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View Full Version : Does 88 ft-lbs *feel* tight?

undefined
11-18-2003, 04:26 PM
Okay, so I'm a total cluebie, but I've never taken wheels off/on a car before, and I was just cleaning the MINI's wheels, and when I went to put them back on, 88 ft-lbs just doesn't feel very secure.

I'm guessing the bolts were overtorqued from the factory, because they were much harder to break loose than they would be right now. Is this normal?

I'm just paranoid about doing something really stupid.

Please don't laugh at me :cry:
blee
11-18-2003, 04:29 PM
You should have to lean on the torque wrench a little bit to get that much torque. I would feel kinda nervous about that, myself. Make sure you drive around a little bit and retorque the nuts, just in case. I'm used to 100-120 ft-lbs, so 88 would definitely feel "loose" to me, but I'm sure that the bolt has stretched more than enough at 88.
Nick M3
11-18-2003, 04:31 PM
I find that my torque wrench clicks just when resistance starts increasing noticably. Torqued properly, they shouldn't come off easily, but it shouldn't be all that difficult, either.

Also... Remember that freshly torqued bolts are always easier to remove.
undefined
11-18-2003, 04:31 PM
yeah, it didn't feel that loose, but it didn't take as much effort as I was expecting really. Especially compared to how tight they felt coming off.
undefined
11-18-2003, 04:34 PM
I find that my torque wrench clicks just when resistance starts increasing noticably. Torqued properly, they shouldn't come off easily, but it shouldn't be all that difficult, either.

Also... Remember that freshly torqued bolts are always easier to remove.

Okay, that was my exact experience. The first time I went through torquing them I'm pretty sure I way overtightened them (briefly) because I simply missed the click each time---after I loosened and re-did them, it would click pretty soon after resistance got noticeable.


Thanks for not mocking me :oops:


:D
ayn
11-18-2003, 04:36 PM
The lugs on the MINI was overtorqued when we got the car, I retorqued them all when I installed the wheel locks... 88 is not very tight, and it is the right torque...

--Andrew
undefined
11-18-2003, 04:37 PM
The lugs on the MINI was overtorqued when we got the car, I retorqued them all when I installed the wheel locks... 88 is not very tight, and it is the right torque...

--Andrew

thank you!

I just don't want mrs bono to lose all four wheels as she tears down mopac one day :shock:
undefined
11-18-2003, 04:39 PM
should the wheels be torqued in the air, or on the ground?

(or does it not matter)
ayn
11-18-2003, 04:43 PM
should the wheels be torqued in the air, or on the ground?

(or does it not matter)

I would say it doesn't matter, but it is a little hard to do them in the air, unless u use the e-brakes and leave car in gear (won't help with a RWD car though)...

u know to torque them in a star-pattern order right?

--Andrew
undefined
11-18-2003, 04:44 PM
should the wheels be torqued in the air, or on the ground?

(or does it not matter)

I would say it doesn't matter, but it is a little hard to do them in the air, unless u use the e-brakes and leave car in gear (won't help with a RWD car though)...

u know to torque them in a star-pattern order right?

--Andrew

yeah (a 4 pointed star for the MINI though :smile: )
ayn
11-18-2003, 04:45 PM
wait a minute, you took the wheels off just to clean them? diam... those R85's are such a b8ch to clean, so many diam spokes! they take me more than 5x the time to clean than my SSR Comps.

--Andrew
undefined
11-18-2003, 04:49 PM
wait a minute, you took the wheels off just to clean them? diam... those R85's are such a b8ch to clean, so many diam spokes! they take me more than 5x the time to clean than my SSR Comps.

--Andrew

well, I wanted to start practicing and doing a little more DIY stuff on my own, so I figured I'd start with the easiest job.

Really, I just wanted to play with my new HF jack and torque wrench and other goodies :smile:
Nick M3
11-18-2003, 05:07 PM
In theory, it's better to do it in the air.

On the mini, that' might even be practical...

I torque my rears in the air, but not the fronts.
undefined
11-18-2003, 05:13 PM
should the car be in gear and have the e-brake on?

is it different with the MINI (FWD) vs the M3? (RWD)?
ayn
11-18-2003, 05:18 PM
should the car be in gear and have the e-brake on?

is it different with the MINI (FWD) vs the M3? (RWD)?

yes, e-brakes lock up your rear wheels, and with FWD, being in gear locks up your front wheels, so u can torque them in the air...

with RWD, the front wheels are loose no matter what... u can have Mrs Bono sit in the car and press on the brakes though... I had to do that when I changed CV half-shafts on the Corolla... that axle nut was f'king tight, must've been impact-torqued! we were turning the tranny...

--Andrew
The HACK
11-18-2003, 05:39 PM
should the wheels be torqued in the air, or on the ground?

(or does it not matter)

Finger tighten them in the air, give it a slight "tug" to make sure the wheel is seated completely and that none of the lugs are loose.

Lower car to ground so that the tire touch the ground enough to offer resistance, tighten the lugs to ~60% of the final spec, then lower car all the way and tighten to final torque spec.

Then again, if you have an impact wrench and a torque stick, you can actually just do all this in the air.
ayn
11-18-2003, 05:44 PM
while u got the wheels off u can put some anti-seize compound on the hub so it won't get stuck next time... with the OEM rims it's pretty easy to knock them off, but when I put on my SSR Comps, it was really really tight, and I knew if I don't put some antiseize compound on they would never come off...

--Andrew