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Everyone over torques lugs...Ford...Tire shops...

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Briebee72

Briebee72

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You do understand the basic principles of torque and applying leverage, right? Your definition of "worked just fine" is different than mine.

Those cross shaped lug wrenches are typically 14 inches across (let's call it 12 inches / 1 foot for simplicity). The socket is in the middle of that span, meaning that you have basically a 6 inch / 0.5 ft lever arm. If a lug nut requires 150 lb-ft of torque to break it loose, you basically need to generate 300 pounds of force to break that lug nut loose. If you use a breaker bar that's 2 ft long, you would need to generate 75 pounds of force to break it loose.

Also, not all air impacts are the same. A lot of people overrate their own air impacts. They buy cheapo ones where the marketing will claim they'll do 400 lb-ft or more, but it's really a sham. I know because I made the same mistake. It'll make all the same noises as high end air impact guns, but deliver a fraction of the torque. And that's not even mentioning the air supply.

And I get it, you used what you have. I do the same, but I also use it as an excuse to buy better tools, so that in the future I won't struggle with the same issue. Do yourself a favor, and get yourself a telescoping lug wrench like this: https://www.amazon.com/EPAuto-Telescoping-Wrench-Wheel-Sockets/dp/B071FV7XVM or a nice breaker bar and socket at harbor freight. https://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-drive-25-in-professional-breaker-bar-62729.html
Thanks, I guess I took you meant the lug wrench would mess it up somehow not that there was a better way. But when a cars up in air can't exactly jump in and go buy tools :) thanks for the tips.
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Cpl0313

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Had to remove my rear tires to install some splash guards. We’ve had the car two weeks. Bought it as a CPO from a Ford dealer. I bet the lug nuts weren’t even 75 ft lbs. scared me they were so loose. Went ahead and torqued then to 150.
 

gamecoc430

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I guess we're just lucky here in Lexington, SC. I use Discount Tire and they do everything right the first time. Sure, impact wrench to start with then follow up with a torque wrench to spec. They even wire brush any crud off the hub before they reinstall the rims. Couldn't sk for better service.

Call me lucky!
 

Dfeeds

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I worked at the tire shop at sam's club when I was 18 and, even with the expected discount service, we followed torque specs to the letter. We used the torque sticks on the lugs before dropping the car (which usually always undertorqued the bolts), then we would go around with a torque wrench, and then we would have a second person with a different torque wrench do it all again. To add on to the above, we also wire brushes aluminum rims or pounded steel rims with a mini hammer to get loose rust off.

It actually impresses me how thorough we were. The downside is that you had a gamble on which one of us you got. Was it going to be the guy who crashed a customer's car into a parked plow truck, the guy that was stoned and dumped an F-250 because the blocks on one side were hanging over the edge, or did you have a stick shift and only two of us were actually proficient at driving stick, but the scheduling never accounted for that? Haha, some good times. That last bit is why I take the rims in, and not the car itself.
 

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I see the guys at Discount using a torque wrench, but I have no idea what they're torquing them to. I've gotten to where I just take the wheels off, toss them in the truck & take them to Discount to have whatever balancing / mounting work done, and re-mount myself. This gives me the opportunity to check out other things while the wheels are off. I torque to 105 and re-check the following week.

Over-torqued lugs on a 99 Explorer almost left me stranded years ago when I broke 1 stud 100 miles from home, changing a flat. Was lucky I only broke 1. I Was jumping up and down on a 2-foot breaker bar with a pipe over the end. My body weight alone wasn't enough for any of the lugs. Clearly installed with an air wrench set on max torque. No more of that for me, thanks.
 

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69mach1-395

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I always retorque mine after a visit to any tire place and about 20 miles later. I usually find them all over the place...high and low.
 

SAL-E

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I guess we're just lucky here in Lexington, SC. I use Discount Tire and they do everything right the first time. Sure, impact wrench to start with then follow up with a torque wrench to spec. They even wire brush any crud off the hub before they reinstall the rims. Couldn't ask for better service.
My local Discount Tire does exactly the same thing. They are excellent!!
 

RichBrew

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I guess we're just lucky here in Lexington, SC. I use Discount Tire and they do everything right the first time. Sure, impact wrench to start with then follow up with a torque wrench to spec. They even wire brush any crud off the hub before they reinstall the rims. Couldn't sk for better service.

Call me lucky!
Same here in ATL, they hand thread the nuts, then snug them with a 65ft/lb torque stick on the air gun, then hand torque once its on the ground. My last visit, I had hit a pothole and had a bubble in the factory pirelli. A local friend donated a takeoff of the same, so I had them mount it. Even doing only one tire, they insisted on checking the torque all the way around. I was pleasantly surprised. They were happy to have me hang out in the bay while they did the work, even asked if i wanted to drive onto/off of the lift.
 

Strokerswild

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Discount Tire is excellent here also, torqued to spec and noted on the paperwork.
 

Cpl0313

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Discount Tire is excellent here also, torqued to spec and noted on the paperwork.

Last time I used discount they beat their EBay price by 10%, mounted and balanced them for free and gave me free lifetime flat repair and rotate and balancing.
 

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ORRadtech

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Same here in ATL, they hand thread the nuts, then snug them with a 65ft/lb torque stick on the air gun, then hand torque once its on the ground. My last visit, I had hit a pothole and had a bubble in the factory pirelli. A local friend donated a takeoff of the same, so I had them mount it. Even doing only one tire, they insisted on checking the torque all the way around. I was pleasantly surprised. They were happy to have me hang out in the bay while they did the work, even asked if i wanted to drive onto/off of the lift.
Where in Atlanta are you? I'm south of the airport. I've always been impressed with Discount Tire as well. Working on a friends truck one evening we needed a lug nut. All the part stores were closed. DT was closed but had a bay door open. Long story short they gave my buddy a lug nut no charge.
I've also had good experiences with Mavis Tire (formerly Kaufman Tire).
 

RichBrew

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Where in Atlanta are you? I'm south of the airport. I've always been impressed with Discount Tire as well. Working on a friends truck one evening we needed a lug nut. All the part stores were closed. DT was closed but had a bay door open. Long story short they gave my buddy a lug nut no charge.
I've also had good experiences with Mavis Tire (formerly Kaufman Tire).
A little outside ATL, in Buford, near Mall of GA.
 

thunderstrike

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Experienced people can come close to the torque, hand or air tool.

I was impressed by Sam's Club tire shop - a worker walked away after torquing the lug nuts, with a torque wrench hanging. Few minutes later, another worker came by to check the torque.
 

tokuzumi

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When I was a tire change monkey, we used torque sticks on the air wrenches. Typically we torqued cars to 80 ft-lbs, and trucks to 100 ft-lbs (this was in the 90s). I have a set of torque sticks for my cordless impact wrench. I'll look up specs on one of my cars, and find the stick that's closest to that value. May not be absolute torque, but the torque across all the lugs around the hub will be consistent. Consistency of the torque is more important than the exact torque applied when tightening.

If I were doing a cam swap, I'd make sure to use the exact factory rated torque spec. But for the wheels, it's not as sensitive to torque to the exact ft-lb rating the factory recommends.
 

ManyfordsnoMustang

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in the last year I have had Costco replace the tires on my Suburban and I brought them special order tires for my Marauder. Both times they used a torque wrench, drove the car around the parking lot and then rechecked with the torque wrench a second time.
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