Wheel lug torque

[DougS550]

Got it, thanks for the confirmation.

I was always told, Do Not Use anti seize compound on wheel lug threads, for that actual increases the actual torque/stress on the bolt and wheel due to the anti friction grease. But I did read some where if you do use anti seize, minus 15%-20% of the torque used from the recomended torque value due to the reduction in thread friction. I do put a little on the conical taper lip of the lug that contacts the wheel taper but never on the actual threads. That's just me

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[Hack]

Industry standard is to never put anything on the stud threads; just keep it clean and dry. Putting anti-seize or any other lube on it will reduce friction and end up potentially causing more stress/tension to stretch the stud further since the nut will turn further for the given torque than without any lube on it. I know some guys who put anti-seize on the threads because there was some damage to the threads so the lube made it easier to tighten the nuts without causing them to gall or strip. But, the best solution is to replace both stud and nut. If anti-seize was required, the factory would have them on the studs when they manufactured the cars.

Yes, I agree with you 100%. Using anti-seize will reduce the friction in the threads and the bolt will end up getting more stretch than the nominal design. That is why I mentioned it. The OP was saying 150 ft-lbs seemed too tight. It's definitely not too tight, because even with anti-seize + 150 ft-lbs I've never damaged a wheel stud or lug nut. And I tend to swap wheels a fair amount with winter, summer, track days, etc.

 

[Prodigal]

I don’t know about “industry standards” but when the manufacturer sells a product that’s designed to work with their hardware (wheel studs) and the wheel and lug nut manufacturer recommends using it, I use it. I’ve got to remove my wheels today for other work but I will check the torque on the nuts before doing so to see if I’ve gotten any loosening.

 

[Prodigal]

So I just got done removing all 4 wheels and not a single lug nut had loosened any. So I’ll continue to follow manufacturer recommendations.

 

[FUN2RIDEFAST]

I know the manual says 150lb of torque for the lug nuts but man, that seems high to me. Is that what everyone is tighten their lugs to or is anyone going less? I have a HP car. Thanks.

Yep. Make sure if you ever have new tires mounted to inform the installer. They usually don't believe it but it's 150.

 

[OldPhart]

Hi - I guess I’ve been lucky. Since the 1963 when I got my first car I’ve never used a torque wrench. I just hand tighten with the lug wrench that come with the car or the 4-spoke multi size lug wrench. Early on I would put a couple of drops of 3 in 1 oil on the lugs and once WD 40 became available I used that on the lugs and immediate surrounding area. Sixty years of that and never a single issue and that time has always been in salt country, although my toys of recent years don’t get driven in the winter. Full disclosure: I don’t drive cars hard, go to race tracks, drag race, etc. Also in recent years I don’t normally do tire work myself because of my age and I want to avoid back problems… Bruce

 

[shogun32]

My understanding is torque stretches the studs according to what the engineers have calculated the correct stretch for the type of steel the studs are made of

there is no (discernable) stud stretch at 75% of yield. If your studs are stretching you've got pot-metal or just chinese garbage.

 

[IanKar]

I heard many say at the track, they torque at 130 and many saying the engineers know best. I kept to the manual at 150. When I changed to the ARP studs with front spacer I was told to do it at 130-135 but I did at 140. Now that I got my Racseng titanium nuts with floating seats, they supply their own anti-seize and have a chart showing factory and their recommended torques. So at 150 factory torque they recommend 130 with their nuts with anti-seize. For factory std, my vote would be at 150 with no anti-seize.

 

[07S281E]

yes Gorilla Lugs 150

 

[Scuba]

there is no (discernable) stud stretch at 75% of yield. If your studs are stretching you've got pot-metal or just chinese garbage.

My studs are stock. Steel is ductile, so all studs do stretch (a tiny bit) under torque. I based my comment off something I read: "The body of the bolt acts like a stiff spring. The stretching of the bolt causes a predictable preload to exist in the bolted joint"

If the studs didn't stretch at all, the rotational difference between torqueing to 5ftlbs and 500ftlbs would be zero.

Anyway, I'm no expert, just having fun in the forum

 

[shogun32]

I was over simplifying for effect. Thank you for the more complete writeup.

 

[EFI]

while asking the maker of that rim what their torque spec is.

I'm using an SVE wheel from LMR. With the provided Gorilla lugs, their recommendation is same as factory: 150 lb-ft / 203 Nm.

That's because wheel manufacturer/composition has literally 0 relation to what the correct torque spec should be.

If you get any other response (from a wheel manufacturer) other than what the OEM torque rating is (if retaining OEM studs) you should probably avoid using those wheels.

 

[momalle1]

Yes I follow the directions written by Ford engineers.

Never a problem with any wheels I've used. Never had a lug nut loosen or a stud break.

And I always use anti-seize as well.

The Ford spec is dry, if you are adding anti-seize, you aren't following directions and probably over torquing.

 

[Hack]

My studs are stock. Steel is ductile, so all studs do stretch (a tiny bit) under torque. I based my comment off something I read: "The body of the bolt acts like a stiff spring. The stretching of the bolt causes a predictable preload to exist in the bolted joint"

If the studs didn't stretch at all, the rotational difference between torqueing to 5ftlbs and 500ftlbs would be zero.

Anyway, I'm no expert, just having fun in the forum

Yes, bolt stretch is what prevents the lug nuts from backing out and the wheel from falling off.

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