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I stopped using a torque wrench on lug nuts and it's been fine for 3 years now
I know everyone says you gotta torque every lug nut to spec, but after my 2002 Tacoma stripped 2 studs on the front driver side last winter, I just started using a regular breaker bar with a firm arm feel. I tighten them like I would with a wrench on an engine bolt, just snug with no extra muscle. Hasn't backed off once, no warped rotors, nothing. I do check them with a torque wrench every 6 months and they're usually in the 85-90 ft-lb range anyway. Am I the only one who thinks the whole torque spec thing is overkill for daily drivers?
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richard_shah1mo ago
Check the last time you actually had your torque wrench calibrated, @wade767. Those cheap click types drift pretty quick and you could be under or overtightening without knowing it.
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And honestly, I think you're playing with fire here. Three years of luck isn't the same as three years of doing it right. Those studs you stripped probably happened because someone overtightened them before, not because torquing to spec is pointless. The whole point of a torque wrench is to get it consistent every time, not just close enough. You might be fine until you're not, and a wheel coming off on the highway is way worse than replacing a few studs. I've seen too many guys with a "firm arm feel" end up with warped rotors or snapped lugs when they actually need to crank them down in a hurry. Just buy a cheap click type torque wrench and use it. It takes ten seconds.
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tyler6141mo ago
Totally fair points, and I’ll admit I’ve been that guy who thought his elbow was a torque wrench once, ended up overtightening a lug nut so bad I had to use a breaker bar to get it off. Saved me a stud that time but definitely felt dumb. Maybe I should stop pretending my feel is calibrated and just grab a proper wrench like you said.
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