Tighten lug nuts

I have a front wheel drive car and drive 30 to 40 thousand miles a year. My front tires wear out much quicker than the rear. I have never really rotated tires, because I just don't want to spend the time at a garage getting it done. This new car has 20 inch tires that are about $200 each. This last time the rear tires were barely worn and the front were done in.

I have decided I will do it here at my place, but have been looking into seeing how to properly retighten the lug nuts. I have an M18 Milwaukee impact driver with enough power to massively overtighten the lug nuts.

I did a little looking on the internet and some recommend using torque sticks.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

ZIp them on in a criss cross pattern with the impact, but just barely get the nuts touching the cones. Then go around in a criss-sross pattern and give them just a little tap with the impact. Then put it on the ground and use a torque wrench on each. For a car with 7/16' lugs and steel wheels, I usually go 70 ft/pounds. 1/2" I go 80. Aluminum wheels are thicker so I go about 10 lb tighter. Or see if you can look up the factory specified tork in the manual or on line.

I hand tighten them with a torque wrench. Honestly for me, I have not seen much benefit in rotating tires vs just replacing the worn out ones when needed.

I use a torque wrench. 78 pounds no matter the vehicle, (cars suv, Jeep for me). Been doing it that way for 40 years.

Our recent cars, the '13, '15 and '16 all call for 130 lb ft. I used to use 70 lb ft for 7/16 studs and 90 lb ft for 1/2 studs. 130 seems a crazy amount of torque to me for a 14mm stud.

I use an impact gun to take them off--but never to put them on. Spin on by hand and torque wrench to final torque.

I don't trust torque sticks but that's just me.

I don't trust them either. Seems all the shops used to use them, now nobody does. My local tire shops went back to Torques Wrenches.

I do a straight 100 ftlbs unless it is a large vehicle with thicker studs like a 1 ton then I look up the torque specs.

The bottom line is that there IS a torque spec for the vehicle in question. Find out what it is, and go with that. Overtightened lug nuts can cause the wheel studs to be fragile and break unexpectedly. Under-tightened can obviously come loose. Many get away with just tightening them with a star/lug wrench forever. You probably could too. But for something so easy, why gamble?

use factory specs if you can.
i have been using 80lbft on everything i have for over 50yrs.
1/2" [12mm] studs, aluminum or steel wheels, chrome or standard nuts.
i also add a dab of copper hi-temp anti-seize to the threads. [like the add usta' say : "a little dab 'l do ya !"]
i do NOT like, or trust, those torque stix.

just my opinion, your mileage will vary.

Impact gun is a no go for me. Had tire store flunkies cross thread some wheel studs once, and they won't pay for it once it leaves their parking lot.

We don't know the vehicle so just throwing torque specs out is useless and possibly dangerous. Look it up and use a torque wrench!!! Over torqueing newer wheels can cause issues with studs, wheels, rotors ,etc. Under torque...we all know what happens. Torque sticks are unreliable...most shops won't use them any more....too much at stake with big $$$ wheels/rotors and liability. 70-80 ft lbs is way short on many new cars/trucks....my F150 is 120!....the wife's little Fusion is 100!

i am a autobody tech in a new car dealership.
i have been using torque sticks for over 30 years without problems.
i am pretty sure every tech, both autobody and service department, in the shop uses them also
i am pretty sure most automotive flat rate techs use them without problems also.

they work great on solid lug nuts.
on lug nuts with chrome caps using them long term can damage the caps and destroy the lug nuts.

Torque sticks come in different ratings. Match the sticks to the factory specs.

But, you better have a gun that can hit the sticks hard enough to work. A gun with 150 lbs won't run a stick rated at 250.

That said, sticks are for high production shops, not really worth it for homeowners. A torque wrench is a better value.

LOL
I bought a multiplier and use a fish scale on the handle.
9 lbs pull is ~450lbs torque...
I only torque the outer Budd nuts to 400lbs though.

I use an impact for off and on but do the final tighten by hand. The problem is when people use impact and wail on them until it stops moving.

If I'm not using air for anything I use an electric one and it never over tightens unless you sit on it. I can always get a bit more out of it by hand.
With air I only do it till it stops and again it's never fully tight at that point and needs a bit more by hand.
The p

You can tell we are having record cold when you get this many responses to a lug nut tightening question.

There's some stuff I'm really questioning here. 20" tires at about $200 each? What size and brand? I've yet to see a really decent set installed for less than $1k. The last 3 vehicles ive owned all had 20's on them, I had a similar yearly mileage. I made it a point long ago to have my rides properly aligned when new rubber is installed, and also rotate every oil change. It does make a difference. Ive had 30k mile tires go past 45k miles with this kind of care. The last few sets of tires I've purchased were general rt43's-- an outstanding all around tire.

Torque sticks work fine, but not worth the cost if they don't contribute to your income.

