140 ft lbs seems pretty high to me, but that's what the owners manual for my Silverado says. I set mine at 125 ft lbs because that's what I'm comfortable with if I had to put a spare on. Is this going to be an issue?
Silverado lug torque spec excessive?
- Thread starter Corollaman
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They're 6 lug wheels with thick studs. 140 is fine, Ford specs 150 on the F-150's with 21mm lug nuts.
GM trucks have been 140 ft lbs for as long as I can remember. I'm sure they would have changed it, had it become an issue. Will it be an issue at 125? Doubt it. But do you REALLY want a wheel coming loose? It's 15 ft lbs... not 50.
GM trucks have been 140 ft lbs for as long as I can remember. I'm sure they would have changed it, had it become an issue. Will it be an issue at 125? Doubt it. But do you REALLY want a wheel coming loose? It's 15 ft lbs... not 50.
Sounds fine to me for a 6 stud wheel
Driving GM trucks since 99 and torque has always been 140 ft/lbs. No issues.
My 2016 SS Sedan and I suspect Corvettes have a 140 ft/lb spec as well.
My 2017 Ford Edge Titanium owners manual has 162 ft/lb. My torque wrench goes to 150 so that is all it gets.
I bought a 24 inch breaker bar and a 21 ml socket for a roadside emergency if needed.
I bought a 24 inch breaker bar and a 21 ml socket for a roadside emergency if needed.
GM started using 14mm wheel studs on trucks in 1988, Prior to that.....2wd 5-lug C10 used 1/2" wheel studs, 4wd 6-lug K10 used 7/16" wheel studs, And C20 used 9/16" wheel studs.
Funny thing is.....9/16" is slightly larger than 14mm, And most 9/16" C20 trucks called for 120 ft lbs, But this was for steel wheels.....I'm sure if they were using aluminum wheels back then....They would call for higher torque?
Anyone remember the Shouldered/Washer seat lug nuts for cast aftermarket aluminum wheels? Man that was a disaster! I was working at a Chevy dealer in the early 90's & customers would blame GM &/or the dealer for their aftermarket wheels coming loose or falling off. It was hilarious to watch grown men throw fits.
Japanese makes also used shouldered/washer seat lug-nuts on their factory aluminum wheels in that era....But it was factory engineered & worked well.
Funny thing is.....9/16" is slightly larger than 14mm, And most 9/16" C20 trucks called for 120 ft lbs, But this was for steel wheels.....I'm sure if they were using aluminum wheels back then....They would call for higher torque?
Anyone remember the Shouldered/Washer seat lug nuts for cast aftermarket aluminum wheels? Man that was a disaster! I was working at a Chevy dealer in the early 90's & customers would blame GM &/or the dealer for their aftermarket wheels coming loose or falling off. It was hilarious to watch grown men throw fits.
Japanese makes also used shouldered/washer seat lug-nuts on their factory aluminum wheels in that era....But it was factory engineered & worked well.
Originally Posted by Corollaman
140 ft lbs seems pretty high to me, but that's what the owners manual for my Silverado says. I set mine at 125 ft lbs because that's what I'm comfortable with if I had to put a spare on. Is this going to be an issue?
I put a 24 inch breaker bar with a socket in all my vehicles. The wrench that comes with the vehicle is usually a joke. 140 ft lbs is not a problem with a long enough breaker bar.
140 ft lbs seems pretty high to me, but that's what the owners manual for my Silverado says. I set mine at 125 ft lbs because that's what I'm comfortable with if I had to put a spare on. Is this going to be an issue?
I put a 24 inch breaker bar with a socket in all my vehicles. The wrench that comes with the vehicle is usually a joke. 140 ft lbs is not a problem with a long enough breaker bar.
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Originally Posted by sopususer
Driving GM trucks since 99 and torque has always been 140 ft/lbs. No issues.
I went ahead and torqued them to 140 ft lbs per spec. When I loosened them from the 125 ft lbs I had them at before they came off really easy.
Driving GM trucks since 99 and torque has always been 140 ft/lbs. No issues.
