That sounds like a great policy.
I wonder if wheel torque is something that could be programmed into wheel alignment equipment, so it pops up when the tech scans the car or inputs the info required to bring up the alignment specs for that make & model. Only as another source of double-checking.a
Wanna hear what “double-torquing” means at the chain tire place I frequent?
I am not an alignment tech, but I think that would be prudent. I had one car that the OEM rims were sensitive to torque specifications. If not torqued correctly would, I hope this is the correct term, shimmy at highway speeds.
I guess mopar wasn’t interested in hearing what “double-torquing” means at my local tire chain branch.
Well, it means literally torquing the lugnuts to 200 ft-lbs! Even on a car with a wheel torque spec. of 80.
I guess that’s just a way of covering their a s s liability-wise.
An alignment rack and machine is a very expensive piece(s) of equipment, costing $40K and up depending, I signed for a $65K set up back around 2005ish, so most shops only can afford and or have room for the one, so for return on investment, you need to run as many vehicles across it a day as possible, that being said, most (busy) shops don’t remove wheels on the alignment rack unless required for caster/camber adjustments, you never want to tie up an alignment rack, and if on the alignment rack and required to remove a wheel, there is a good chance it was on a rack with the wheel(s) off already, so the tech already knows the lug torque…
If vehicle was interred correctly, then the wheel lug torque will already be on the WO…
But to answer your question, yes it could easily be added to the alignment software, and might possibly already be there, lots of info in there that most ignore anyway… lol
But we also had wheel torque charts, very large posters on the walls located in a few places in the shop, so if you were to walk over to get the torque wrench, chances are you passed the poster anyway…
If that is still the case, then there is hope. One wonders if all the wheel-removing and installing techs pay attention to them, though. It’s not that difficult a concept for them to use an impact, limited to 50 or 100 ft lb, then use a manual click stick to take the lugs the ‘rest of the way’ to manufacturer spec.
I guess you now know what “double-torquing” meant at the local branch of the discount tire chain I went to years ago.
50 ft ibs Max, as I said in another reply to you about this, 100 ft ibs of torque is way to much for a run down torque, most cars and smaller trucks are under 100 ft lbs, all my Toyota cars torque to 76 ft ibs, and all the (2005-2023 anyway) Tacoma trucks are torqued to 83ft ibs, so, pre torquing to 100 ft ibs will be snapping a lot of wheel studs…
Now for full size trucks and SUV’s, lots are 100 ft ibs or more…
That’s why I stated ‘or’. Flexibility.
As you yourself said, 100 ft lbs is appropriate for certain classes of vehicle.
I don’t think my old tire place ran down from 200 ft lb or whatever they used, as I could safely stand on a tire iron pointing at 9 or 10 o’clock, and it would hold my 190lbs until I started jumping up n down on that sunovabich to start it moving counter-clockwise..! (a shop that proclaimed “don’t tell us how to do our jobs!”)
Both the Toyota dealership in Hampton, VA and the Honda dealership in Newport News, VA have physical alignment indicator “machines” at their respective service entrances. I have never had it indicate I needed an alignment, but I imagine it’s a great selling tool for the alignment service. I am not being judgmental, just making a mention of it.
There are plenty of good reasons for your 190-pound weigh not breaking loose a properly torqued lug nut or bolt… Torqued lug nuts and bolts get difficult to remove due to corrosion (rust) binding threads, galling from metal-on-metal friction, environmental factors (heat/moisture), and thread damage, often combined with poor tool grip (rounded heads), making them seize and resist the loosening torque needed, requiring more force than anticipated.
Of course, over torquing is a possibility, just not the only reason…
Was that after one of your unwelcomed lectures on tire pressure?
A properly torqued lug nut should not require a full-weight adult male jumping up and down on the tire iron to loosen. When I correctly torqued all my lugs to 80-81ft lbs in my driveway, then attempted to loosen them with the iron, I could do so with regular elbow grease.
No, although I routinely found my tires inflated to 40-45psi when I got home. Again, probably according to store policy to prevent being sued for “under-inflation”.
So if you torque the nuts or lugs and then attempt to loosen them you have no problem… Well you should not… My explanation was indicative of what can cause the nuts and lugs to become difficult to remove after a period of time… Here I will repeat it, “After a period of time!!!” and time is not directly measurable; it all depends on make, model, age, how long since the nuts or lugs were installed, weather conditions, how long your tire iron is, and quite possibly “how high you jump up and done on the tire iron”
You do realize how un-smart it is to jump on a tire iron? Besides the risk of injury when the iron pops off the lug but you probably skewed the shape of the socket of the tire iron. And probably messed up the flats on the lugs and may even have bent the lug nut studs…
Oh, By the way, a bent stud could also prevent the lug nut from torqueing correctly and loosening easily due to the crimped threads…
I never use the one handled tire iron. I have two of those “cross” lug wrenches (1 in the car, 1 in my garage). It gets the lug nuts tight without over tightening and no side load like a one handled tire wrench would introduce.
I was also taught, when I was changing a flat, to partially tighten the lug nuts while the tire was still in the air, then lower the tire, not all the way, but just so it was touching the ground, and then finish tightening.
I don’t think he was serious about that.
Back when Sears was around a friend broke a Sears 1/2 inch Breaker Bar by extending the handle with a three foot piece of pipe. Sears replaced it, no questions asked.
As a shop, it would be better to over tighten a lug nut and upset a customer, than to have a lug nut come loose and have a wheel off causing a death of said customer…
Shop over tightens wheel and ticks customer off!!!
OR
Shop leaves lug nut loose and customer’s family dies in crash after wheel falls off!!!
It is always best to properly torque any wheel, but better to over torque a little than to under torque a wheel lug… Another words, you lived to gripe about being 190 ibs and having to jump on the wrench, vs you and or a family member dying in a crash…
Remember as flat as a pancake is, there is always 2 sides to it…
Back to one of my “in the sixties” anecdotes, no torque wrench, just that impact wrench. No clue what torque it was, just hit those steel rims in a star pattern multiple times. Ran my own cars at the drag strip, no wheels ever came off.
That would have been a Craftsman breaker. Most of my tools are Craftsman. Lowes (and others) sells Craftsman tools now. 2 years ago I walked in Lowes with my 1/4 ratchet and they gave me a new one so the “lifetime” guarantee seems to still work.
Yeah, wasn’t sure about the lifetime warranty. Ace Hardware carries Craftsman too.
Here is one for you, Craftsman inspection mirror. Handle is Craftsman, the mirror is not! Was behind a person replacing a broken mirror in the 80s.
