Date: Tue, 8 Jan 2013 00:52:38 -0500
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Wheel tightening technique
In-Reply-To: <29710857-A1BA-467E-A6CF-3F56002ACC45@peterkrogh.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Unless your very heavy the stock lug wrench doesn't cut it, neither will a
hammer drill. If you plan on doing any amount of work on your own a torque
wrench is an extremely valuable investment.
In general lug nuts/bolts should not be lubricated. Also, lug nuts do have a
life limit. Proper torque for the Vanagon (dry or as received) is ~120
ft/lbs. Lubrication of the threads or face reduces this. Some anti-seizes
can reduce required torque as much as 40%. Over torqueing will destroy the
threads in the front rotors or break/strip the studs/nuts in the rear or
Syncro fronts. Fretting corrosion can make later removal very difficult. Get
a nice breaker bar and socket and keep this in the van for roadside wheel
changes. This will work better than a cross style lug wrench. After
installing tires drive a short distance and check torque again.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Peter Krogh
Sent: Tuesday, January 8, 2013 12:31 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Wheel tightening technique
It's amazing how much chatter lugnuts can stir up.
;-)
So I have another question, regarding proper wheel tightening technique. I
had an alarming event a couple weeks ago when my recently-changed spare
wheel came loose while driving - maybe 100 miles after I had put it on. (I
heard rumbling from the wheel area that made me think of a failed wheel
bearing. I pulled over to find front lug bolts backed out by 1/8 inch ). It
made me wonder how that could have happened (and how to stop it in the
future.)
I'm soon swapping the original steelies and dry-rotted Vancos with some
Hankooks mounted on 14" Carat alloys. Mounting with the T3 lugs.
Typically, I take my car to a tire shop, but I wanted to try this myself. I
have bottle jack, jackstands, a newly cleaned and organized garage, and a
hammer drill. (It's an old electric beast, with a 5-setting clutch and a
pretty good amount of torque).
The tire loosening incident has me a little spooked. I thought I did it
correctly - put tire on wheel and tighten lugnuts as much as possible,
working in a crosswise sequence.I put the car down on the ground for the
final tightening sequence. (I was using stock lugwrench.) How does that
come to be rumbly loose 100 miles later?
Should I use the hammer drill (after proper threading)? A torque wrench?
(which I don't own, but would be pretty happy to acquire). Any treatment to
the bolts/nuts? Advisable period for reinspection?
Any insight appreciated.
Peter