Difference between proper/improper lug nut torque!

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Below are pictures of lug nuts from my cars. The top one is from my Focus, which was mostly dealer serviced or in some other shops. Looking at the picture we can all guess what these shops used to torque the lug nuts
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The bottom one is from my wife's Mazda 3 which only had a handful of services where someone else, other than me would remove the wheels.
The difference is pretty clear which lug nuts are in good shape and which ones aren't and will need to be changed soon. The good news is that only few of the lug nuts from the Focus look like this, the other ones are OK, which doesn't exactly give me a warm and fuzzy feeling that these lugs were torqued evenly in the past.

I guess I'm posting this to give others, that use tire change or oil change places for regular tire rotations, to watch out how the lug nuts are torqued. Over time it does make a difference, as a lug nut without a proper taper will not provide adequate clamping load to the wheel.




 
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I've found that shops/dealers/etc often torque the wheel nuts far beyond what is recommended or required.

One tire shop deformed the lug nuts to the extent that they were indented from where they touched the rim, and the threads were compromised so they were difficult to turn.

When I went to rotate these it took everything I had to loosen them, including standing on the lug wrench; and at the time I weighed more than 250#.
 
This is exactly why I always double check the torque at home after I get my car back from the shop. It's sad that you can't trust most shops to get something as menial as lug nut torque correct
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A couple of years ago, my Aerostar had a sudden front wheel bearing failure in a town that is about 30 miles from me. I normally do all the work on my vehicles, but I limped it into an indy shop and I had him replace the inner and outer wheel bearings and the rotor. I picked my vehicle up after the repair and I didn't think any more about it until about a week later when the brake pedal started pulsating when applying the brakes.
Sure enough, the "tech" had over-tightened the lug nuts and he must have used the largest impact that he had, because I couldn't get the lug nuts off with a breaker bar. I'm really surprised he didn't twist off the studs.
This shop has an excellent reputation, and the guy has been in business for over 30 years. I just don't understand it.
 
I've also seen results like the top, when using steel wheels and similar results to the bottom on aluminum. OP, do both your vehicles use the same material wheels?
 
Originally Posted By: The_Eric
I've also seen results like the top, when using steel wheels and similar results to the bottom on aluminum. OP, do both your vehicles use the same material wheels?


Yup, both vehicles have both steel wheels for winter and aluminum for summer and same lug nuts are used year round.
 
What is an avg torque for cars? Or do they vary a lot? My Can Am calls for 80 ftlbs on front wheels, no idea bout cars.
 
Yep, I snapped studs on my Cruze tightening the lugs too tight. Flipping owners manual listed the torque value incorrectly. Should be 80 ft/lbs for aluminum wheels and 100 ft/lbs for steel wheels. Steel deflects, aluminum doesn't. I spent 3-4 hours replacing studs after taking out a hub thanks to that lesson...
 
Another reason that I prefer to torque my own lugs is the fewer rotor replacements due to uneven torque that is applied in a service center.

Not that I take my vehicles in to the shop often but, sometimes ya just have to(state inpsections, new tire etc.) But, I always retorque my lugs after arriving home from a shop. You wouldn't believe how much difference the lug torque is from one to another.

Incidently, I torque all of our wheels to ~ 80 ft.lbs. which is just about what all of our vehicles call for. Never an issue!
 
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Originally Posted By: Char Baby

Incidently, I torque all of our wheels to ~ 80 ft.lbs. which is just about what all of our vehicles call for. Never an issue!


That's what I do as well. 80ft-lb is about the ball park value for most small, through mid-size cars and I even taped off the 80ft-lb mark on my beam torque wrench just so it's easier to see.
In fact, that's why I bought that beam torque wrench, just for the wheels. After I experienced brake pulsation right after tire rotation on Mazda 3, I got the wrench, re-torqued the lug nuts and the pulsation went away.
I've been using that torque wrench on wheels ever since and after many years of this practice I realized the added bonus of keeping the lug nuts from deforming.
 
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Same here!
I use the beam on the wheels as I only want consistancy between the 5 lugs even if the torque wrench isn't calibrated. I use the clicker type for things that I need to be more precise/exact!
 
We don't know the quality of the steel used in the Ford lug nuts.

Agreed, abusing the nuts and studs with an impact wrench is bad. The local Les Schwab tire store has their guys bang the nuts up hard with the impact wrench, then rapidly click multiple times with a torque wrench to check that none are loose. How tight isn't a concern. I want to see the nut turn before the torque wrench clicks once, but what do I know?...I'm not a tire expert.

Don't trust a torque stick. I use a 65 lbs-ft green torque stick, and I can overtorque the nuts with it (80 is the spec). I
 
I agree! Torque Sticks can be inconsistant from lug to lug. When I have checked lug nut torque after getting my car home, using my torque wrench, I have seen variances. All depends on the Tech that is using the stick. Other times I've said..."Hmmm, very good!"
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I had to replace 2 wheels on my Taurus and 10 lug nuts thanks to a tire shop that used an air gun to run them on.

I have no idea what they ran the lug nuts up to, but I (at the time) was 200 pounds and had to use a 3 foot breaker bar to remove the lug nuts.

Nothing broke, but they ruined the taper on the lug nuts and wheels. After that, two of the wheels would never stay tight.

Had to get 2 "new" wheels from a junkyard.

Then at some point, one of those warped one winter.
 
Originally Posted By: Pablo
Your nuts look terrible. Just get some new ones for criminy sake.


+1.

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Yep, I snapped studs on my Cruze tightening the lugs too tight. Flipping owners manual listed the torque value incorrectly. Should be 80 ft/lbs for aluminum wheels and 100 ft/lbs for steel wheels. Steel deflects, aluminum doesn't. I spent 3-4 hours replacing studs after taking out a hub thanks to that lesson...


Per the accutorq chart, the 2011 Cruze calls for 100 ft-lbs.

I really doubt that 100 ft-lbs will wipe out studs. There was probably some debris on your studs that wiped out the threads.

Originally Posted By: Char Baby
I agree! Torque Sticks can be inconsistant from lug to lug. When I have checked lug nut torque after getting my car home, using my torque wrench, I have seen variances. All depends on the Tech that is using the stick. Other times I've said..."Hmmm, very good!"
smile.gif


As long as the sticks are replaced periodically, they are fine.

I've been using torque sticks now for quite some time and have found them to deliver consistent results.

My 80 ft-lb stick is usually in the 80-85 ft-lb range each time.
 
Torque sticks could be okay in the right hands, but they still beat the [censored] out of chrome capped lug nuts that a socket will never fit right again on. More important with a stick you don't get any feed back like you do with a torque wrench. I always loosen by hand so I can tell how they were tightened before, then use a cordless impact to buzz them off and back on to lightly seat. Then use a torque wrench to finish, and always come back to the first lug and re-check. If it moves at all, check them all again. A lot of time the first or second one will move, and the rest are okay.
 
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