Wheel Lug Nut Tightening Procedure

[gnutruk]

Wheel Lug Nut Tightening Procedure

 

Don’t wanna warp the rotors.

 

So I’m coming up on my fourth tire rotation soon, which I will combine with an oil change and lube.

 

With the 6-lug stock aluminum wheels, year 2002, the torque requirement is pretty high : 140 ft. lbs. From advice on a post long ago, I check the torque setting on those lug nuts every now and then. It seems that the lug nuts are prone to loosening on those alu. wheels.

 

With such a high torque requirement, there seems to be a possibility of warping the brake rotors, according to some opinion that was posted here or on another site awhile back. The idea was that even going through the cross nut (‘star’) tightening pattern, such high torque values could distort the rotors at the beginning of the procedure, at the point when only two or three nuts are on and torqued up full. I’m not convinced of that, but I figured; why take chances.

 

Here is what was advised.

 

Don’t set your torque wrench for the full 140 ft. lbs. from the get go. Instead, sneak up on it in a few stages. I crank first at 80 ft. lbs. (pretty easy pull), and go around the bolts in the standard ‘opposite nut’ type of pattern. I think that pattern is diagramed in the owners manual. Then I reset the wrench to 110 ft. lbs., and repeat the pattern. Finally, I set the wrench to the final 140 and wail away. 140 is fairly well up there and I have to lean on it a little bit, despite being 200+ (SHUT UP, you thin guys!).

 

Actually, doing it this way makes the job physically somewhat easier, although it adds a couple of minutes. But who cares. As my old friend Warren once said, “The longer the job, the better the beer tastes afterward.” Or, if the job is gonna be REALLY long, you get to have an intermediate beer.

 

Now here’s a question about all this.

 

If you agree that it’s possible to warp the brake rotors by having high and unequal torque on the lug nuts, do you think it’s possible to cause warpage of the rotors during the wheel REMOVAL process, after three or four nuts are off but a couple of them still remain on?

 

You folks have any views on this?

 

I gotta admit that worrying about this seems just a bit too fuss budget. In addition, I know of no way to back a nut DOWNWARD in torque -- at least not with a standard torque wrench like mine. As I figure it, you can’t loosen a 140 ft. lb. nut with the wrench set at 110 ! It takes 140 (or 140+) to loosen 140, according to my cave-man way of thinking. And as we all know, once you break that nut free just a little bit, its tightness drops off very quickly, so I would think it’s hard to aim for specific intermediate steps of gradually lower torque. Doubtless it’s technically possible to back torque down, but it might require tools considerable more sophisticated and expensive than what any of us have.

 

But I’m no mechanic, as I’m sure the actual mechanics among us will have seen at once. So I could be wrong about this.

 

I’m just sorta thinking out loud here; not really worried about it.

 

gnutruk

[Black02Silverado]

In all my years of tire rotation I feel as long as you torque the wheels properly to the right lbs ft setting called for in the owners manual you will not have a problem. I never have, (knock on wood). No need to worry about how you remove the lug nuts and as long as you cross pattern the installation all should be well. I don't bother step torque, just snug them up and put the final torque on and I'm done. Works for me.

[MoJo]

The warpping due to unequal torque happens with high heat (Long and/or hard stops . Removing the lug nuts in any sequence is not going to cause the rotors to warp.

[k1500chevy97]

Thanks for the info

[Ben]

Really only matters in tightenting them. Taking them off should be okay...unless doing it while VERY hot, then might impose/cause some stresses.

 

By improperly tightening, causes uneven stresses. Then the heat cycling (rate of change and ultimate temp reached) of braking introduces additional stresses that excerbates whatever stresses are there.

 

Add to your tightening sequence (which by the way is very good) and that is to use criss cross pattern & have no weight on the rig up till the last torque sequence. Last sequence should have the full weight of the vehicle on the tires. Then retighten them after 200-300 miles and several more times thereafter if alloy wheels.

 

Here's hot link to site that shows criss cross pattern and notes about warpage due to improper sequence. Criss cross pattern & explaination

 

[JayMan]

Excellent question. For awhile in the late '80's I worked part-time as a maintenance helper in a mill. On any torque value over 100 lb/ft we were taught to torque in TWO equal stages; eg - 140 lb ft, so torque in a proper pattern to 70 lb/ft, then final torque in a proper pattern to 140 lb ft. On torque values over 250 we were taught to torque in THREE equal stages.

 

So I've always done that on bolts/nuts on all my equipment, and is seems to work well. It's also a LOT easier! I witnessed somebody trying to torque their lug nuts to 140 lb ft in one stage - the stupid socket slipped out and the guy crashed to the ground. It wasn't funny at all, he got hurt.

 

I also apply Loctite Nickle Grade anti-seize to the threads. Roads here in winter have heavy salt application, so you'd never get the nuts off if you didn't apply some sort of anti-seize.

[Wingnut]

I just hit them with the impact wrench a couple of times, and call it good.

 

Have yet to have one warp on me.

 

Thanks for the good information though.

[Scott02Z71]

Never had one warp on me. Just make sure to retorque after about 35-40 miles after initial torque. I had a wheel fall off once when i didnt do that. that sucked.

Scott

[chevroletmb]

i was taught to remove the lugs gradually but i have never seen anyone do it

weather or not it has or hasn't affected rotors is hard to tell.

if your worried about it? take whatever steps required to make you feel good

about the job.