How tight do you guys torque your steel wheels? Do you torque them at all or just hand tighten? I know torque is important for aluminum wheels, but never gave it much thought for my steelies. '50 Mercury Kelsey Hayes wheels on stock '48 ford drums
If you need a figure, 95-105 ft lbs outta do it... Otherwise, just tighten them up and check them periodically.
I just tighten them "enough"... Get 'em all the way down then maybe a quarter turn with speed wrench. Never had a problem on all sorts of different steel wheels.
It's not so much about the wheel as it is about the stud. You don't want to go past the yield point of the stud. It won't keep it's clamping force if it gets streched out too much, or not enough.
Rank amateurs have been tightening lugs for 80 years with either the factory lug wrench or a " 4 way". Most never heard of a torque wrench.
Early Ford lug wrenches were also the crank handle...rather a short lever arm to prevent over tightening. There was no spec, but if you want one look in the 1970's...Ford pickups and big line of cars used same lug nut and size of stud for a long time, and of course the lug area of steel wheels was made the same way. Pickups even kept the early bolt pattern. And always have a longer wrench available for getting the thing loose a year later...
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