Help - question on torque for wheels
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Help - question on torque for wheels
Hello,
I just rotated the wheels on my 98.5 A4. The manual specifies a torque of 90 ft/lbs. I have no idea on how the dealer puts the wheels on. Some bolts came off easy and others I had to put my entire weight and hop to loosen the bolt. I bought a torque wrench and tightened until I got the click. I can now easily loosen the bolts by hand. Should it be easy to loosen the bolts at 90 ft/lbs?
Thanks,
Mark (98.5 2.8 QMS)
I just rotated the wheels on my 98.5 A4. The manual specifies a torque of 90 ft/lbs. I have no idea on how the dealer puts the wheels on. Some bolts came off easy and others I had to put my entire weight and hop to loosen the bolt. I bought a torque wrench and tightened until I got the click. I can now easily loosen the bolts by hand. Should it be easy to loosen the bolts at 90 ft/lbs?
Thanks,
Mark (98.5 2.8 QMS)
Guest
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Re: Help - question on torque for wheels
When you put the wheels on, ALWAYS use the star pattern, and for vehicles with lug BOLTS (as opposed to NUTS), jack up the wheel you're tightening.
1) Make sure the threads are clean, put a LITTLE bit of Anti-sieze on the threads and snug all the bolts down finger tight.
2) Torque the bolts to 30 ft-lbs.
3) Torque the bolts to 60 ft-lbs.
4) Torque the bolts to 90 ft-lbs.
Drive around for a while, about 10-20 miles should do it, then re-torque the bolts again to 90. The wheel may have settled a bit, and that's probably why you found them loose after a while.
1) Make sure the threads are clean, put a LITTLE bit of Anti-sieze on the threads and snug all the bolts down finger tight.
2) Torque the bolts to 30 ft-lbs.
3) Torque the bolts to 60 ft-lbs.
4) Torque the bolts to 90 ft-lbs.
Drive around for a while, about 10-20 miles should do it, then re-torque the bolts again to 90. The wheel may have settled a bit, and that's probably why you found them loose after a while.
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Maybe I can help....
Basically you shouldn't have to break your back in order to take off the wheels for rotation.
Unfortunatly during my first service (free tire rotation) my dealer used an air-gun to put my wheels back on. Sure It's fine to use the gun to take them off but NOT to put them back on unless the air-gun has a torque setting. Note: A continuous wheel changing w/ an air-gun can seriously strip your axles. Good thing you bought a torque wrench.
Unfortunatly during my first service (free tire rotation) my dealer used an air-gun to put my wheels back on. Sure It's fine to use the gun to take them off but NOT to put them back on unless the air-gun has a torque setting. Note: A continuous wheel changing w/ an air-gun can seriously strip your axles. Good thing you bought a torque wrench.
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You should not use anti seize on lug bolts or nuts and yes they do seem easy to get off .The reason
is that you have a lot of mechanical advantage with a torque wrench. I just tighten mine in a star pattern then use the torque wrench to go to the 90 lbs. ft. The biggest result from overtightening with an air wrench is warped rotors.
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The purpose of Anti-Sieze is...
to lubricate the threads so that you get an accurate torque reading. It also helps to prevent the parts from siezing together over time so you can get them apart again later.
Regarding torque, what actually happens when you "torque" a bolt is to stretch the bolt just enough to put the right amount of tension between the parts you're holding together. It's actually a clamp, in a sense. If the threads are dirty or sticky, the torque wrench measures how hard it is to turn the bolt, rather than how much tension the bolt is applying to the parts. Again, it's the tension you want, and the tension won't be right if the bolt doesn't turn properly.
As for the mechanical advantage of the torque wrench, it doesn't matter. It measures torque. A setting of 90 ft-lbs means a force of 90 pounds applied at a distance of 1 foot from the center of rotation. The same torque could be achieved by applying 45 lbs at a distance of two feet away, or 180 lbs at six inches. The result is the same from the bolt's point of view. Torque wrenches are calibrated to take this into account.
Happy motoring!
Regarding torque, what actually happens when you "torque" a bolt is to stretch the bolt just enough to put the right amount of tension between the parts you're holding together. It's actually a clamp, in a sense. If the threads are dirty or sticky, the torque wrench measures how hard it is to turn the bolt, rather than how much tension the bolt is applying to the parts. Again, it's the tension you want, and the tension won't be right if the bolt doesn't turn properly.
As for the mechanical advantage of the torque wrench, it doesn't matter. It measures torque. A setting of 90 ft-lbs means a force of 90 pounds applied at a distance of 1 foot from the center of rotation. The same torque could be achieved by applying 45 lbs at a distance of two feet away, or 180 lbs at six inches. The result is the same from the bolt's point of view. Torque wrenches are calibrated to take this into account.
Happy motoring!
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Depends on conditions under which torque spec was determined.
I don't know about this specific case and I'll have to get my manual to see exactly what it says.
If the torque was determined using an unlubricated fastener and you apply anti-seize, since there is less friction, you are actually applying more torque than necessary. Many times, this is much more than necessary.
You can't always use the generic "anti-seize", because different products have different coefficients of friction and you could be way off on the torque applied if you use a substance other than what is specified by whoever determined the torque.
If the torque was determined using an unlubricated fastener and you apply anti-seize, since there is less friction, you are actually applying more torque than necessary. Many times, this is much more than necessary.
You can't always use the generic "anti-seize", because different products have different coefficients of friction and you could be way off on the torque applied if you use a substance other than what is specified by whoever determined the torque.
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