Lug Nut Torque

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Lug Nut Torque

Postby Karen Clancy » Sat Mar 02, 2019 4:33 pm

I took of the wheels off today to inspect brake shoes & grease wheel bearings , and for the life of me I can't remember what the lug nut torque should be . The wheels are aluminum 5 spoke 14 " dia . Can someone inform me of this . Thank You Kerry
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Re: Lug Nut Torque

Postby pchast » Sat Mar 02, 2019 9:11 pm

IF these are the same as your tow vehicle,
it should be listed in the owner's manual.
:thumbsup:
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Re: Lug Nut Torque

Postby Karen Clancy » Sat Mar 02, 2019 9:17 pm

No that would not be the case the TV are 18" 6 lug wheels on the truck . The trailer are 5 lug 14"
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Re: Lug Nut Torque

Postby Aguyfromohio » Sat Mar 02, 2019 11:00 pm

Here’s a table at Tire Rack, bottom of article

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech ... techid=107
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Re: Lug Nut Torque

Postby Karen Clancy » Sun Mar 03, 2019 8:37 am

Thank You .
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Re: Lug Nut Torque

Postby working on it » Sun Mar 03, 2019 10:39 am

Aguyfromohio wrote:Here’s a table at Tire Rack, bottom of article

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech ... techid=107

*I looked at that chart, and the ones on E-trailer.com and Discount Tire, also, and find a lot of different specs for various sizes. Some that I don't agree with, like for the S-10, and Chevelle at 80 ft-lbs...would loosen up too easily, in my experience.

*Over the years, I've owned so many different vehicles, wheels, and lug nut types, I've just started to standardize, and use 100 ft-lbs for everything (except for 140 ft-lbs for my eight-lug 2500HD Silverado, and 130 ft-lbs for 5/8" drive-lugs on a set of alloy axle half-shafts on a 12-bolt Chevy drag race rear end). Even the factory recommendation for our Chevy Cobalt and HHR Panel specifies 100 ft-lbs (any tighter will warp the brake rotors!).

*In my book, a little extra torque holds them tighter and more secure, rather than not tight enough, which can lead to death-wobble (a lesson I learned from using improperly tightened Cragar SS Uni-lugs!). But, the caveat is to use the correct lug nuts to match the wheels, and a proper torque wrench, and not to go "Gorilla" upon tightening them (I snapped two, at a race, using another guy's wrench, many moons ago).

*My 4x8 squareback TTT has 14" steel wheels, and I use 100 ft-lbs on the lug nuts. They never loosen, though I do re-check them before every trip. And I also carry a cheap-ish torque wrench along, JIC. Using old 4-ways, and the lug nut tools that came with our vehicles is good enough for emergency use, but the accuracy gained by using a torque wrench (even a cheap HF, Amazon, or NT one, if in good working order) is better, overall.

e-tork.JPG
my newest torque wrench, for tire-changing and general use
e-tork.JPG (64.27 KiB) Viewed 1586 times
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Re: Lug Nut Torque

Postby gudmund » Sun Mar 03, 2019 12:41 pm

agree, same here - 100 lbs torque, that is/was the torque for both of my trailers. The sticker on the trailer rims stated '100-120 lbs'. (old trailer was steel trailer wheels/todays are aluminum cast wheels - both are 100 lbs torque) (the one I have to watch is my car - which is 'only' 46 lbs torque = Geo Metro/Suzuki Swift and YES over the years(30+years) after having had 7 of these 'driver's', the tire store has broke a couple by 'over' torqueing them) Both vehicles, truck & car have a 'click' torque wrench under the front set at 'all' times!!
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Re: Lug Nut Torque

Postby gudmund » Sun Mar 03, 2019 1:19 pm

agreement also on 'torque' wrench's - my $$good$$ one stays at home and the ones I carry under my driver's seat are the 'HF' bought one's, about $10 each w/coupon and YES they work just fine!! I have checked them with my $$good$$ one and they have always = agreed with each other so far - and yes, the torque of each lug nut is the concern, along with each stud/nut ending up at the same equal setting - "consistent torque". (Note - years ago at W-M, I saw they were selling the 'same' exact 'click' stop torque wrench that H-F was selling. W-M's was $28 and H-F's was $10 w/coupon (H-F always seems to have the 'coupon' sitting there at the store for buying one of them!! at all times)
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