Tire shop over torqued my wheels

[Patman]

When I got my new back tires installed today they said to come back after 50 miles to re torque the wheels and when they did that I’m pretty sure I heard the guy say that he was setting them to 140 ft lbs. I did notice that every lug that he re did moved quite a bit tighter than they originally were The spec is actually 100 ft lbs for my C7 Corvette, it’s the new C8 that calls for 140.

I am going to go back there tomorrow and have it reset to the right setting but could any damage have been done? I only drove about 2 miles from the shop to my place and so I also only have to drive it 2 miles to get back there.

 

[Jetronic]

no damage.

 

[maggie06]

no damage.

My little Ford Maverick is set at 148 per spec

 

[SubLGT]

Inspect the threads on your wheel studs.

 

[Patman]

no damage.

But I should definitely go back and get it set to 100?

 

[tig1]

Every time I have a tire removed I re-torque the lug nuts to 100 lbs. Helps prevent brake wobble.

 

[SubLGT]

But I should definitely go back and get it set to 100?

Yes, if that is the value shown in your owner's manual. 140ft-lb sounds crazy high to me.
You don't own a torque wrench?

 

[Patman]

Yes, if that is the value shown in your owner's manual. 140ft-lb sounds crazy high to me.

The guy doing it made a comment about wondering why it was so high but I didn’t know the right spec until I got home

 

[SubLGT]

140Nm is OK, as it is equal to 103 ft-lb

 

[Speedy3861]

No worries, I've, until lately, always owned a good torque wrench, and the proper extension and socket to check my own. Luckily, my tire dealer always has torqued them in my presence, and my Honda dealer, who usually does my rotations always sets to 80 ft/lbs. I checked a few times, it was always correct. Good to have professionals you can trust. If i was fortunate enough to have a Corvette, I'd probably invest in a torque wrench again. I've always had a good tire pressure gauge as well. It was said years ago, "Trust, but Verify".

 

[Patman]

140Nm is OK, as it is equal to 103 ft-lb

I’m hoping that is what happened here. Since the shop is so close to my home I will pop by there tomorrow and ask them if they go by nm or ft lbs and they can readjust it if needed

 

[Pterostylis]

At least they’re using some kind of measurement.
Last time I got tyres done they tightened the lug nuts so tight that I had to borrow the big impact wrench from work to remove some of the nuts.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Honestly, even if they did torque it to 140, that's still not a problem. But if they did 140 Nm, which is 103 lb ft, then you're good

The ones who do it properly often want you to come back for a retorque. You can address any issues at that time.

The real problem is that most shops torque them to 500-600 lb ft with an air gun, and sometimes the torque is uneven

Actually using proper torque spec is why Walmart and DT are good places to get tires

 

[Carmudgeon]

I love it when they spin the lugs on with an air gun, then use the torque wrench afterward.

 

[PontiacHO]

But I should definitely go back and get it set to 100?

Torque to factory spec but do it yourself. If the tire store got it wrong this time they could again. Even using torque wrench or torque stick can be incorrect if torqued out of proper sequence.

 

[Jetronic]

But I should definitely go back and get it set to 100?

if you don't have your own torque wrench. I'd be happy it's not more than 140 to be fair.

 

[Jetronic]

I love it when they spin the lugs on with an air gun, then use the torque wrench afterward.

That's what I used to do, but the air gun was just used to spin the nuts/bolts until barely seated. Always had to torque them further with the wrench (some about 30°, some more.

 

[rijndael]

I love it when they spin the lugs on with an air gun, then use the torque wrench afterward.

I do it all the time.

On my gun, with setting 2 and stopping after it 2-3 impact hits, it caps out somewhere around 70 lb-ft. I can always get some movement when finishing up at 85 or 100 - depending on the car..

 

[Marcozi]

I always provide my torque wrench, set to 105ft/lbs, with a short extension and a 17mm 6 point socket to the person working on my tires/wheels.

 

[Patman]

Yes, if that is the value shown in your owner's manual. 140ft-lb sounds crazy high to me.
You don't own a torque wrench?

I do not have my own torque wrench. It’s an expensive tool that I really don’t need since I don’t do anything on my car that involves removing the wheels.