coop1018

I got the ASPEC rims for the warmer months and I have the standard 17s that I am going to put on within the next few months. I can do this myself right? I dont need to pay a mechanic. All i need is to jack up each end and swap right? Just wanted to make sure there were no downfalls to this.

direk_04TL

just make sure you torque the lug nuts correctly.
roadrage, youre the expert on this matter, any thoughts?

VTEC=happiness

I concurr...no reason to pay someone...however, if you don't have a torque wrench, it might be worth it to pay a few bucks for proper mouting...then again, that would require hauling the extra wheels to the tire place, which is a pain

coop1018

Agreed, it is a pain hauling the wheels to a show and then hauling back the other ones. Also, paying the $25 is kind of pointless too. Do I need to have them torqued? Is it that big of a risk? I have never had allignment problems yet. Knock on wood. I am interested in hearing Road Rages opinion as well.

te3point5

Do it yourself, but like the others said, make sure you torque the lugs properly, not too tight, and not too loose. Alot of times, people tighten them as much as they can, which isn't the proper way. But you can do it yourself. (with very tired arms afterward).


Edit: Somewhere between 70-80 pounds will be fine.

coop1018

I am not familiar with a torque wrench. Is this something I should purchase? This is not your regular lug not remover that comes with the car? I know with a torque wrench you set the pds right?

badboy

if you don't want to haul 4 wheels to and from the shop, then just do it yourself, and bring the car over to the shop to torque it. Assuming the shop is prett close by. By doing this, you do run the risk of warping the rotors, but it is very minor if the shop is in close distance.

coop1018

Wow then in this case I would have to say I would not risk this and bring it to the shop. I am assuming the torque wrence is an expensive piece of equipment

Repecat

A very good torque wrench will run $200 and up. An adequate wrench will be about $60 to 70. A cheap one will run $30 or so, maybe cheaper in some places. Try Sears. I have one that is adequate and serves my purposes just fine. Your choice.

coop1018

Any specific torque wrench (cheap) to look for. I will look on ebay. Name brands?

This is not the correct torque wrench correct.....
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...333392769&rd=1

te3point5

I wouldn't worry too much about doing any serious damage. THe only way it can do something really bad is if they are severely undertightened, or severely overtightened. you just want to use the same force on all the lugs. There's a really good craftsman torque wrench out there that alot of people like.

drewspimpin

get a craftsman from sears. they usually go on sale during the holidays. I highly encourage you to torque your lugs. Warped rotor, loss of wheel balance, and uneven tire wear can all be atributed to improper lug tighting.

But then again if the shop is close and they charge $20, why not. No use getting out the jack when you can hire someone who does this for a living.

acura_driver

Some shop mechanics don't even know how to use a torque wrench correctly, so I retorque the lug nuts after buying new tires. I also rotate my tires myself. I've never had a warped brake rotor on any of the cars that I've owned. I don't think that is a coincidence.

Here is a good link on wheel lug nut torquing:
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/torque.htm

Buy a good torque wrench, one that you set the desired torque, and it clicks when you reach that set torque. Treat the wrench well and you will never need to buy another. (Before storing set the torque setting to the minimum setting and keep it in the plastic box it came in.)

-r

Repecat

Coop That ebay wrench might be okay, but personally, I would go to Sears and get one of their Craftsman wrenches. Their accuracy should be in the 3 or 4 % range, which is about all you will get and need in these price ranges. Good luck.


Good advice on the care and use of torque wrenches.

acura_driver

I second the recommendation for a Craftsman torque wrench. The one I have is over 25 years old, still works great.

-r

coop1018

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...332763581&rd=1

This one??? Good price?

Repecat

I wouldn.t.

acura_driver

No. With that type of torque wrench it is much more difficult to get even torque across the lug nuts.

This one would be good:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...334233754&rd=1

-r

Repecat

Agreed!

coop1018

Can anyone give me a model # of the craftsman or name. There are so many to choose from, I do not know which one is the most beneficial!

Thanks for all of your help guys!

acura_driver

Craftsman Torque Wrench, 1/2 in. Drive

Sears item #00944595000 Mfr. model #44595

1/2 in. square drive Wrench measures 20 to 150 ft. lb. in 1 ft. lb. increments.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...&bidsite=CRAFT

Ebay has a couple if you do a search.

-r

cvajs

i have 4 torque wrenches from Harbor Freight Tools (1/4", 3/8", 1/2", and 3/4") and all were measured for accuracy at a Dayton T Brown facility and they were all better than 4% accurate (3 torques each at various ft.lbs, or in.lbs).

a really good torq wrench is accurate under the 2% mark at all of it's torq settings, but this is not required for lugnuts.


you don't need a expensive craftsman torq wrench (although $70 for that one listed aint so bad)...

coop1018

I am just curious to know how many pds to set it at for our lugnuts. What is the recommended amount?

lakeman

coop

80 ft/pounds (in the manual for changing a tire. )

Another good piece of advice. Always GRADUALLY tighten the lug nuts in a criss cross pattern. Tighten all five first - just snug, then a little more (about 20 lb increments or so) and after 4 or 5 rounds, tighten to the final setting.
Actually I have had more problems with warped rotors and over tightened lugs from tire shops with overzealous morons with air guns, and have never had any problems when I have done my own work. (I have put on 4 sets of new rims on my cars over the years)

Also, on my 04TL, I rotate my own tires about every 4K miles using the OEM jack and a floor jack. I have the HPT's and this cuts down on any odd wear patterns. At 13K my HPT's look good and are still quiet.

Michael A

Just a quick note from my own personal experience. I have NEVER witnessed a mechanic, tire retailer or car dealer torque lug nuts. I am not suggesting they have never done it but I have personally seen 100% of the time the mechanic/tech use a air wrench/ratchet to loosen and tighten the lug nuts.

For tire rotations I would just do it myself and torque the lug nuts with my inexpensive sears/craftman torque wrench.

dcarlinf1

I have never torqued a lug nut in my life and never had any problems. I do, however, use the star pattern and gradually tighten them. Not many people have a torque wrench available when fixing a flat either. In a shop the mechanics should torque them because they are charging you a fee. But when doing it yourself using a little common sense is all that is necessary.

JackSprat01

I too have never seen a tire mechanic use a torque wrench, nor have I ever even OWNED a torque wrench and I've never had a problem. As long as you criss cross and tighten firmly but don't STRAIN, everything should be just fine. At least this is my experience, but I'm no mechanic.

cM3go

^ you are going to the wrong tire mechanics! :P

Although you should be ok, a torque wrench is HIGHLY recommended, and really should be required.

Danger Mouse

How do you guys store your summer tires/wheels? Can you just stack them up, laying them flat one on top of the other? Should they be hung on the wall via the lug nut holes? Any other preferred way?
Thanks,
DM

coop1018

I just lay mine against the wall in the basement , and they are wrapped in plastic.