I went ahead and torqued them to 140 ft lbs per spec. When I loosened them from the 125 ft lbs I had them at before they came off really easy.
What is interesting, is I have a 2016 Colorado (mine) and a 2016 Buick Lacrosse (wifes) in the stable. The Colorado is 6 bolt, and the Buick is 5 bolt, but they both have the same size nuts and studs (same as Silverado above). The Colorado manual calls for 140 ft-lb, but the Buick manual only calls for 120 ft-lb. Makes no sense to me, but I just follow the manual regardless.
Originally Posted by novadude
What is interesting, is I have a 2016 Colorado (mine) and a 2016 Buick Lacrosse (wifes) in the stable. The Colorado is 6 bolt, and the Buick is 5 bolt, but they both have the same size nuts and studs (same as Silverado above). The Colorado manual calls for 140 ft-lb, but the Buick manual only calls for 120 ft-lb. Makes no sense to me, but I just follow the manual regardless.
My son's 08 Malibu is 100 and my wife's car is 120. All my previous GM trucks were 140 but my Ram, with only 5 studs I believe is 120-125?
My bud and I did a little experiment. We torqued a GM truck to 120-125 and let sit for a bit then went around again and retorqued them to 140. The surprising thing was, the nuts didn't turn/get any tighter before the torque wrench clicked?
I don't know with 100% certainty but I believe my bud, being a good/decent licensed mechanic, gets his torque wrenches calibrated occasionally/annually.
Not that I recommend anyone ever torquing their nuts to below the required amount, but has anyone else ever tried this?
What is interesting, is I have a 2016 Colorado (mine) and a 2016 Buick Lacrosse (wifes) in the stable. The Colorado is 6 bolt, and the Buick is 5 bolt, but they both have the same size nuts and studs (same as Silverado above). The Colorado manual calls for 140 ft-lb, but the Buick manual only calls for 120 ft-lb. Makes no sense to me, but I just follow the manual regardless.
My son's 08 Malibu is 100 and my wife's car is 120. All my previous GM trucks were 140 but my Ram, with only 5 studs I believe is 120-125?
My bud and I did a little experiment. We torqued a GM truck to 120-125 and let sit for a bit then went around again and retorqued them to 140. The surprising thing was, the nuts didn't turn/get any tighter before the torque wrench clicked?
I don't know with 100% certainty but I believe my bud, being a good/decent licensed mechanic, gets his torque wrenches calibrated occasionally/annually.
Not that I recommend anyone ever torquing their nuts to below the required amount, but has anyone else ever tried this?
Originally Posted by irv
Originally Posted by novadude
What is interesting, is I have a 2016 Colorado (mine) and a 2016 Buick Lacrosse (wifes) in the stable. The Colorado is 6 bolt, and the Buick is 5 bolt, but they both have the same size nuts and studs (same as Silverado above). The Colorado manual calls for 140 ft-lb, but the Buick manual only calls for 120 ft-lb. Makes no sense to me, but I just follow the manual regardless.
My son's 08 Malibu is 100 and my wife's car is 120. All my previous GM trucks were 140 but my Ram, with only 5 studs I believe is 120-125?
My bud and I did a little experiment. We torqued a GM truck to 120-125 and let sit for a bit then went around again and retorqued them to 140. The surprising thing was, the nuts didn't turn/get any tighter before the torque wrench clicked?
I don't know with 100% certainty but I believe my bud, being a good/decent licensed mechanic, gets his torque wrenches calibrated occasionally/annually.
Not that I recommend anyone ever torquing their nuts to below the required amount, but has anyone else ever tried this?
I thought you were supposed to loosen the lug nut before re-torqing it again?
Originally Posted by novadude
What is interesting, is I have a 2016 Colorado (mine) and a 2016 Buick Lacrosse (wifes) in the stable. The Colorado is 6 bolt, and the Buick is 5 bolt, but they both have the same size nuts and studs (same as Silverado above). The Colorado manual calls for 140 ft-lb, but the Buick manual only calls for 120 ft-lb. Makes no sense to me, but I just follow the manual regardless.
