Torque settings for wheel bolts ?

[campandfly]

I might remove the security lock nuts as I am afraid to strip the thread.

This is my wheel anyone know the size I need to order and recommendations of where to purchase please?

 

[EddieEagle]

This is what I would use,

 

[Lightning]

Oh dear, I only responded to a discussion about reduced torque on locking wheel bolts and am now being bombarded with tales of accidents and woe caused by incorrect tightening and lack of proper care mounting wheels.
Whilst very informative scaremongery isn't relevant here as tightening bolts, with a torque wrench, using manufacturers recommended settings isn't going to cause an accident.
The locking bolt setting is debatable hence the post. The C Max figures were given me by a Ford dealer so it is acceptable to reduce the torque on locking bolts. The cmaxowmers club forum thread also suggested anything from 85nm so not very helpful.

Of course if bolts/nuts are loose or sheared due to misuse then accidents are going to happen.
4 bolts at 180nm and 1 bolt at 150nm , as in 870nm total instead of 900nm is perfectly acceptable and last time I looked all my wheels are still there.

I am more concerned that being stuck by the roadside with a bolt which won't come off because of a damaged lock key is dangerous so as per my original post will plough my own furrow on this one.

I understand, a true genius is able to discount vehicle specific manufacturers instructions, based upon intuition and alone.

The locking wheel nut issue is really not debatable.

 

[Lightning]

Wheels coming off these days pretty rarely I'm guessing. Unlike the good old days when many Morris Minor drivers became acquainted with "Moggie-one-way-wheel-the-other" (sheared king pin, very common).

Also since health and safety went mad, most professionals use a torque wrench.

 

[pjm-84]

Snapped a 3/4 extension bar on my D3 recently. Seems the wheel nuts can corrode onto the rim. Guaranteed for life so I nab a replacement once the lockdown ends

 

[T6 CFO]

Oh dear, I only responded to a discussion about reduced torque on locking wheel bolts and am now being bombarded with tales of accidents and woe caused by incorrect tightening and lack of proper care mounting wheels.
Whilst very informative scaremongery isn't relevant here as tightening bolts, with a torque wrench, using manufacturers recommended settings isn't going to cause an accident.
The locking bolt setting is debatable hence the post. The C Max figures were given me by a Ford dealer so it is acceptable to reduce the torque on locking bolts. The cmaxowmers club forum thread also suggested anything from 85nm so not very helpful.

Of course if bolts/nuts are loose or sheared due to misuse then accidents are going to happen.
4 bolts at 180nm and 1 bolt at 150nm , as in 870nm total instead of 900nm is perfectly acceptable and last time I looked all my wheels are still there.

I am more concerned that being stuck by the roadside with a bolt which won't come off because of a damaged lock key is dangerous so as per my original post will plough my own furrow on this one.

Absolutely agree.

As previously stated I removed the locking ones. An experience on the side of a motorway after a blowout with tow ball bike rack and bikes to contend with and two motorway police getting twitchy with where I was was not good.
Locking wheel nuts, sticking wheels and the superhuman effort required to get the spare out persuaded me to to eliminate what I can.
I now carry a bottle jack, breaking bar & spider. Wheels are on with copper grease and a carry the 12volt tyre inflator for simple slow punctures so I can get somewhere safe.


Mike

 

[ArunAlec]

Wheels coming off these days pretty rarely I'm guessing. Unlike the good old days when many Morris Minor drivers became acquainted with "Moggie-one-way-wheel-the-other" (sheared king pin, very common).

Oh yes, been there with my Moggy! And again with Triumph Spitfire. At least the wheels were still attached and tended to be at low speeds.

 

[Vagophile]

Absolutely agree.

As previously stated I removed the locking ones. An experience on the side of a motorway after a blowout with tow ball bike rack and bikes to contend with and two motorway police getting twitchy with where I was was not good.
Locking wheel nuts, sticking wheels and the superhuman effort required to get the spare out persuaded me to to eliminate what I can.
I now carry a bottle jack, breaking bar & spider. Wheels are on with copper grease and a carry the 12volt tyre inflator for simple slow punctures so I can get somewhere safe.


Mike

No substitute for experience. I don't mean that in a bad way, only that people don't realise what is involved until it happens; best to take precautions!

 

[Velma's Dad]

Oh yes, been there with my Moggy! And again with Triumph Spitfire. At least the wheels were still attached and tended to be at low speeds.

Yes my Spitfire could only manage low speeds anyway... except when the brakes failed on a long downhill. Twice. (I also managed to victory roll it off a bend into a field, but you didn't need to go very fast to do that on the old Triumph "tuck-unders").

 

[Lightning]

Absolutely agree.

