[Mgs] Wheel Nut Torque Setting - 1908 MGB LE

[The Roxter]

On 6/2/2011 3:19 AM, Paul Hunt wrote:
> 60ft lb.  75 ft lb should be avoided but shouldn't do any damage on 
> an MGB, but could on cars with a smaller diameter stud like the 
> Midget.  A while ago I had two tyres replaced somewhere I hadn't 
> used before.  Unlike other places I have used owners are forced to 
> spectate from a separate enclosed area through a window for 'elfin 
> safety'.  It looked to me like he used an air gun to do the nuts up 
> until it chattered, and only used the torque-wrench to check that 
> they weren't under-tightened (instead of spinning the nuts on with 
> the gun or brace and then using the torque-wrench for the actual 
> final tightening).  On return home I started checking how much force 
> was needed to undo them with my torsion-bar torque-wrench.  The 
> first needed 100ftlb, the second got up to 120 then the torsion bar 
> snapped, I had to undo the rest with a breaker bar.  After that most 
> of the nuts felt wobbly on the threads (loose on the stud, not 
> clamping the wheel), whereas the rears didn't.  Swapping fronts to 
> rears the rear nuts on the front studs felt OK, but the front nuts 
> on the rear studs were still wobbly, so I replaced all the nuts (V8 
> so not cheap) as a precaution.  Of course, a complaint to the 
> fitting company got nowhere, even involving Trading Standards.
>
> Having said all that I never have used a torque wrench when 
> refitting wheels, but simply lean down hard on the standard tool, 
> stamping down on it always loosens them.  After the above and out of 
> interest I did try tightening to 60 with my (new!) torque wrench and 
> loosening as I usually do, and vice-versa, and found it came out at 
> about 60-65 ftlb.  If you use one of those girly expanding wrenches 
> you should tighten the nuts with it closed, or use the vehicle 
> manufacturers tool, and only use the expanded wrench or breaker bar 
> for undoing.
It took me a couple of days to find out who to complain to about a similar matter, where a tire company torqued the wheel nuts on a friend's Honda so tight they would not unfasten. That's actually a potentially life-threatening error. I want a State Law that forbids using an impact wrench to tighten wheel nuts.

-Rocky Frisco
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