My son's 08 Malibu is 100 and my wife's car is 120. All my previous GM trucks were 140 but my Ram, with only 5 studs I believe is 120-125?
My bud and I did a little experiment. We torqued a GM truck to 120-125 and let sit for a bit then went around again and retorqued them to 140. The surprising thing was, the nuts didn't turn/get any tighter before the torque wrench clicked?
I don't know with 100% certainty but I believe my bud, being a good/decent licensed mechanic, gets his torque wrenches calibrated occasionally/annually.
Not that I recommend anyone ever torquing their nuts to below the required amount, but has anyone else ever tried this?
I thought you were supposed to loosen the lug nut before re-torqing it again?
Originally Posted by Corollaman
Originally Posted by irv
Originally Posted by novadude
What is interesting, is I have a 2016 Colorado (mine) and a 2016 Buick Lacrosse (wifes) in the stable. The Colorado is 6 bolt, and the Buick is 5 bolt, but they both have the same size nuts and studs (same as Silverado above). The Colorado manual calls for 140 ft-lb, but the Buick manual only calls for 120 ft-lb. Makes no sense to me, but I just follow the manual regardless.
My son's 08 Malibu is 100 and my wife's car is 120. All my previous GM trucks were 140 but my Ram, with only 5 studs I believe is 120-125?
My bud and I did a little experiment. We torqued a GM truck to 120-125 and let sit for a bit then went around again and retorqued them to 140. The surprising thing was, the nuts didn't turn/get any tighter before the torque wrench clicked?
I don't know with 100% certainty but I believe my bud, being a good/decent licensed mechanic, gets his torque wrenches calibrated occasionally/annually.
Not that I recommend anyone ever torquing their nuts to below the required amount, but has anyone else ever tried this?
I thought you were supposed to loosen the lug nut before re-torqing it again?
I never heard that before, but maybe you're right? I've always just rechecked mine to ensure they are still tight/torqued to the value.
My point was, when we increased the torque value on the torque wrench, the nuts didn't get any tighter before the torque wrench clicked again.
Originally Posted by irv
Originally Posted by novadude
What is interesting, is I have a 2016 Colorado (mine) and a 2016 Buick Lacrosse (wifes) in the stable. The Colorado is 6 bolt, and the Buick is 5 bolt, but they both have the same size nuts and studs (same as Silverado above). The Colorado manual calls for 140 ft-lb, but the Buick manual only calls for 120 ft-lb. Makes no sense to me, but I just follow the manual regardless.
My son's 08 Malibu is 100 and my wife's car is 120. All my previous GM trucks were 140 but my Ram, with only 5 studs I believe is 120-125?
My bud and I did a little experiment. We torqued a GM truck to 120-125 and let sit for a bit then went around again and retorqued them to 140. The surprising thing was, the nuts didn't turn/get any tighter before the torque wrench clicked?
I don't know with 100% certainty but I believe my bud, being a good/decent licensed mechanic, gets his torque wrenches calibrated occasionally/annually.
Not that I recommend anyone ever torquing their nuts to below the required amount, but has anyone else ever tried this?
I thought you were supposed to loosen the lug nut before re-torqing it again?
I never heard that before, but maybe you're right? I've always just rechecked mine to ensure they are still tight/torqued to the value.
My point was, when we increased the torque value on the torque wrench, the nuts didn't get any tighter before the torque wrench clicked again.
Originally Posted by irv
Originally Posted by Corollaman
Originally Posted by irv
Originally Posted by novadude
What is interesting, is I have a 2016 Colorado (mine) and a 2016 Buick Lacrosse (wifes) in the stable. The Colorado is 6 bolt, and the Buick is 5 bolt, but they both have the same size nuts and studs (same as Silverado above). The Colorado manual calls for 140 ft-lb, but the Buick manual only calls for 120 ft-lb. Makes no sense to me, but I just follow the manual regardless.
My son's 08 Malibu is 100 and my wife's car is 120. All my previous GM trucks were 140 but my Ram, with only 5 studs I believe is 120-125?
My bud and I did a little experiment. We torqued a GM truck to 120-125 and let sit for a bit then went around again and retorqued them to 140. The surprising thing was, the nuts didn't turn/get any tighter before the torque wrench clicked?
