I just replaced my front tires and had the wheels rotated ( MC, 15" wheels, stock ContiTouring tires).....I asked them to use a torque wrench to 91...they said they use an air wrench but will use the only torque tool they have which is an 80 torque stick that they say they do all the BMW's and Mercedes with and this will absolutely be fine...is 80 torqued enough or should I buy a torque wrench and torque it up to 88.5 or 91?....comments please

 

It only takes a few minutes to re-torque. I almost lost a wheel on the freeway because I forgot to re-torque one of the wheels.

 

It should be fine, but if you want to make sure buy a TQ wrench and tighten her up. You'll be needing it in the future anyways I'm sure. TQ wrenches come in handy

 

I don't think I'd be letting anyone install my wheels who doesn't have & use a torque wrench. Torque sticks aren't very accurate. The procedure is use the torque stick & then use the torque wrench to do the final tightening.

 

Get the torque wrench and re-torque wheels if anyone has removed and replaced wheels. Actually, I check my wheels torque at least once per month.. after checking air pressure

 

Definitely get a torque wrench! You don't have to spend $200+ for a Snap-On or Matco, especially since Sears (Craftsman) has some very nice units well under $100. Good luck...

 

Hardly any professional techs actually use a torque wrench to tighten wheel lugs. It isn't a "critical" component so most just zap it with an impact. As long as it isn't tightened to the point of stripping the threads, it's fine. And most techs know by memory when it's tight enough by feel.

Now leaving it not tight enough, that's a different story. But TQ wrenches are a bit overrated for the wheels though.

 

Also, Al wheels should be re-torqued after some driving, so get a torque wrench and tighten them to spec after a few days of driving....

Almost every performance shop I can think of uses a torque wrench for final torque settings. My local fav actually asks for the torque rating of the wheel, or your preference, when you drop the car off for tire/wheel work.

It's cheap insurance. And the guys that use the air wrench, don't drive the car every day!

Matt

 

It is cheap insurance, but if you don't retorque it, nothing catastrophic is going to happen. I haven't remembered the last time I retorqued my wheels and I drive my car pretty hard.

It should be torqued, it is definitely recommended, but I think it's a bit overrated on the list of things that should and need to be torqued.

what's wrong w/ air impacts? I'd use it on my car if I had access to an airline. Just gotta know when to stop pressing on the trigger

 

But what are you gonna do? Count the ckicks after the first thunk? And if someone else is using the air at the same time and line pressure is low? And I have had suprisingly loose lugs at times...

Also, the build of the wheel can effect what is too much torque (steel lugs deform Al wheels).

Here's a surprise for ya! The Al wheels on my MDX came with steel inserts to prevent wheel deformation with overtightening lugs, stock!

Matt

 

Wheel torque influences brake rotor stability under high heat conditions. There is a very long thread about this and in support of my own observations I solicited the aid of a brake engineer - I copied his response into the thread. I won't re-hash the thread here, but over torquing wheel lugs nut will lead to warped brake rotors. 80-85ft/lbs is a perfectly acceptable range for most cars.

While at the track, re-check lug nuts after every session. Also, make sure you are torquing the wheels in the proper order; for 4 lug wheels, begin with one nut, move to its opposite, then go to the nut left or right and then opposite. In other words, 12:00 then 6:00, then 9:00, then 3:00 Oclock.

My very first experience many years ago with a new after market brake kit; I torqued the wheels by hand and without a torque wrench. After the rotors were broken in I hammerd them on a long down hill and they warped immediately. I called the manufacturer. I was told to re-torque the wheels properly, drive the car to 100mph and hammer the brakes again and they would straigten out...worked just fine on this particular with these particular brakes.

This is possibly the most overlooked re-installation procedure and it costs folks big money - after the rotors warp.

 

It's not so much over or under tightening the wheel lug studs, but the consistency from one to the other.
Also it is most critical to recheck torque setting after the install of new components {wheels, lug studs, nuts etc.}
I personally know of an incident where a freind had new aftermarket wheels installed, and one wheel fell off after less than 1,000 miles. The tire/wheel shop told him it was his fault because he didn't recheck torque or come by so they could {as they had originally ask him to} This was a truck with big offset wheels, but still something to think about.
I purchased an enclosed trailer, and was told several times before I left the lot to check the wheel torgue every 100 miles for the first 1,000 miles. They mentioned that there had been some problems.
We use the torque sticks {that have been calibrated to a specific impact tool and a specific air pressure} to do the initial tightening and then finish with a torque wrench.

 

meb is right.....I would not trust anyone who does not use a torque wrench to properly tighten lugs

Engineers assign specified torque values for a REASON ....Undertorqued your wheel can fall off....I have had two come off before I stopped trusting the 6th grade educated morons at the tire store........Overtorqued will warp your rotors....My wifes car currently has this issue after brake service at a chevy dealer....Im still mad at myself that I didn't drive her car Immediately after the service

 

Keep in mind that torquing stretches bolts by design. If you over-torque a bolt, it will stretch beyond design limits and potentially become too thin for proper thread to thread contact under sever conditions...or sheer threads completely.