Nuts

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In V8 #9 Will Owen adds to comments regarding lug nuts / wheel studs.
Will agreed with my comment of replacing the studs more on the basis of
not trusting 'tire guys' to undo / replace lug nuts correctly when you
have both left hand and right hand threads on the same car. He ends
with: "Or you could just wait until the tire guy with the air wrench
strips all the threads off (after you've warned him three times, once in
writing), and THEN do it..."

*********

I'm not trying to beat this to death, Honest, but... There are a few
caveats when replacing the studs. First, I'd still go with the longer
studs, just in case either you or the next owner wants to retrofit cast
rims.

I'd also do the fronts at the same time, since if you don't, you will
have only one wheel with clockwise undo. To use Will's term, I suspect
even in writing that one (or others) will get screwed up.

I will never allow an air wrench to come close to my own or client's
wheels / lug nuts. Fortunately the shops I deal with just shrug and get
out the big wrench.

One interesting possibility which might come up is to take your pre-'72
(or is it '70?) Alfa into a knowledgeable shop. Let's assume you opted
for the shorter studs. The 'tire guy' knows his stuff and puts the air
wrench on clockwise undo for the lug nuts on the left / driver's side.

Who knew?

Point being, no matter which type you have, watch your nuts.

I believe Will also dispels any notion that clockwise undo 'was a good
thing'. It wasn't. There was a slight 'how tight should my lug nuts be'
pissing contest awhile back.

I believe the figure which came up was 75 foot pounds (don't quote me).
I maintained 45 to 50 was fine, especially if 'the little missus' (Anne
O, I'll go wash my mouth out with soap when I'm finished) might be
required to change a tire on a dark and stormy night.

I challenged the Digester Gang to tell me if they'd ever had a tire /
wheel come off on a non-racing car or they'd at least tightened with a
wrench (remember, fingers don't count for wrenches) the lug nuts.

I had a few replies, but believe they fell under the finger tightened
lug nuts situation or were on race cars.

Okay, so I Am rambling on: I would carefully torque lug nuts on a race
car. Not that I wouldn't on a street car, but I'd simply be more careful
and try to torque to the recommended reading.

I suspect there are a lot of people who feel that if tight is good,
Really Tight must be better. Again, do you carry a large enough wrench
to be able to undo them by the side of the road especially should you be
five two and weigh 105 and / or the lug nuts haven't been undone for
five years?

Secondly, as you over tighten the lug nuts the studs and all threads
involved are going to stretch / distort. While I've never heard of it, I
wouldn't be surprised to hear of someone losing a wheel because the
studs snapped off. Assuming you're still alive, that'll be fun to fix by
the side of the road.

The excitement builds,

Biba
Irwindale, CA USA

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