Watch your lug nuts

[chico bill]

Switcheroo at David's?
The other day I had to take my front tires off to grease my tie-rod ends and vertical stabilizer bars.
Well I got out my 4 way lug wrench and couldn't budge the lugs. Not one
So fortunately I had a 3/4" x16" steel cheater pipe I could use with my factory Kia 21 mm lug wrench.
Great until I came to one 19 mm lug when all the rest are 21mm. Now I have had all my wheels off previous with the factory wrench so somehow I got a smaller lug when I bought new tires at David's Tire a few months back.
I was able to get it free with a craftsman ratchet and a 19mm socket, but only after the cheap Chinese ratchet I had snapped liked plastic.
I then ordered a complete set of new 21 mm lug nuts because some of the others were longer than the others even though they were 21mm. Now all match.
Moral of the story - when getting new tires or flats fixed at David's watch to make sure you get all your correct lug nuts back.
And ask them to hand tighten or let you hand tighten the lugs because lug nuts don't need to be 150 ft-lbs like they always over tighten with their air impact wrench. If not you'll never change a roadside flat with normal human power.

 

[Glenn Burke]

because lug nuts don't need to be 150 ft-lbs like they always over tighten with their air impact wrench. If not you'll never change a roadside flat with normal human power.

You just need a longer cheater pipe. I always have a 4 Ft long one in the back on my car.

 

[USA DOC]

yes I watch my lug nuts,,,,but I watch my other nuts very carefully,,, in the town where you live,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[chico bill]

You just need a longer cheater pipe. I always have a 4 Ft long one in the back on my car.

If you need a 4' then someone is way over-tightening them

 

[Glenn Burke]

If you need a 4' then someone is way over-tightening them

Not always, but you never know... at least I know that with this long cheater pipe I can loosen any nut or bolt.

 

[josh2203]

If you need a 4' then someone is way over-tightening them

I also have a metal pipe I use, but the length of that is like a bit more than a foot or so. I agree, not only are they too tight but they can also get damaged, at which point the integrity of the bolt is not the same anymore? That could be risky?

 

[chico bill]

Not always, but you never know... at least I know that with this long cheater pipe I can loosen any nut or bolt.

Or break a lug wrench or break a hub bolt or round off a lug nut

 

[Glenn Burke]

Or break a lug wrench or break a hub bolt or round off a lug nut

Dude, I don't use 4' metal pipe to tighten lug nuts. I rarely use it to loosen a stuck nut (and not only on my cars) that can't be loosen any other way without using a torch and impact wrench or something else not available on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. I actually helped a few people to loosen lug nuts on their cars that probably were over tightened 5 years ago and got totally stuck after a few years, using my wrenches and this long pipe. It's better to have this than have nothing.

 

[chico bill]

Dude, I don't use 4' metal pipe to tighten lug nuts. I rarely use it to loosen a stuck nut (and not only on my cars) that can't be loosen any other way without using a torch and impact wrench or something else not available on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. I actually helped a few people to loosen lug nuts on their cars that probably were over tightened 5 years ago and got totally stuck after a few years, using my wrenches and this long pipe. It's better to have this than have nothing.

I put axle grease in mine when I put a wheel back on. Hopefully this keeps them from seizing next time I have a flat by the side of the road

 

[Glenn Burke]

I put axle grease in mine when I put a wheel back on. Hopefully this keeps them from seizing next time I have a flat by the side of the road

I would never do that, I keep mine totally dry. Leaving some grease there will keep them from seizing for sure, but in case if they are not tight enough, the wheels can come off.

 

[chico bill]

I would never do that, I keep mine totally dry. Leaving some grease there will keep them from seizing for sure, but in case if they are not tight enough, the wheels can come off.

For 5 lug nuts to somehow back themselves off enough for a wheel to come off, I like my chances on that one.
But I do tighten them well, just not air-wrench tight. I never understood why tire shops in DR insist on hitting them with an air gun until they practically shear off the bolt. No need for that. Lug nuts are tapered to actually penetrate into the hole in the rim.
Any man, strong kid (or strong woman) can tighten them sufficiently with a lug wrench by hand and never encounter a problem.

 

[Notengo]

Impact wrench at full force to torque is a no no for the risk of damaging threads or alloy wheels, especially when they torque the nuts one by one. It is a fast but lazy practice. I always torque by hand and 2 final sequences with the wheels on the ground (without a bar). Don’t grease the threads. I use copper grease on several parts but never on wheel nuts and struts, these need to be tight.

 

[jd426]

These people really are Neanderthals .. this is what they do all day long and they cant get it right ?, and then grab someone else's Lug Nuts or even cheat you by taking your More Valuable ones ? .. insane
As to torque , Any decent Air Impact gun/ wrench ( we always called them guns) can be set pretty precisely with the Air Pressure and settings on the gun itself ..
The Cordless Electric ones , Half inch Drive are also VERY Good now , and do the job just fine.
If I am looking for 100-105 Lbs like on my toyota, I get mine so accurate that there wont ever be more than 10 Lbs of difference with a Torque Wrench if I were to check it , which is close enough.. 90 or 105 wont make much difference, and you can check it by feel with a half inch Breaker bar . You should NEVER need a 4' cheater pipe, and if you do something is terribly wrong.
I also use just a little Anti Seize on my Lugs , always . This should be mandatory at a Place of Business ,.but of course the cheap basturds wont do it .

 

[josh2203]

For 5 lug nuts to somehow back themselves off enough for a wheel to come off, I like my chances on that one.
But I do tighten them well, just not air-wrench tight. I never understood why tire shops in DR insist on hitting them with an air gun until they practically shear off the bolt. No need for that. Lug nuts are tapered to actually penetrate into the hole in the rim.
Any man, strong kid (or strong woman) can tighten them sufficiently with a lug wrench by hand and never encounter a problem.

I'm with you on this, I have always greased the lug nuts on all my cars, as has done my dad for the past 40 years. You should tighten the nuts as much as you can with the wrench usually provided with the car, then drive a few miles and then check the bolts. Never any problems, regardless of the vehicle type or climate. If done properly, I honestly also cannot see how the lug nuts would loosen any mount by themselves, let alone so much that the wheel comes off. If that has happened to someone, I'd like to know the circumstances.

 

[josh2203]

These people really are Neanderthals .. this is what they do all day long and they cant get it right ?, and then grab someone else's Lug Nuts or even cheat you by taking your More Valuable ones ? .. insane

I stopped bringing our truck in the DR to a certain taller in POP after they tried to put half the right oil half the wrong oil (wrong viscosity)... Somehow the idea of checking the cans when the guy came with them from the warehouse and I was just baffled seeing half of them being absolutely the wrong type of oil. I called him out on it, he just shrugged and went to change the cans. I never returned to that garage...

 

[JD Jones]

For 5 lug nuts to somehow back themselves off enough for a wheel to come off, I like my chances on that one.
But I do tighten them well, just not air-wrench tight. I never understood why tire shops in DR insist on hitting them with an air gun until they practically shear off the bolt. No need for that. Lug nuts are tapered to actually penetrate into the hole in the rim.
Any man, strong kid (or strong woman) can tighten them sufficiently with a lug wrench by hand and never encounter a problem.

Wait! Are you using common sense again? What did I tell you about that?