Question on Torquing lug nuts.

[Chris B.]

Does it matter if you torque the wheel lug nuts with the full weight of the car/truck on them or is it better to torque them while up in the air with no weight on the wheel? Does it matter? Thank you!

 

[chrome]

I tend to half tighten the lug nuts with the wheels off the air, this serves to centralize the wheel on the hub. This is particularly important if the center bore of your wheel does not match your hub, as in the case of many aftermarket alloy wheels. Once the car is down on the ground, I torque the lugs down properly.

 

[Rooy]

Agree with chrome's comments about some wheels not being hubcentric. Just run the lugs down snug then torque when it's on the ground. How do you plan on keeping the wheel still in the air while torquing them?

 

[Chris B.]

"How do you plan on keeping the wheel still in the air while torquing them"?

Breaks or lower it just enough so the wheels are touching but not weight bearing to keep them from spinning.

I'll just lower it to the ground and torque them. Thank you guys!

 

[jmacmaster]

I think that Rooy meant to say how do you plan to fully torque the wheels when they are in the air?

 

[yugrus]

lower it just enough so the wheels are touching but not weight bearing to keep them from spinning.

That's what I do. Also, this way you can make 100% sure that you torque perfectly centered lugs.

 

[Todd_96SRV]

At Costco, the tire guys use an oversized wheel chock to keep the tire from spinning when torqueing lug nuts on a vehicle on the hoist. Great idea.

I agree with Yugrus, lower the car on the jack so the tires just touch the ground & start your torquing. Otherwise, ask the wife to come out & touch the brake pedal...

 

[GoldenRod]

Alright let me chime in. With the wheel off the ground, run the nuts all the way down to center the wheel on the hub. Next lower the jack so the tire touches the pavement. Now torque the nuts in a two step X pattern for 4 lugs or a star pattern with 5 lugs. 75-90 lbs./ft should do it.

 

[johnd]

When I grew up I was always told that the wheel had to be on the ground when tightening the lug nuts but no one could ever tell me why. I finally found the answer in a VW owners manual, of all places. The reason for having the wheel on the ground is to lower the risk of having the car slip off the jack when the nuts are tightened. It doesn't matter if there is weight on the wheel ir not when tightening, as long as it can be done in a safe way.

 

[jmacmaster]

"The reason for having the wheel on the ground is to lower the risk of having the car slip off the jack when the nuts are tightened." Excellent point johnd. The torquing forces the vehicle backward. However, I'd like to add that a jack should never be used to keep part of a vehicle up while doing ANY work on it. Jack stands or ramps should be used. A jack can't be trusted. And of course, even with jack stands, fully torquing the lug nuts forces the vehicle backwards and it could come of the jack stands.

 

[Audity]

"The torquing forces the vehicle backward"

Unless you're doing the passenger side! ;-)