I had my S-10 towed to a Walmart just off the expressway (had a flat & no spare), they refused to sell me any tire, the ones on the truck were too big according to their specs & the door sticker on the truck. I was in a pinch & needed a tire to get back home. I'll never buy tires from Sam's or Walmart. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I live on 4 miles of dirt road some years ago I went to Walmart for tires and balance when I picked it up the rims were still full of mud. I've never been back.
^^^ there you go. they could put that in the computer just as easy as the other information. I'm old, I torque everything to 80 lbs. except for big trucks
When did lubricated threads go bye-bye? My old shop manual has an * and then specifically notes that torque values are for lightly lubricated wheel stud threads. Today there are always big warning triangles and flashing stop signs about this, "dry threads only!" and people scream like a wounded eagle for even suggesting it. The rust does seem to hold the lugnuts on pretty good. God help you though, if you ever need to change a flat, and one of those "tire places" used an impact wrench. Since it was OK then, I figure it's prolly OK now, and put a tiny dab of anti-seize or something like that on threads, just enough to take out the "squeek" on removal. I tend to check lugnuts every now and then, especially before a roadtrip. It only takes a few minutes.
I started torqueing my lug nuts recently, I go to 90 on the Ford and compare it with an old fashioned lug wrench that I carry so I have an idea of what that torque feels like. And I do give the studs a wipe of never seize.
basically when they started to anti rust/antiseize coat them , most new studs if you look at them are aluminish in color and hold that finish , not like some old studs which were parkerized ( black base metal look ) the new studs will also yeild quicker if over torqued ( bottle neck or strip ) , some say its because of the design of the wheel since most are now hub centric instead of stud centric ( the wheel rides/locates on a protruding hub in the center and all the studs do is clamp it to the surface ( hense warped rotors if not tightened properly ) vs the old days where the lugs located( centered ) and secured the tire to the brake hub . if you think its a pain in the A** with a car you should try it with a semi , as we now have 2 types of Budd rims and they are not interchangable ( slowly the old lug centered type is disapearing ) you should see my torque wrench I use on the truck tires its 6' long , but its set at one torque spec ( 500lb ft and certified every month ) . and by law now ( OSHA not FMSCA ) we have to notate it used in the maintainance files . ( we use it anyways as its easy to use ) I keep my old beam style wrenches just for small vehicles . so they do not have to be certified as much and easier to use , and them so called torque sticks ,they are not accurate as they work harden the more you use them .
Reading some of these comments make me glad I still have my little old small-town tire shop. People say they like the cheap tire prices at these big box/chain places but if you have something non-standard and have to put up with that ****, is it worth it??
I looked in the '64 Ford owners manual for wheel nut torque just for grins, and it had the asterisk * and the note said "torque specifications are for clean, dry threads" ? That wasn't how I remembered it. So I double check the '64 Ford Truck Shop manual, same torque and everything (65-90 ft/lbs) asterisk though the note says "torque specifications are for lubricated bolt threads." The Ford owners manual is a modern reproduction, it's possible somebody decided to edit that. Had the original owners manual for '64 but I can't find it.
in my manuals it varies on what year they were printed , I have a chart on the wall I used to go buy , on trucks cl*** 2 and over , cars/pickups its often the stud size or I grab the owners manual .
A little OT but related, Charlie Stevens post on nitrogen gas in tires makes me wonder what the real advantage is. Since compressed air is approx 78% nitrogen 21% O2 and all the other know gases are that 1% (argon, etc) why use "pure" nitrogen? My wifes 2014 Caddy ATS & my 2017 GTI have nitrogen filled tires from the factory but other than moisture from compressed air I wonder what the advantage is? My VW has wheel bolts and VW advises NOT to use any lub. I don't touch the wifes Caddy except to fill the tank with Gas. She's a Jersey girl living in delaware... "Jersey girls DON'T pump gas" the first & last time she tried (I was in Hospital) she sprayed the entire side of the Caddy with gas and some Nice young Gentleman came to the resuce!)
The advantage is that tire stores make more $$$ off you. That might not be an advantage to you. Or it might make you feel good. Up to you.
Squirrel so true, so you are paying for 78% of what is in the air we breath! Its what the market will bear!
Nitrogen in tires has been the best marketing exercise ever. No need for it and as you can never totally eliminate Regular Air from inside your tires so any benefit if Nitrogen is canceled out. I worked in the tire industry here in Australia so I know a little bit about these things [emoji3] Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The nitrogen thing came out of stock car racing. Tire pressures are more critical and a little is a lot in that aspect. For cars... snake oil.
It's an aviation thing. Dry Nitrogen is used with hydraulic carts for pressurizing struts and tires. It's pretty gay otherwise.
I remember back when tire shops used impact guns on everything, and you couldn't get them to use a torque wrench. Now they have to use a torque wrench and can't mount a tire if they don't have written torque spec's? Wow, how times have changed.
Yup, we're being played. Why not instead of nitrogen, nitrous oxide? Thataway, while we're standing there getting a ticket for pulling a hole shot, we could lean over, twist the cap off that tire stem, take a snort - and turn a very serious situation into a funny one. And be friendly and offer to share it with the god ossifer- I mean good officer - wait - what were we talking about?!
if you think the tire buyers are ****ers , you should see the shops they sell the $$$ machines too ... at our shop we use compressed air that goes thru a HD drier ( its a air cooler ( water chiller) +HD Disectant truck air brake dryer unit ) so no/ extremely low moisture . I have broke tires that I swear they poured water in from the vapor cloud when the bead broke and some puddles inside .
would using helium reduce the unsprung weight of the tire ???? when I went For cryogenics school for the carrier I brokered to, I asked them if a Compressed helium tanker is lighter full VS empty ... boy did that stir things up !!! as they load that by pressure , now the cryos get heavier as the helium is a liquid .
wow,...first of all I thot squirrel had a ?, but not so,...I just take my wheels to get new tires, I don't want anybody working on my old rides,...I just use an X wrench and snug the lugs up, then hit the X wrench with the heel of my hand til it sqeaks, then hit it one more hit, been doin em that way for ever.
My brother ended up driving home, taking the wheels off the car, taking them to the tire store, and getting the new tires mounted. And he got FREE Nitrogen, and fancy green valve stem caps to show off to his prius friends. I doubt he torqued the lug nuts when he got home. (helium is less dense than nitrogen at the same pressure. And when you pressurize helium it does get heavier, of course)
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