I don't know with 100% certainty but I believe my bud, being a good/decent licensed mechanic, gets his torque wrenches calibrated occasionally/annually.
Not that I recommend anyone ever torquing their nuts to below the required amount, but has anyone else ever tried this?
I thought you were supposed to loosen the lug nut before re-torqing it again?
I never heard that before, but maybe you're right? I've always just rechecked mine to ensure they are still tight/torqued to the value.
My point was, when we increased the torque value on the torque wrench, the nuts didn't get any tighter before the torque wrench clicked again.
If your checking the same torque you can just re-torque the lug nuts but if your changing the torque to a different value you should start over by loosening the lug nut then tightening it to the new value.
Originally Posted by Corollaman
Originally Posted by irv
Originally Posted by novadude
What is interesting, is I have a 2016 Colorado (mine) and a 2016 Buick Lacrosse (wifes) in the stable. The Colorado is 6 bolt, and the Buick is 5 bolt, but they both have the same size nuts and studs (same as Silverado above). The Colorado manual calls for 140 ft-lb, but the Buick manual only calls for 120 ft-lb. Makes no sense to me, but I just follow the manual regardless.
My son's 08 Malibu is 100 and my wife's car is 120. All my previous GM trucks were 140 but my Ram, with only 5 studs I believe is 120-125?
My bud and I did a little experiment. We torqued a GM truck to 120-125 and let sit for a bit then went around again and retorqued them to 140. The surprising thing was, the nuts didn't turn/get any tighter before the torque wrench clicked?
I don't know with 100% certainty but I believe my bud, being a good/decent licensed mechanic, gets his torque wrenches calibrated occasionally/annually.
Not that I recommend anyone ever torquing their nuts to below the required amount, but has anyone else ever tried this?
I thought you were supposed to loosen the lug nut before re-torqing it again?
I never heard that before, but maybe you're right? I've always just rechecked mine to ensure they are still tight/torqued to the value.
My point was, when we increased the torque value on the torque wrench, the nuts didn't get any tighter before the torque wrench clicked again.
If your checking the same torque you can just re-torque the lug nuts but if your changing the torque to a different value you should start over by loosening the lug nut then tightening it to the new value.
Quote
Originally Posted by Corollaman
Originally Posted by irv
My point was, when we increased the torque value on the torque wrench, the nuts didn't get any tighter before the torque wrench clicked again.
If your checking the same torque you can just re-torque the lug nuts but if your changing the torque to a different value you should start over by loosening the lug nut then tightening it to the new value.
Makes sense, and maybe that's the reason the nuts didn't turn nor get any tighter when we increased the value another 20-25?
Originally Posted by Corollaman
Originally Posted by irv
My point was, when we increased the torque value on the torque wrench, the nuts didn't get any tighter before the torque wrench clicked again.
If your checking the same torque you can just re-torque the lug nuts but if your changing the torque to a different value you should start over by loosening the lug nut then tightening it to the new value.
Makes sense, and maybe that's the reason the nuts didn't turn nor get any tighter when we increased the value another 20-25?
Originally Posted by irv
Quote
Originally Posted by Corollaman
Originally Posted by irv
My point was, when we increased the torque value on the torque wrench, the nuts didn't get any tighter before the torque wrench clicked again.
If your checking the same torque you can just re-torque the lug nuts but if your changing the torque to a different value you should start over by loosening the lug nut then tightening it to the new value.
Makes sense, and maybe that's the reason the nuts didn't turn nor get any tighter when we increased the value another 20-25?
The reason is that sliding friction is lower that static friction - and you are supposed to be turning the nut (bolt) when setting the torque. The breakaway value will be higher!
What you are trying to do is stretch the stud (bolt) a certain amount to get a certain clamping force. That's why there are different torque values for lubed and unlubed fasteners.
Quote
Originally Posted by Corollaman
Originally Posted by irv
My point was, when we increased the torque value on the torque wrench, the nuts didn't get any tighter before the torque wrench clicked again.
