Do I 'need' a torque wrench?

[fastfly]

Would you guys say a torque wrench is required when putt lugs on a car? Or can a simple wrench work, and just give it a nice tug and call it good?

[EuroSportChi69]

I never really torque down lugs, a torque wrench is not as important here. Make sure their on pretty tight but not too tight. If they are too loose the vibration and heat cycle will make them fall off. If their too tight, once they heat and the wheel expands, it can snap or stretch the lug.

For other things such as axle nuts to any engine repair, a torque wrench is needed.

[Jim@tirerack]

To do things correctly a torque wrench is a good thing. You can always go by feel and take the car to a garage to make sure.

[EuroSportChi69]

Its worth the money, Even the regular beam type torque wrench is only like 26 bucks from sears I think.

[samger2]

I'm going to COMPLETELY disagree with the fact that a torque wrench on lug nuts NOT being important. It's very important to torque your lug bolts down to the proper amount. By no means should you just guess by making them "tight but not too tight", you can damage components of your vehicle by making them too tight and you can risk a wheel coming off by not making them tight enough. By all means spend a little money and invest in a torque wrench to keep yourself and others safe on the road.

[ashamans]

peace of mind, i do find that the e39 tool kit lug wrench is usefull for the right amount of torque

[EuroSportChi69]

I'm going to COMPLETELY disagree with the fact that a torque wrench on lug nuts NOT being important. It's very important to torque your lug bolts down to the proper amount. By no means should you just guess by making them "tight but not too tight", you can damage components of your vehicle by making them too tight and you can risk a wheel coming off by not making them tight enough. By all means spend a little money and invest in a torque wrench to keep yourself and others safe on the road.


I never really torque down lugs, a torque wrench is not as important here. Make sure their on pretty tight but not too tight.

Im not saying that it is NOT important, I am saying that it is not as important as how tight the head studs are or some other part of the engine that is constantly subjected to heating and cooling.

[EuroSportChi69]

I'm going to COMPLETELY disagree with the fact that a torque wrench on lug nuts NOT being important. It's very important to torque your lug bolts down to the proper amount. By no means should you just guess by making them "tight but not too tight", you can damage components of your vehicle by making them too tight and you can risk a wheel coming off by not making them tight enough. By all means spend a little money and invest in a torque wrench to keep yourself and others safe on the road.


"I never really torque down lugs, a torque wrench is not as important here. Make sure their on pretty tight but not too tight."

Im not saying that it is NOT important, I am saying that it is not as important as how tight the head studs are or some other part of the engine that is constantly subjected to heating and cooling.

[EuroSportChi69]

I'm going to COMPLETELY disagree with the fact that a torque wrench on lug nuts NOT being important. It's very important to torque your lug bolts down to the proper amount. By no means should you just guess by making them "tight but not too tight", you can damage components of your vehicle by making them too tight and you can risk a wheel coming off by not making them tight enough. By all means spend a little money and invest in a torque wrench to keep yourself and others safe on the road.


"I never really torque down lugs, a torque wrench is not as important here. Make sure their on pretty tight but not too tight."

Im not saying that it is NOT important, I am saying that it is not as important as how tight the head studs are or some other part of the engine that is constantly subjected to heating and cooling.

[samger2]

I definitely see what you're saying...I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree...I dunno, I think wheel lug torque is every bit as important as bolts on the engine. One side of the coin we're talking about potential engine damage, the other side of the coin we're talking about potential wheel off which could hurt someone pretty darn bad...if not worse.

[dRock13]

yes, you need one.

[pcoaew]

It's the right thing to do, but I'd say most of us never use a torque wrench for the wheels...

[MaxSteel]

If you do work on your car, even occasionally, a torque wrench is usually pretty important.

I got a cheap sunex one from amazon for $35. Works great.

for just lugs though? naahhh

[m60b40]

I never really torque down lugs, a torque wrench is not as important here. Make sure their on pretty tight but not too tight. If they are too loose the vibration and heat cycle will make them fall off. If their too tight, once they heat and the wheel expands, it can snap or stretch the lug.

For other things such as axle nuts to any engine repair, a torque wrench is needed.

Horrible advise, torque specs are there for A REASON.

[dRock13]

If you do work on your car, even occasionally, a torque wrench is usually pretty important.

I got a cheap sunex one from amazon for $35. Works great.

for just lugs though? naahhh

yah...

[IslandS62]

Jebus, just buy a proper torque wrench.

