How many ft/lbs to remove lugnuts?

[L.C.Gray]

Originally Posted by GypsyR

Years ago air cooled VW buses took some ungodly amount of torque to tighten the rear axle nuts.

VW engine flywheel gland nut was the first place I ever applied this method but actually learned it from the Mazda Rotary engine's flywheel nut that torques to 350 lbs/ft.


For the VW's we eventually had a tool that walked around the ring gear teeth and acted as a torque multiplier.


Worst things I've ever had to torque are the 1" lower wing attach bolts on an F-16. 900 lbs/ft, limited space required a dogleg, no room to get much rotation, no way to use a torque multiplier, wrench handle hanging down right above the floor making for an awkward pull. You could have all the strength you wanted but it you didn't have some girth to you you'd only drag yourself across the floor instead of turning the nut.

[Our05Winneba]

Tight is tight - no matter what the tool used to torque it. Have found that many mechanics have gone to battery powered tools due to their ease of use with no cord or air line. And because they perform really well. Lithium Ion battery technology has been a game changer for these tools. Lots of power and fast re-charging.

Not sure why you feel you have to check your lug nut tightness every day. I have found that once my lug nuts are tightened to 475 ft lbs those suckers aren't budging! And since this is so critical to you surprised that you do not use a torque wrench - I mean if you really want to see how tight they are?

[Jzack]

What about this for use with the electric impact guns? I know auto shops use them. Quicker than a torque wrench and fairly accurate from what I've heard.

[AKOne]

Originally Posted by Roadfrog

Or.... a card in your wallet that says, "call this number for free roadside assistance".

I am so with you on that one!

[readog]

Originally Posted by Crasher

Milwaukee and Dewalt tools are good tools. The sad thing is that the profits from Milwaukee tools go back to the parent company, TTI which was formed in 1985 in Hong Kong and is traded on the Hong Kong stock exchange. Like many of the tools we rely on, the profits go to China. Sorry to get off the track here, but we unwittingly support China through many of the products we buy. We want cheap prices and they gave us Covid19 at no charge.

I heard what you are saying. I wish the rest of the population wasn’t so damn blind or looking the other way.

[Jzack]

Originally Posted by Roadfrog

Or.... a card in your wallet that says, "call this number for free roadside assistance".

I agree with that! Who would carry a spare tire anyway. I wouldn't use these tools to do my own tire work, too much grunt work for me. I would however like to have the ability to remove my wheels to rotate tires, replace shocks, check brakes, replace bellcrank, etc, etc....

[tgproios]

Have a Georgetown with 22.5" wheels which have the 400 ft-lb lug nuts for the F53 Ford chassis. I ended up buying a 1" air impact w/ 1000 ft-lb of torque to get lug nuts off to replace brakes and rotate tires. That impact needs a 3/8" air hose supply so I have a cheater tank with a 6' 3/8 hose that supplies the heavy air requirement to break the lug nuts loose with a 150# 65 gallon air compressor. I do carry a 3/4" breaker bar and a 4' length of pipe to use to manually break the lugs loose when I'm away from my garage and even that bar bends a few inches when trying to break the lugs loose. As other have said, that setup can get you re-torqued fairly easily. At 5' out apply 80 pounds of force and you're at 400 ft-lbs. I've thought about torque multipliers but would rather find a lower ratio like 10:1 to use in both directions (especially re-tightening with a torque wrench 40# gets you 400 on the lug) haven't seen any that low.

[trippy]

Originally Posted by Jzack

This is what I'm talking about-

and bought - the extension

[Prof_T]

I'm 60 years old. Arthritis precludes me from doing tire work anymore. My local big tire service center recently charged my $88 to find a leak in a stem. They took off all 8 wheels, dismounted all 8 tires, and finally found a stem that was fouled. $88 for over 2 hours work with 2 guys. IMHO that is a bargain.

Growing up on the farm my father and I confronted many instances where we needed to remove big bolts. We used a cheater bar and a pipe. That to me is the most cost effective solution. I have a 1" air impact wrench now in the shop that will handle anything I need now but again back then that was not an option. Never used a torque multiplier but I've heard good results from them.

If I was able to handle my 22.5's now I would use my 1" air impact. If I was looking for a low cost alternative method it would be a cheater bar and pipe. If I had the $$$ to invest in a Milwaukee 3/4" fuel I would. Those days of man handling tires have long left me.

[Tha_Rooster]

I’ve found out it takes a lot more ft lbs to remove than install so carry a Big breaker bar also.

[Rodg495]

Originally Posted by Tha_Rooster

I’ve found out it takes a lot more ft lbs to remove than install so carry a Big breaker bar also.

Yes, I've found even with the torque multiplier there is a 'snap' when the nut breaks loose. If they have been on there for a couple of years there is a 'seize' that occurs in the threads and washer. Yea, more power to remove than to install.