If your checking the same torque you can just re-torque the lug nuts but if your changing the torque to a different value you should start over by loosening the lug nut then tightening it to the new value.
Makes sense, and maybe that's the reason the nuts didn't turn nor get any tighter when we increased the value another 20-25?
The reason is that sliding friction is lower that static friction - and you are supposed to be turning the nut (bolt) when setting the torque. The breakaway value will be higher!
What you are trying to do is stretch the stud (bolt) a certain amount to get a certain clamping force. That's why there are different torque values for lubed and unlubed fasteners.
Originally Posted by CapriRacer
The reason is that sliding friction is lower that static friction - and you are supposed to be turning the nut (bolt) when setting the torque. The breakaway value will be higher!
What you are trying to do is stretch the stud (bolt) a certain amount to get a certain clamping force. That's why there are different torque values for lubed and unlubed fasteners.
Lubed parts should always use the reduced torque specs. There are many good guidelines for torque specifications. Here's what I've been doing for the past 40+ years and I've never had a tire fall off and I've always been able to loosen the nuts on the side of the road using the crappy factory wrench. For example, my 2018 Mazda 3 says torque specs are between 80 and 115 ft.lbs. Once the studs are wiped off, I apply 2-3 drops of oil on the threads and also make sure the tapered shoulder surfaces on the nut and wheel are clean and have a finger-smudge of oil. I then use the lower (80 ft.lb) spec.
For the people who despise putting oil on threads, they should use the high value spec.
Here are some general references which show typical lubricated specs (for large/industrial size bolts) being about 30-40% reduced.
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/torque-lubrication-effects-d_1693.html (BTW Engineering Toolbox is a pretty reliable and well proof-read resource).
https://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/Bolts/US-Recommended-Torque.aspx
http://www.repairengineering.com/bolt-torque-chart.html
Hint: When you finish using a torque wrench, set the tension down to zero before putting back into storage.
Ray
The reason is that sliding friction is lower that static friction - and you are supposed to be turning the nut (bolt) when setting the torque. The breakaway value will be higher!
What you are trying to do is stretch the stud (bolt) a certain amount to get a certain clamping force. That's why there are different torque values for lubed and unlubed fasteners.
Lubed parts should always use the reduced torque specs. There are many good guidelines for torque specifications. Here's what I've been doing for the past 40+ years and I've never had a tire fall off and I've always been able to loosen the nuts on the side of the road using the crappy factory wrench. For example, my 2018 Mazda 3 says torque specs are between 80 and 115 ft.lbs. Once the studs are wiped off, I apply 2-3 drops of oil on the threads and also make sure the tapered shoulder surfaces on the nut and wheel are clean and have a finger-smudge of oil. I then use the lower (80 ft.lb) spec.
For the people who despise putting oil on threads, they should use the high value spec.
Here are some general references which show typical lubricated specs (for large/industrial size bolts) being about 30-40% reduced.
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/torque-lubrication-effects-d_1693.html (BTW Engineering Toolbox is a pretty reliable and well proof-read resource).
https://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/Bolts/US-Recommended-Torque.aspx
http://www.repairengineering.com/bolt-torque-chart.html
Hint: When you finish using a torque wrench, set the tension down to zero before putting back into storage.
Ray
A little fun fact is that our big trucks have a 450# torque spec on the lug nuts and they check them every time a truck goes into the shop and at PMs. For cars, I just use a 4 way and tighten them with a "feel" for the torque. This has worked for me for 40+ years.
Originally Posted by Silverado12
A little fun fact is that our big trucks have a 450# torque spec on the lug nuts and they check them every time a truck goes into the shop and at PMs. For cars, I just use a 4 way and tighten them with a "feel" for the torque. This has worked for me for 40+ years.
With old steel wheel tires, I did the same thing. Aluminum is much less forgiving.
A little fun fact is that our big trucks have a 450# torque spec on the lug nuts and they check them every time a truck goes into the shop and at PMs. For cars, I just use a 4 way and tighten them with a "feel" for the torque. This has worked for me for 40+ years.
With old steel wheel tires, I did the same thing. Aluminum is much less forgiving.
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