It takes less than 3 or 4 minutes for a tech to rotate tires on a vehicle, whats really the deal man? Do you no longer have that patience? If your tires are abnormally wearing, have someone inspect your suspension components and maybe consider alignments an annual thing.

Heard that. And never would have thought that torque wrench operation would have gotten past so many on THIS forum.

I stopped off at a tire place today ....

Torque wrenches and sticks ? ... fiddlesticks!

Just a impact gun ... appeared to be skillfully applied !

I know a few shops/managers/owners that are now requiring more than 1 person check wheel torque before the vehicle leaves....NONE are using impact guns OR torque sticks!!!! WAY too much at stake!!!

https://www.mazda-parts.com/oem-parts/mazda-yokohama-255-50r20-pk1101058410

I normally take the car to a good local quick lube for the oil changes. Yes, this place does a good job and is conscientious. But it is for oil changes only with a pit under the vehicle, so no, they aren't going to do the tire rotation.

I have no problem doing it myself, but I normally didn't because I don't have a good spot to do it. With 130,000 miles on this vehicle, it is on its fourth set of tires. The last set was a cheaper set and did not last long at all, but even this set of tires the rear had plenty of wear left and the front were long spent. It isn't fun driving in the snow here without a decent set of tires. It is also not a great idea to have tires with different tread styles, different wear and all and drive in the snow. I have done it and I have also spun a car around when the front grab and the rear don't. So I don't bother trying and replace all 4 when I change them.

Dealer recommended I get smaller wheels and smaller winter tires, but these do a good job and I am at a place if I don't have to drive in the snow, I don't.

I had a local shop where I had all my work done. The owner knew me, I recommended him to a lot of people, and he would put me ahead of the line if I stopped in for an oil change or something. Unfortunately, he was 73 and decided to sell and close. The local Midas place bought his garage and I won't be going to Midas. I will probably get another floor jack and do the rotating on my own. It just isn't worth it to me to schedule a day off from work to get a car in for an appointment for an oil change and a tire rotation.

Thank-you to everyone on the recommendations. I knew the impact would be too much, but wanted to know how others did it.

Most of the Mopar FSM I've read suggest 55 Ft. Lbs. torque on the cars with 1/2x20 wheel studs, not 70 or 80 ft. lbs.
My Pace race car trailer calls for 80 Ft Lbs. on the same size wheel studs with six lug studs

Discount Tire kid hit my 47lb Geo Metro studs with an air gun and buggered half the threads before I saw and yelled at the manager.
B3500 takes 80lbs
M375 is 450

I can NOT IMAGINE a guy working at a tire place using a torque wrench .....

PROPERLY and progressively torquing down each and every wheel

Me too - 100 ft.lbs alloy or steel.

If you are in Michigan and rotate your tires they are no longer required to tighten your lugnuts...

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/n...not-guaranteed-tire-rotation/4101005002/

As wheels/rotors/liability become more costly, you will see it everywhere! The new stuff(wheels/tires/hubs/abs/esc/etc) are no joke! F the torque up and it comes back in a big way!!

i work in a new car dealer bodyshop.
i get a lot of cars with those tuner splined lug nuts. i use a torque wrench when tightening them. i cracked the key once 5 or so years ago when tightening with a impact and torque stick.

The wal Mart tire center in Carlisle requires its employees to sign off on a waiver that they did re torque all wheels with a torque wrench. From what I heard years ago, someone got right on the highway from leaving and one of their wheels came off at expressway speeds.

I have the tools and the know how to do it myself but I always get tires rotated at Discount tire.

With the new covid rules they don't even make you get out of your car. My son and I took my wife's 18 Durango R/T for a rotate and balance a few weeks ago. We sat in the car and they did the whole job in TWELVE MINUTES that is rotate and balance and torque the wheels with a torque wrench. Our total time on the property was probably 15 minutes.

Caution: language for the tender-eared.
The wheel fell off!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHT84A5t418

Remember the grief oleham gave me when the lug nuts loosened up on the Caravan when I was headed out to Massachusetts?

Now known as the 3 wheeled Carrotvan...

The drive tires will always wear out quicker than the non drive tires on everything that is not full time 4 wheel drive, they do all the work
Use to be before radials tires where built good enough to go over 20,000 miles it was a wash on which tires would wear out first if you didn't rotate them every 5000 miles, now with tires that are made to last over 40,000 miles+ you should have them rotated as often as possible around 5,000 to 7,500 miles to get the most bang for your dollars

seaBEE ... does your memory go back far enuff to remember the lug T spec ....

On Roman chariot wheels ?

I sea oleham2 aka mopX lurking here ...

Maybe HE HAS those chariot lug specs handy

the standard torque value for ALL fasteners is : tighten until it strips or breaks, then back off 1/2 turn.......................

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