the ground, torque the lugnuts to the specified torque. Usually for steel wheels the max you want is 100 ft-lb (4-5 lug wheels). On the 8 lug wheels I have to torque them to about 160 ft-lb IIRC. Whew. THat just requires a bit more muscle.

I don't use an air impact wrench because it's noisy and a waste of energy. If it comes to the point I am too weak to do this, I will either consider the air impact wrench or ask someone to do it. Chances are I'll do the air impact wrench method and have someone help with the tires.

 

[Ugly3]

Well, it is clear I am not as nuts as the rest of you. I ram the lug nuts on with my weakest air gun and off I go. No problems in 30 years. Who needs a stinking torque wrench?

 

[moribundman]

I let nobody else touch my wheel bolts. 120 Nm/89 ft-lbs for my alu wheels. That's only good hand-tight with a standard-size crossbar. Check after 50 miles.