How to use a torque wrench

[jledford]

Here's a video about how to use a torque wrench correctly. Hopefully most people here already know but it's a good vid none the less:

https://youtu.be/xk2Qwi6TnfQ

[cdambrose]

Good find! I admit I don't return my clicker type wrench back to zero.

[jledford]

Good find! I admit I don't return my clicker type wrench back to zero.

I always do! Even from torquing in the morning to the afternoon of an event I zero it out.

[JohnW8]

I always zero out my good torque wrench at home but the $9 Harbor Freight special I never change. I used to until someone questioned my sanity for doing so and I thought perhaps, I was crazy. I stopped zeroing out the autox torque wrench. Glad to know I wasn't crazy after all.
Has anyone had lugnuts come loose during a run?

[HPEVOX]

I zero mine.


But I typically just use my grunt meter. 1/4 in ratchet will get me 90ft/lb at "good grunt", 3/8 in gets about 200ft/lb and half inch about 500ft/lb .... with my left arm.... laying down.... blindfolded.... it's because i'm so strong ....

I kid. I LOVE torque wrenches. Keep me from breaking things.

[cdambrose]

I always zero out my good torque wrench at home but the $9 Harbor Freight special I never change. I used to until someone questioned my sanity for doing so and I thought perhaps, I was crazy. I stopped zeroing out the autox torque wrench. Glad to know I wasn't crazy after all.
Has anyone had lugnuts come loose during a run?

Yeah, no. I looked it up once and believe my NB's lugs need 60-80 lbs-ft, and I've had my wrench set to 70 as long as I've had it except for once when I helped a neighbor with his Jeep JK (God those XD wheels are like 100 lbs). Never any wobble or noise.

My old grunt meter needed recalibration, but you know as they say, overtorqued or cross-threaded, tight is tight!

[rodhx]

Has anyone had lugnuts come loose during a run?

Yes, I had one come off the Miata that Josh Bassett (I believe) returned to me after the run. Good thing he did 'cause I had no clue and one of the remaining three was on its way off. Yes, they were torqued beforehand.

I hate using spacers cause it is so hard to get them torqued correctly. My paranoia is why you see us constantly torquing the FRS' front wheels between runs.

[HPEVOX]

Yes, I had one come off the Miata that Josh Bassett (I believe) returned to me after the run. Good thing he did 'cause I had no clue and one of the remaining three was on its way off. Yes, they were torqued beforehand.

I hate using spacers cause it is so hard to get them torqued correctly. My paranoia is why you see us constantly torquing the FRS' front wheels between runs.

And there's this. When hot it seems like I could always get a little more wrench turn set at the same ft/lb 5 minutes after I torqued them there when cold. To test it out and see if it was actually torqued over that set amount once cooled, I left the wrench on the same setting, tried to loosen them and it would click WELL before they would break loose. Just because it's more malleable when warm and allows it to "stretch" more?

[jledford]

There's a difference between static torque and dynamic torque. I would think it would always take a bit more torque to loosen and already tight lugnut (static) vs the torque you actually applied while the nut was moving during tightening (dynamic).

Had this problem as a co-op at Briggs & Stratton back in the day and no one would believe me. A machine would run the bolts to torque then they tried checking after with a hand torque wrench. It was an analog wrench with the pointer arrow and they would torque until the bolt moved, always more torque than the machine put on. Eventually I set up a test and proved it to them.

[HPEVOX]

I just wondered how after every run I could tighten the lugs a little further with the wrench on the same setting. Only thing I could guess was heat. But there was a lot of difference once cooled. Fat evo got front braes very hot.

[engled]

Pfft, tighten until the impact slows down and let the rough end drag...

[jledford]

I just wondered how after every run I could tighten the lugs a little further with the wrench on the same setting. Only thing I could guess was heat. But there was a lot of difference once cooled. Fat evo got front braes very hot.

If you're tightening more then yes, it'd have to be heat related. The studs I got from BimmerWorld for my old M3 actually said not to tighten when hot, probably for the same reason. You actually over torque a bit vs cold.