RE: Over torqued nuts

[Anders.l.Nilsson@gambro.com]

>     I believe it's true that overtorqued lug nuts can cause brake
rotors
>to warp.  Can overtorqueing also lead to wheel-bearing failure?  I had
a
>(rear) wheel-bearing failure on my '85 Alfa Spider a couple of months
>after buying new tires, and when I removed the wheel it seemed to me as
>though the tire shop mechanics may have overtightened the nuts.  (I
>realize now that I ought to have re-torqued them myself.  But I realize
>too that a wheel-bearing failure on a 13-year-old car shouldn't be
>unexpected.)

Don't think so.
1) Over torqueing (sp) lug nuts would only make the rim press harder
against the hub. You cannot create tension in the disc this way if it
sits correctly (flat) against the hub. Besides, the rim is much softer
than the disk, so if tension is built, it's the rim that gets warped but
this shouldn't happen either.

2) You can torque the lug nuts until the threads give up and not add a
single pound of pressure against the bearing. The only way to press the
bearings more together is to use the lock nut in the center of the hub.

Regards,
Anders Nilsson
-90 75 2.0TS with 170.000km