Outer Limits 4x4 Board

I'm going to start running a second set of tyres next week, one for dd duties and the other for playing. I know that each time you tighten up a nut you streach the thread a tad.

When would be a good time to think about replacing the wheel nuts and studs? Will be swapping the wheels almost once a week. Studs and nuts at present are orignal (now 12 years old).

Only if you over tighten them will they stretch, metals have a yeild point, where the metal goes from an "elastic" state to a "plastic" state.

Basically, the metal will stretch to a point and then bounce back, but once you stretch it past that point it will remain stretched, and you would need a pretty big bar to stretch most wheel nuts.

Really only need to replace them if you damage the thread or overtighten them. Or snap them of course.

I wouldn't be too concerned to be honest. If they look good dont bother. Just more work and $$$ otherwise.

i've been swappin mine heaps over the last year or so, and have replaced my studs once already, and are probably due again soon. i do use a rattlegun to swap them with though....

your best bet, if your swappin wheels weekly, and will be using a rattle gun, woube to get a tourque wrench, and set it to the OE specs which i would be guessing are around the 90nm and tension wheel nuts this way,

at least you will know they havnt been over tightened.

when one snaps you will know the rest are on the way out

if useing a rattle gun to do up wheel nuts,you should use the correct colour coded sockets which will tighten the nuts to a preset tension . I think snap on sell a assorted kit of sockets made for the job.

Wheel studs are more than likely to be grade 12.9 steel which will not yield much before it breaks (extremely high tensile).

I wouldn't be worrying about the studs "stretching" under any circumstances. The first thing you will know about them being overstressed is that they will snap.

You are more likely to wear the thread out like what happens on metric fine when it is cross-threaded. Nissan GQ / GU studs are really bad for this.

If the thread is stuffed -> replace them.

I'm glad this thread has been done, as I'd never of thought about it and also been very enlightened with the posts.

Mere

Good Thread this Thread on Threads..

Bazzle sorry

very helpful information

To save stuffing them when using a rattle gun. When putting them on use one of the lower torque settings for putting them on. Then just give them a half turn with a cross brace.
As if you us the rattle gun to tighten them (and I know people who do) if you ever need to get them off in the scrub its very hard. I know of one set where the rattle gun struggled to get the buggers off.

My rattle gun has four settings (nfi what the torque is for each setting). If I just set it to the second, maybe that will do. Just thinking out aloud.

Nev62 wrote:My rattle gun has four settings (nfi what the torque is for each setting). If I just set it to the second, maybe that will do. Just thinking out aloud.

At work we use ours on the first (lightest) setting for wheel nuts. Its around the 75Nm mark when the compressor is on 160psi. We use the full noise setting when we remove stuff like harmonic balancer bolts etc.

Even on the lightest setting a rattle gun will be a lot harder on the threads than doing it by hand. I never use a rattle gun on my wheel nuts and never let anyone else use one either - at tyre places I take the rims in off the car.

I have never had broken or stripped studs and never had a wheel come loose.