Torque specs for aluminum spacers/ wheels

[Spurshot]

The whole "use a torque wrench to tighten your lug nuts" thing is born out of liability from some donks that forgot to tighten the customer's lugs, resulting in their insurance company insisting they use torque wrenches and a calibration system of those wrenches.  Don't get me wrong, its a good thing. I come from an aviation safety background.  But, lets face it, millions of cars had their lug nuts tightened with an air impact for the better part of the automobile's existence, without any problem.  It was a failure to tighten lugs at all that led to this "gotta use a torque wrench" culture.     But the truth is that your lug nuts that have a specified 140 ft/lb torque requirement, could be tightend to 90 ft/lbs and work just fine.  

[mikeyk101]

I agree that a lesser ft/lb would probably work but what I have to not fully agree about is using a torque wrench for lug nuts. Like I mention, a slightly lower torque value probably could work but what's more important is that the lugs get tightened equally all the way around. And I think it's most important on hubs that use the wheel to help secure the brake rotors. If uneven tightness is used, the rotors can suffer causing the rotors to end up warped.

[Grumpy Bear]

 

^^^^^

This

[Grumpy Bear]

Technically, a fastener locks due to plastic deformation. Simpler, bolt/stud stretch. Creates an interference fit. Intuitively you know this if you've ever built a motor that requires both a rod bolt torque value and a bolt stretch spec. It's how you find weak fasteners. Even in alloy rods...and wheels. You also know the even torque is required to prevent warpage as @mikeyk101 pointed out. You do use a torque plate to bore and hone, right?  You evenly torque hubs to prevent that warp.

[Spurshot]

On 7/1/2023 at 9:22 AM, Grumpy Bear said:

Technically, a fastener locks due to plastic deformation. Simpler, bolt/stud stretch. Creates an interference fit. Intuitively you know this if you've ever built a motor that requires both a rod bolt torque value and a bolt stretch spec. It's how you find weak fasteners. Even in alloy rods...and wheels. You also know the even torque is required to prevent warpage as @mikeyk101 pointed out. You do use a torque plate to bore and hone, right?  You evenly torque hubs to prevent that warp.

 

I think you meant to say "elastic" instead of "plastic".   Plastic deformation is permanent. 

 

 

[Grumpy Bear]

12 hours ago, Spurshot said:

 

I think you meant to say "elastic" instead of "plastic".   Plastic deformation is permanent. 

 

 

 

Correct you are. Thank you. Fingers work faster than my brain sometimes. I appreciate this.