got a humorous call from my brother...he's at costco, trying to get new tires installed on his 58 Chevy wagon, but they can't do it because they don't have an official printed source for lug nut torque specs. Gotta love the modern age.
I don't think it's the lug nut torque those guys should be concerned with, but the torque of their OWN "nut behind the wheel". I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Yep, can't get tires mounted and balanced on my '40 Chevrolet because they don't have a listing for it. I've been running with scissors for way too long.
Went to Sears a few years ago with my bro and his wife's Honda for a battery check. People start scurrying all over the car... check brakes with a mirror and light, start hanging alignment gauges off it. I'll delete the profanities from my brother, but we did not stay long enough for the battery check.
At first I couldn't buy one size larger tires for my O/T SUV at Sam's cause they didn't have a computer readout on it. Then an older mechanic came out and figured out how to override the PC to sell them
I keep a Shop Manual right in the front seat on the occasions I have to have the "pros" work on my beast. Not that they'll use it necessarily, but it's there for a reason. There are generic standard torque tables available for fasteners based upon the stud diameter. Anyone who has any sort of formal training should, and would, know this. There is probably a certain level of CYA on this phenomenon. Nobody at virtually any level is allowed to have any sort of discretion or thinking for themselves, that would be scary, and stuff. If on the other hand the manual had a typo in it, and spec'd 900 foot pounds, they would happily rip off a few studs and claim it wasn't their fault. Sorry about that!
something like here, if you post a thread about a car without pics it does not exist - guess with Costco if there are no "printed" torque specs it does not exist
Sears used to be a pretty good place to go for certain things. Brake jobs and tires, batteries, etc. I used them a lot. They were quick, and had a sprinkling of graybeards to cut the nonsense. About 20 years ago though I wanted them to install some shocks that I had purchased somewhere else, as they were a little oddball and not normally stocked. No can do they said, as I didn't buy them from Sears. Now there is a method to their madness - one being liability, I suppose. Another is they can't markup the parts three times over cost to make their labor rates look almost reasonable. I just wanted some new shocks installed, I'm not a complicated guy. I'd have paid the cost, because rusted 40 year old fasteners are not one of my favorite tasks. Last week that very same Sears Automotive shop announced they were closing their doors. I hadn't been there since that day. Nor inside the store either. They were the "flagship" store in the huge mall built at the time, an anchor store. What happens is, people bring their car in for work. Gonna take an hour or two, let's walk around Sears, eh? Gee, maybe - just maybe - people might buy more stuff in that hour walking around. Ya think? And the other way around too - Walking through the store.. Hey, you know - we need new tires, can you fit us in at noon??? "Sure no problem. Bring it around to door 3 and we'll get right on it. They are on sale right now you know..." They practically had a license to print money. A well run shop doesn't need to gouge, just do good work at a fair price, and you'll have way more business than you can handle. How they ****ed that up is a mystery to me.
I went to an OT dealership in Beaverton a decade ago and bought a new OT Konvertierbar and later added some OT 19" rims and OT low profile rubber. Took it into the OT dealership to get it aligned and the mechanic said Nein! I guess the computer could not understand how to align the suspension since the car was lower to the ground than before. I said some OT things and had it aligned locally by people who could still do their job without an internet connection.
just for ****s and giggles I googled automotive lug nut torque specs, they have a list of cars and years, but no lug nut/stud sizes and corresponding torque specs. some were as high as 140 ft lbs, and not on giant trucks. on the same subject but not really America's Tire does not sell 16.5 inch tires at all because someone tried to mount one on a 16" rim and got killed in the process. had to go to a real tire shop for tires on my motorhome a few years back.
My fun at Sam's tire store started when the guy didn't know what a left hand lug nut was. They also had a big sign that stated if it took more than an hour the labor was free. When I pointed out that it took them 65 minutes to screw up my car I was told that was less than an hour. I haven't been back.
This^^^^^. I swap a lot of tires/wheels around between my two sons vehicles, and my own junk. Everything from 1 tons, half tons, no tons, a ricer, a scooter, hell even a wheel barrow. Get a general handle on the tq per size spec, and run with it. T'aint rocket surgery. Back when me & my best friend were just gettin' our drivin' privileges, we were putting some 'new' junkyard tires on the Corvair from hell. Al (****strong country boy that he was) commenced to snappin studs off like they were toothpicks. His oldman came out and promptly gave us the riot act. Still remember him walking away, shaking his head, saying "That boy'd break an anvil....."
quick thing to remember .5 size tires are commercial ply rated , this is the reason behind the sizing . most commercial rated trucks use .5 numbering on radials and some bias ( 16.5 , 18.5 , 22.5 and 24.5 )
what happened to tighten till it strips and back it off a 1/4 turn ??? thats how thy do it at the local national tire shop . or they tighten till it bottlenecks and strips and cannot get the lug off ( and it has to be split or cut off )
On the positive side it is good to know Costco torques the nuts correctly. They also fill them with Nitrogen at no extra cost and will top them off later with nitrogen at no cost (unless they have changed since I was there last). They are also hard to beat on the price for tires. Charlie Stephens
The 58 chevy pickup truck owners manual lists torque specs (65 ft lb), but the shop and owners manual for the 58 cars does not have anything. So he was planning to take the wheels off the car and take them in to get new tires mounted...I dont know if that worked, or not. My tires only get 78% nitrogen when I fill them. Shucks.
Went into Wally Mart one time , in an emergency. I have one size smaller in the front , and one size bigger on the rear of my S10. They look at the factory sticker on the door jamb, and tell me they can't mount the front ones on the truck. Told them thanks, and hold on to those tires. I'll be right back. I go around the corner and get out the jack and 4-way. I then roll two wheels back around the corner ,and say I need two tires mounted and balanced, cash and carry. No problem, sir.
My torque wrench has standard fastener torque specs printed right there on the side. The air wrench they use at those tyre places has 5 settings, 1,2,3,4 & "Jeeez...how are you supposed to get this off on the side of the road without a 4' cheater bar on the end?"
My buddy took his 58 Chevy Pickup to Les Schwab for an alignment after he installed a TCI Mustang II front suspension unit, they denied him because it was not "Factory". I told him the computer couldn't give them the specs so they were dumbfounded. He took it to another little guy shop and got it done no problem.
Wheel Lug Torque Specifications Stud Diameter Lug Torque 14 MM Stud 90 Foot Pounds 7/16 Inch Stud 75 Foot Pounds 1/2 Inch stud 85 Foot Pounds 9/16 Inch Stud 140 Foot Pounds
all this because some fat cat business corporation got sued when one of their under paid dopey employees left a lug loose or broke a stud off................
Did you ever tighten lug nuts to 75 foot pounds, then take the wheel off right after that? You will tighten them much tighter the next time. I just doesn't feel tight enough. I go 100-110 on most vehicles.
The Jalopy Journal
