Ugh wheels tightened by an ape
Discussion
king up wheel nuts so tightly you cant get them off by mere mortal means? I only wanted to cross the tyres 
I presume it's for the following reasons:
1. It avoids them messing around with different torque settings for different vehicles (tyre centres all seem to do pressures at 35psi, probably for the same reason!).
2. It takes them further away from litigation if someone's wheel falls off. Tightening to 300lb-ft is a good way to ensure a wheel doesn't fall off.
3. Most people these days won't do wheelnuts themselves, it'll just be tyre centres and garages doing them with powered tools, which will happily undo a 300lb-ft wheel nut.
I can explain it, but I don't condone it - it's bloody annoying. I've got a length of pipe in the garage and an old wrench specifically for undoing crazy wheelnuts. Incidentally, it's not universal - for the last few years I've had my daily driver BMW serviced by a specialist and he uses a torque wrench to set the correct tightening torque, and the Lotus dealer that services my 2-Eleven does the same. I only get it these days if I have new tyres put on somewhere.
1. It avoids them messing around with different torque settings for different vehicles (tyre centres all seem to do pressures at 35psi, probably for the same reason!).
2. It takes them further away from litigation if someone's wheel falls off. Tightening to 300lb-ft is a good way to ensure a wheel doesn't fall off.
3. Most people these days won't do wheelnuts themselves, it'll just be tyre centres and garages doing them with powered tools, which will happily undo a 300lb-ft wheel nut.
I can explain it, but I don't condone it - it's bloody annoying. I've got a length of pipe in the garage and an old wrench specifically for undoing crazy wheelnuts. Incidentally, it's not universal - for the last few years I've had my daily driver BMW serviced by a specialist and he uses a torque wrench to set the correct tightening torque, and the Lotus dealer that services my 2-Eleven does the same. I only get it these days if I have new tyres put on somewhere.
I am a heavy boy, and ended up jumping on quite a long breaker bar to get my wheel bolts to crack off this weekend. Pure lazyness from fast/quick fit tyre places gunning them in rather than the 100-130lb/ft torque settings.
I hate using them for that exact reason, if I was at the roadside with the supplied tool, there is no way they would've come free.
Its lazy, it could strip your hubs, and is a PITA if you get stuck. I now have 10 slightly chewed bolts to swap out.
I hate using them for that exact reason, if I was at the roadside with the supplied tool, there is no way they would've come free.
Its lazy, it could strip your hubs, and is a PITA if you get stuck. I now have 10 slightly chewed bolts to swap out.
A while back I had a puncture on the M5 and pulled into the services to change the wheel. Despite being a moderately fit, normal sized bloke, I couldn't get the wheel off. I ended up calling the AA and was moderately pleased when he couldn't undo the bolts with his "normal" wheel wrench and had to fetch out a breaker bar about 3' long to do the job.
On the plus side, when I had tyres fitted by a mobile fitter, he torqued the bolts to a specified setting provided to match my make/model and I had to sign a docket saying that I had seen him torque them up properly.
On the plus side, when I had tyres fitted by a mobile fitter, he torqued the bolts to a specified setting provided to match my make/model and I had to sign a docket saying that I had seen him torque them up properly.
vinnie01 said:
Sounds like im 8-9 stone too small then... its an excuse to eat junk though win-win
Physics.Longer bar required for more turning force, also a 2nd pair of hands to stop said bar slipping off is always handy.
Sometimes breaker bar/scaffold pole combo, its possible to achieve massive torque with a serious bar.
JB! said:
...Pure lazyness from fast/quick fit tyre places gunning them in rather than the 100-130lb/ft torque settings.
I must be pretty lucky then, my local kwikfit gun the nuts off but put then back on with a torque wrench. But i guess if they needed to torque them to 110-130lb/ft then they would use a gun... 
glasgowrob said:
My tyre fitter annoys the hell out of me
Buzzes the wheels up then walks round making sure his torque wrench clicks on each bolt
Had the cheek To moan about my mechanic buzzing the wheels up "don't know why he can't torque them up properly like us"
Really does make you wonder
Buzzes the wheels up then walks round making sure his torque wrench clicks on each bolt
Had the cheek To moan about my mechanic buzzing the wheels up "don't know why he can't torque them up properly like us"
Really does make you wonder
Annoys the hell out of me too.
I once had to get an extra long breaker bar to crack off the nuts (snigger) that were so tight I thought I'd broken a bone in my arm with the shock. I couldn't move my hand for a few seconds (felt like hours) and panic set in.
As for Kwik Fit et al, gunning up the nuts then going around with the torque wrench where funnily enough each nut clicks. When I pointed out that all that means is that every nut is over tightened all I was met with was a blank stare.
I once had to get an extra long breaker bar to crack off the nuts (snigger) that were so tight I thought I'd broken a bone in my arm with the shock. I couldn't move my hand for a few seconds (felt like hours) and panic set in.
As for Kwik Fit et al, gunning up the nuts then going around with the torque wrench where funnily enough each nut clicks. When I pointed out that all that means is that every nut is over tightened all I was met with was a blank stare.
I changed my oil at weekend
the plastic canister that the filter sits in wouldnt budge with a box spanner,
i had to go and buy a 32 mm socket for my wrench, and even then it wouldnt budge, infact if it was jacked up id have said it would have fell off the jack it was that hard.
in the end i sprayed some wd on it and left it and eventually it came undone.
i think the little rubber ring that you get with new filters wasnt seated in the right place,
its now finger tight.
the plastic canister that the filter sits in wouldnt budge with a box spanner,
i had to go and buy a 32 mm socket for my wrench, and even then it wouldnt budge, infact if it was jacked up id have said it would have fell off the jack it was that hard.
in the end i sprayed some wd on it and left it and eventually it came undone.
i think the little rubber ring that you get with new filters wasnt seated in the right place,
its now finger tight.
AWRacing said:
JB! said:
...Pure lazyness from fast/quick fit tyre places gunning them in rather than the 100-130lb/ft torque settings.
I must be pretty lucky then, my local kwikfit gun the nuts off but put then back on with a torque wrench. But i guess if they needed to torque them to 110-130lb/ft then they would use a gun... Your local lot are rare. Its usually gun them into oblivion then walk around clicking them...
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