Wheel lug nut torque for larger tires?

[Chris]

Just curious, with larger tires, are you supposed to increase the torque on the wheel lug nuts?

What do you guys usually torque yours too? I've been torquing mine to 120 ft/lbs.

 

[Daryl]

100 ft/lbs. here.

 

[CodaMan]

100 ft/lbs here. Just remember that the wheel studs can only handle so much torque.

 

[bobthetj03]

100 ft lbs. on all my vehicles.

 

[Chris]

Perhaps I'll back off that 120 ft/lbs then and bring it to 100.

 

[Bird]

100 ft lbs. on all my vehicles.

Yep that's covered everything I've owned over 40 yrs of driving. Lol

 

[derekmac]

100 ft lbs for me as well.

 

[tworley]

X5 or 6 to 100 ft lbs.

 

[Steve Rodgers]

Fastener torque depends on yield strength of the material in the stud or bolt, think of it like a paper clip, bend too much, it breaks. The threads tighten down to the point where the fastener stretches a bit. If it’s stretched too little, it will loosen, if it’s stretched too much, it will permanently deform. That’s why I don’t like the shops that run the nuts up with an air ratchet (un-calibrated) and then just check with a torque wrench. Sure, you know they’re at least tight enough but are they over tightened?
Also, it’s good to not have any extra friction in the mix so you know the torque is mostly being applied toward stretching the fastener.
On really critical fasteners such as nuclear reactor heads, they have a hole drilled in the middle of the stud and stretch is measured with a depth micrometer. No torque wrench needed.
So on the 35’s, assuming you have the same stud material, the torque remains the same. More torque just moves you closer to yielding the fastener permanently.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Yep tire size has no bearing on the wheel torque. The required clamping force is based on the stud size and how its made. I settled on 90 ft-lbs. for my lug nuts years ago. That's slightly above the recommended minimum of 85 ft-lbs. IIRC and it works well for me.

 

[Serbonze]

Same as Jerry. I go to 90 ft-lbs.

 

[Mr. Bills]

For 1/2-20 60* cone lug nuts the 2006 TJ Factory Service Manual specifies 85-115 Ft. Lbs. (Ch. 22, p. 15). My 2006 owner's manual specifies 95 Ft. Lbs. (p. 258). My local America's Tire and Les Schwab tire stores each recommend 100 Ft. Lbs., as does the brake and alignment shop I patronize.

I torque mine to 100 Ft. Lbs. when I'm doing my own tire work for no other reason than its exactly midway between the factory specified maximum and minimum and the same torque value used by the tire and brake shops I patronize. That way I know all lug nuts are torqued the same even if I'm only changing one tire.

 

[jeepins]

I go 100ft lb as well and keep an extra 100# torque stick in my roadside kit.

 

[JMT]

95 ft/lbs

 

[Nguzzo]

I settled on 95#. I took wheels off to refinish rims and discovered PO cut off two of the lugs to about 1/2 inch or treads and stripped a couple others SMH. So I learned how to replace lug nuts too! But 95 is how I roll.

 

[CodaMan]

My wheel adapters are at 110 and my lug nuts are at 100

 

[never monday]

.....

 

[PCO6]

I set my torque wrench for 100 ft.lbs. and do the rounds. One hundred & six nuts later and I'm usually ready for a beer. The OCD voice in my head tells me to torque the spares too.

 

[SvtLdr]

I used to always torque to 100 lb.ft. Then I setup my rear axle shafts with threaded lug studs and could only get them to 100 for some reason? At that pointed I backed the lug nuts down to 90 and have been fine ever since.

 

[FarFire70]

Realizing I really need to up my game on using the torque wrench for my lugs. I usually just work the tire cross until they're on there....

Of course, my Jeep WK's aluminum wheels have seemed to find a loose lug or two semi-regularly so getting right with the tools may be a simple solution.....