11 months old and wheel lugs were not tight

[trobin]

At 8K miles I decided it was time to rotate the tires. I discovered that all the wheel lugs were tight but much looser than 100 ft lb.
I am clueless as to whether the factory made them tight and the alloy 'creeps' with time, or if they were always not tight enough?
Has anyone else made this observation?

 

[mitdr774]

The factory uses calibrated nut runners. It is computer controlled and the only way it could be wrong is if the operator didnt use the nut runner or the calibration was off. Either way it would noticed before the car left the station (step skipped) or a whole lot of vehicles would have this issue (out of calibration).

 

[qwed94]

Even tire shops use torque wrenches for lugnuts/lugbolts these days. You can literally watch the installer use the torque wrench, then take your car home and use a standard 4-way lug wrench and tighten the nuts a good full turn at least.

Im not sure why they dont tighten them all that tight these days, but I have never had problems with them falling off either, so I guess it works.

 

[mitdr774]

If you are getting a full extra turn they did not properly torque the nuts, or you are putting way more than 100 ft-lbs on the nuts.

 

[qwed94]

Guess its kinda hard to tell how much torque you are using with a 4 way. That however does not have one dad blasted thing to do with what I (or anyone else) is trying to say. The point everyone (except you of course) is trying to make is just this. 100 lbs of torque is not very tight. Or at least not very tight for what common sense tells us that lugnuts should be. You do realize that amount that lugnuts get torqued to is different on different vehicles. (I assume that 100 lb ft is correct for the Sonic).

You let someone rotate your tires, watch them torque to 100 lb ft. Then take a 4 way to them. I guarantee you will be able to tighten them more. (You may be a whimp and only go a little bit, you may be a muscleman and go a few turns) My point is, you will likely be able to tighten them more than the set 100 lb ft takes them.

The set specs though seem to hold them on so dont worry about it. YES I know why they spec them kinda low. So you dont break studs. I understand that. Before shops started using torque wrenches, alot of studs ended up broken. It is just amazing that they stay on being as "loose" as they still are after torquing.

I am reffering to the post above (#4) I just forgot to quote him.

 

[OD3X1]

Wheel torque is determined by fastener size as all bolts are. By over torqueing your wheels you are risking stripped lugs and nuts, wheel damage, and warped rotors/drums.
My '85 full size Jimmy has 7/16-20 studs. They torque to 95 lbs/ft. I run 33X12.50-15s on it.
Common sense says don't over torque your wheels.

 

[rondoman]

No way you are tightening the lugs more by hand AFTER they have been torqued to 100 ft/lbs.

 

[brownbear64]

I'm just waiting fot a post saying he broke his lugs...opcorn: as others posted 100 is more than enough. F-150's are 100ftlbs as well. Heck older Subaru's are 65ftlbs

 

[qwed94]

Well then I guess I will adhere to the OP. When I had that blowout yesterday and had to put on my donut. I sure whisked those lugnuts off and didnt even step on the wrench for leverage. If thats 100 lb ft. Then its not tight enough. You should NEVER be able to remove a lugnut without stepping hard on the lugwrench for leverage, and maybe a good grunt too.

I didnt try any other lugs on the Sonic, but these tires was just rotated just a couple weeks ago at GM. (yes maybe they didnt use a torque wrench, or to the proper torque). Either way the nuts on that wheel was too loose if you can throw the cheap lugwrench (that came with the car) and just break them loose with very little pressure.

If you would read my post completely you would see that I know WHY you dont overtighten the lugnuts). I wasnt trying to tell you to overtighten. I was saying that too loose is still too loose). I have likely changed more tires than you have even seen with my years of race cars.

Have you ever had new tires installed and felt wobble (or shimmy) in the steering wheel? Well I have, every time I had tires installed or rotated on my old AVEO. Then I would grab the ol 4 way, tighten the lugnuts a bit, no more shimmy.

The only thing I was really saying is YES you can do LOTS of damage by overtightening, but sometimes maybe the specified torque isnt quite enough. Maybe just bit more would be better and still not be overtight. Stop trying to fight me youngins. Ive been around a while.

 

[mitdr774]

Old theorys and technology are not always correct or practical as time progresses.

I do not need to step on the tire iron to looses my lug nuts. I also torque mine to 100 ft-lbs and have never had one come loose. If you are finding lug nuts to be loose (actually loose causing a wobble or removal without tools) then whoever put your tires on did not torque them. GM has a torque spec for a reason and exceeding it is never a good idea. If you have to step on the tire iron to break the lugs loose you are either small, incapable of using the tools correct, using way to short of a tire iron, or excessively over torqued the lugs.

 

[ChrisJ]

I must be clueless because I've never seen a tire shop use a torque wrench and I have friends that work at big chain shops.

All I have ever seen any of them do is install lugs using an impact gun set way too high and they stretch the threads on the lugs. Then when you go to remove them by hand, good luck not to mention they will never spin on smooth again.


I have also seen shops use an impact gun on the oil drain plug and on the plastic lug covers my chevy truck had. I ended up replacing all of the caps because they were destroyed, all 32 of them. These caps screwed on by hand and would click when locked on.



This is why I do all of my own work when possible.

 

[$ub$onic]

Ya I've never seen a shop use a torque wrench. Most of them in my area use a impact that is set to "about" 100. I normally set mine to 100-110 foot pounds

 

[ChrisJ]

Ya I've never seen a shop use a torque wrench. Most of them in my area use a impact that is set to "about" 100. I normally set mine to 100-110 foot pounds

Yeah, but they sit there and let it hammer away. I highly doubt it stops even near 100.

 

[laborsmith]

The tire shop I go to uses a torque wrench.

Laborsmith

 

[mitdr774]

In the dealer we used a "torque stick". It was within 5 ft-lbs with 95-100PSI shop air. When the compressor was down I would use a torque wrench.

 

[trobin]

Not so tight wheel lugs

Thanks for all the replies. So far then, none of you fellow writers have observed the lugs blots loosening over time. I will check mine with the torque wrench and get back here with any interesting results.

 

[mitdr774]

I torque mine to 100 ft-lbs every time i put a wheel back on. Never once have I had one come loose on me.

 

[River_Rat]

No problems with loose lug nuts here. As others have noted, 100 ft-lbs is not very much torque, but it is all that is required. If you need to step on your lug wrench, you're doing it wrong.

 

[Macehammer]

And if you can't loosen them with a wrench you are either:

1. A total wuss.
2. Tightening them because you are a moron.

 

[OD3X1]

I would like to point out that any new wheel be it steel, alloy, or aluminum should be retorqued after the first 50 miles or so.