As previously stated I removed the locking ones. An experience on the side of a motorway after a blowout with tow ball bike rack and bikes to contend with and two motorway police getting twitchy with where I was was not good.
Locking wheel nuts, sticking wheels and the superhuman effort required to get the spare out persuaded me to to eliminate what I can.
I now carry a bottle jack, breaking bar & spider. Wheels are on with copper grease and a carry the 12volt tyre inflator for simple slow punctures so I can get somewhere safe.


Mike

I agree that if you are worried about removing them then replacing them is way to go. You don’t hear of wheels being stolen much these days.

This thread makes you wonder why VW designed the vehicle with 5 fasteners in the first place. It also makes you wonder why they bothered to specify a torque for them at all.

 

[Vagophile]

Yes my Spitfire could only manage low speeds anyway... except when the brakes failed on a long downhill. Twice. (I also managed to victory roll it off a bend into a field, but you didn't need to go very fast to do that on the old Triumph "tuck-unders").

Backwards in a friend's Mini Cooper, being overtaken by the offside rear wheel. Came safely to a halt on three wheels

 

[Vagophile]

I agree that if you are worried about removing them then replacing them is way to go. You don’t hear of wheels being stolen much these days.

This thread makes you wonder why VW designed the vehicle with 5 fasteners in the first place. It also makes you wonder why they bothered to specify a torque for them at all.

If you look at #7, after I got the cross threaded bolts removed and the drum re-threaded, I travelled through Greece and Bulgaria with four bolts in each rear wheel before finding suitable replacements in Romania. Although some serious thought is given to the design, it usually includes a considered allowance for the unforseen?

 

[ArunAlec]

Yes my Spitfire could only manage low speeds anyway... except when the brakes failed on a long downhill. Twice. (I also managed to victory roll it off a bend into a field, but you didn't need to go very fast to do that on the old Triumph "tuck-unders").

My Spitfire wheel came off when I was out on a "test flight" after a clutch change, unfortunately it was only a short distance from home, nowhere near far enough for my breakdown cover to legitimately help. Luckily the garage who came out weren't local so I had to give the driver directions to my house with the spitfire on a suspended tow. I had to direct him on a very long detour to make it look like it wasn't just around the corner.

 

[Lightning]

If you look at #7, after I got the cross threaded bolts removed and the drum re-threaded, I travelled through Greece and Bulgaria with four bolts in each rear wheel before finding suitable replacements in Romania. Although some serious thought is given to the design, it usually includes a considered allowance for the unforseen?

Agreed, the serious thought given includes accounting for dormant failures. A de-torqued fastener is a dormant failure, which is being introduced deliberately if it’s intentional. If a dormant failure occurs in combination with another failure you get a problem.

 

[Velma's Dad]

My Spitfire wheel came off when I was out on a "test flight" after a clutch change, unfortunately it was only a short distance from home, nowhere near far enough for my breakdown cover to legitimately help. Luckily the garage who came out weren't local so I had to give the driver directions to my house with the spitfire on a suspended tow. I had to direct him on a very long detour to make it look like it wasn't just around the corner.

As I recall, the clutch was a doddle to do on a Spit as the GB just came out from inside the car. But there were I think about a dozen bolts around the bell housing, which I considered ridiculous excess and I blush to say ended up with significantly fewer in use after a couple of times having the GB/engine out.

I did always stick to Triumph's specified number of wheel nuts though. Happy days.

 

[ArunAlec]

As I recall, the clutch was a doddle to do on a Spit as the GB just came out from inside the car. But there were I think about a dozen bolts around the bell housing, which I considered ridiculous excess and I blush to say ended up with significantly fewer in use after a couple of times having the GB/engine out.

I did always stick to Triumph's specified number of wheel nuts though. Happy days.

They were great to work on, bonnet up sat on the front wheels you could spend hours polishing the SU carbs!

 

[pjm-84]

Good old SU carbs. Check the oil in the pots!

 

[WelshGas]

Good old SU carbs. Check the oil in the pots!

And interesting effects if you varied the viscosity of the oil.

 

[Velma's Dad]

And interesting effects if you varied the viscosity of the oil.

Ha, plenty of debate on that one. I use snake oil in the SUs on my TR4 and Brent crude in my Riley.

 

[pjm-84]

20/50 for me

 

[TripleBee]

Just put on my summer wheels. Torqued at 180nm, like VW tells me.
I have no locking bolt.

 

[sidepod]

Anyone checked their tyre pressures (including spare) lately? Thought not !

 

[TripleBee]

Yes. After changing my wheels.

 

[WelshGas]

Anyone checked their tyre pressures (including spare) lately? Thought not !

Yes, yesterday.

 

[westfalia]

Yes, after putting my summers on.