Topic: Changing tires - right torque?

[Winklovic]

That looks like a lot of stuff just to tighten a nut on the odd occasion.

A man can never have enough tools.   

[No H2O]

I don't like the chromed acorn nuts that seem to be the style now...soft and easily deformed.

They're steel so I don't know how you are deforming them if you are using a quality 6 point socket. Of course, the tire wrench that came with the car isn't anything special; they're meant for roadside tire changes. Try not using a 2.5 foot extension on your wrench. 

I have aluminum wheel nuts that are torqued to 96 lbf.ft. None of them are deforming.

I suppose that the chromed acorn nuts are for appearance ...hmmm.

The chrome aspect of them might be, besides preventing them from rusting. The acorn part of them seals the end so that the threads don't rust.

[dr_spock]

I find it too much of a pain to dig out each time the tire wrench and jack that came with the car.  They are nicely secured with the spare tire and under the truck carpet/cover.  I have two cars and they are different sizes (17mm and 19mm).   I have nuts on the Honda and bolts on the VW.

Too many tools?  Never!  One can never have too many tools. 

Breaker bar to loosen the nuts or bolts.

Drill with socket adapter to make quick extraction of those VW wheel bolts.

Palm socket wrench to hand install the nuts or bolts.  Don't want to over-force them to cross thread...

Torque wrench to properly tighten the nuts or bolts to manufacturer's listed spec.

The cross shaped lug wrench is redundant now that I have my new breaker bar.

[Rupert]

Well I don't know hcrv...using extra leverage on nuts that will not 'undo' is all that can be done. Yes I suppose the acorn part will close off the thread. I don't know about others experience but I have found that one wheel rotation is enough to make the chromed acorn nuts look a bit used. The steel in the nuts does not seem to be very high tensile, maybe for a reason. Never had aluminium ones...maybe they are higher tensile than steel ones. That's interesting.
I thought that grade 8 steel nuts would be used but wonder if this is the case with acorn style. The aluminium nuts must be a high tensile grade and probably annodized. Can you get covered ends in aluminium.

There seems to be a world of wheelnuts out there...most made in China apparently.

[shawcross]

well if its a car 120 FTP of torque would do it but if its a truck use a larger mount of torque bar

[No H2O]

Well I don't know hcrv...using extra leverage on nuts that will not 'undo' is all that can be done.

True if someone else put them on, but a wheel nut/bolt torqued to spec on a car can easily be undone with a 18" flex handle...and I mean easily.

Of course my nuts & studs never rusted even at 10 years old and they are taken off twice a year for winter/summer tire changes.

Don't expect to find aluminium wheel nuts; that is far from the norm, but standard equipment on my Porsche.

[safristi]

I finally got a chance to try out my new breaker bar this afternoon installing the winters for my vehicles.  It was much easier untightening lug nuts/bolts with it than my old cross shaped tire lug wrench.  I didn't even have to use an extension pipe for extra leverage.  Not sure how I survived this long without a breaker bar. 

  Dr SPOCKY are U a "SAFE" breaker in yer SPARE time.....   Nice suit...............