[samger2]

I'm actually VERY shocked by the amount of people that are so casual about not using a torque wrench to secure the ONLY thing that holds the wheels to your hubs...this is not a casual issue! I hope and Pray that you're never next to me when a couple lugs work free on a front wheel as you're doing 90 down the freeway because "just for lugs" you don't use a torque wrench. Maybe it's because I've seen it happen a few times...maybe I'm the cautious type...or maybe, like the post a couple above me says...torque specs are there for a REASON

[desynch]

+1 torque wrench. Cheap insurance. ALWAYS torque your wheel bolts/lugs whenever possible. Granted sometimes that's not always possible when you don't have one handy.

[dRock13]

I'm actually VERY shocked by the amount of people that are so casual about not using a torque wrench to secure the ONLY thing that holds the wheels to your hubs...this is not a casual issue! I hope and Pray that you're never next to me when a couple lugs work free on a front wheel as you're doing 90 down the freeway because "just for lugs" you don't use a torque wrench. Maybe it's because I've seen it happen a few times...maybe I'm the cautious type...or maybe, like the post a couple above me says...torque specs are there for a REASON

+1

[houseofpaincake]

I'd have to say that most people, especially those who have very little experience actually doing proper repairs on their vehicle, should use a torque wrench.

[Gatekeeper]

the Bentley manual is pretty lenient with its ranges, +/-7 ft-lbs, but I torque everything it says too. I've stripped one and one too many bolts without it.

[scooper]

get one. They're not that expensive. Also torquing force will be easily affected if there is lubricant on the bolt. Something to keep in mind whether your tightening nuts on your wheel or on an engine component or suspension piece.

[Critter7r]

Horrible advise, torque specs are there for A REASON.


So are speed limits, but nobody follows those either.

If the ONLY thing you're going to use the torque wrench for is to torque your wheel properly, skip it. Because if you do buy it, you're going to use it once, realize that after using it once, you have a pretty good idea of how much force it takes to tighten your lugs to 100 lbft and then you'll never use it again. (At least, not for that).

if you weigh 175 pounds, leaning most of your weight onto the standard flimsy lug wrench supplied with the car will get you to within 10% of the proper torque.

[rdorman]

Use a torque wrench.

[Gofast]

GET A TORQUE WRENCH!
Holy crap man, it costs less than one tank of gas. If you're not willing to spring for a torque wrench, you shouldn't be working on your own car.


Because if you do buy it, you're going to use it once, realize that after using it once, you have a pretty good idea of how much force it takes to tighten your lugs to 100 lbft and then you'll never use it again. (At least, not for that).

BMW spec is 88 ftlbs :shifty



Im not saying that it is NOT important, I am saying that it is not as important as how tight the head studs are or some other part of the engine that is constantly subjected to heating and cooling.

Wheel lugs are subjected to heating/cooling every time you use the brakes, as well as constant load cycling. Wheel lugs are one of the most critical parts of the car, treat them with respect and torque them properly.

[Chazwick05]

just, please, if you buy one: don't get one from harbor freight.

[GunnerNell]

Happened to me -- I had two wheels fail on me. Not one, but two, in another car I owned. In both cases, the fault in the wheel started right at one of the lug holes, and the wheel split apart from there. All five holes and the immediately-surrounding metal stayed with the car; the rest of the wheel and tire separated from the car with interesting results. Luckily in both cases, I was going fairly slowly, so no injuries. Upon inspection and further consideration, I believe these incidents happened because I had tightened the lugs too much, causing the initial split at the lug-hole(s). I do recall that when I'd be working on the car -- changing brakes or rotating tires -- I'd crank the lugs as hard as I could to make darn sure they would never come off unless I wanted them to. As I said, upon reflection, I prob'ly should have used a torque wrench and stopped a few foot-pounds sooner. Live (thank goodness) and learn.

[rdorman]

Even the really good torque wrenches can be off out of the box and loose setting over time. For any thing I consider critical, I DIY calibrate it for the range in which it is going to be used. If it is REALLY critical, think rod bolts, I use different methods. Thankfully, I don't mess with that stuff all that often any more. I only use beam type torque wrenches for break away torque.

[OEMPartHaus]

I'm actually VERY shocked by the amount of people that are so casual about not using a torque wrench to secure the ONLY thing that holds the wheels to your hubs...this is not a casual issue! I hope and Pray that you're never next to me when a couple lugs work free on a front wheel as you're doing 90 down the freeway because "just for lugs" you don't use a torque wrench. Maybe it's because I've seen it happen a few times...maybe I'm the cautious type...or maybe, like the post a couple above me says...torque specs are there for a REASON

Pretty amazing isn't it?

[samger2]

Yessir...that it is. I may as well link over to the other topic at hand. Here's just ONE of the things that can happen if you overtighten the lug bolts:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1604879