I just got a new set of Advans on my car, after they lasted a tad over 20k miles . I'm quite proud of how long they lasted, seeing how I autocrossed them too, just no launches. Anyways, they guys at the shop over-torqued them to the point I can't even un-torque it by stomping the bolt crowbar. I knew they were over torquing it at the shop, cuz they kept buzzing it with the airtools, but I really couldn't tell them to hand-torque them on. They worked on speed. I just told myself I'd loosen them up at home, but that didn't happen. What consequences may arise from this, especially on the autocross fields? ...besides me not being able to take the tires off myself?


********UPDATE BELOW***********

 

Warped hubs is one worst case scenario.

 

Warped rotors will result from UNEVEN torquing. Don't trust the jackasses at the tire place unless you are standing over them AND see that they are using a torque wrench.

 

^^^^ Yep, what he said...

 

NEVER allow ANYONE to torque the lugs with anything other than man-power. If you ever get a flat, you're screwed. I'm not sure if you have other options in this case, but you are the paying customer and if they are in too much of a hurry to fulfill such a simple request, then you should take your business elsewhere.


Cabo

 

I see it all the time. In fact I even work at the dealer and specificly told the service writer to properly torque my wheels, but they didn't. Pisses me off. S**T

 

another thing that can happen is the lug itself snapping..the tards at the local shop overtorqued the lug nuts on my car and the lug snapped while trying to take the wheels off the day before an autocross..i was pissed.

 

Can't agree more on the warped rotors. Had my tires rotated at Mitsu and the didn't use a torque stick. I now have new rotors under warranty.

 

Exactly what happened to my old car. This is no fun when u stuck on the freeway and this kind of stuff happens.

 

the idots at my local tire shop put mine on so tight they stripped the inside of my lugs on one wheel. the lugs were "tuner lugs" (yeah whatever) and since i was running falken circut specs on my ride (lug holes very deep and narrow) me and my buddy had to use a hole saw to cut my wheel off! took 2 freakin hours. BEWARE of the tuner lugs that use a T-90 or a star bit to tighten,if they strip off you're screwed.

 

You guys put some fear into me, so I took it immediately to NTB (not the first shop who torqued my wheels) today, and had them retorque my wheels. I go into the bay area to talk to them and watch them do it. First try with the airtools wouldn't budge the bolts. We were stoked, so the mechanic got the long breaker bar for added hand torquing abilities. I swear, it must have taken 300lbs/ft torque to untorque them--even the wheel locknut. On the third wheel we got to, their hex bolt that was used to unbolt my bolts, SPLIT in half! I had never seen such a thing! Now that it's all properly hand-torqued at 85lbs/ft, do you guys think the damage has been done? We didn't see any threads stripped.

 

You know what else can happen. The lug nut won't loosen from the bolt. Instead the bolt will loosen from the hub and then you're really stuck. You can't get the wheel of cuz the still attached lug nut and bolt freely spin with no way to loosen the lug nut. Either have to drill the lug nut off, use a chisel, etc. Royal PITA, trust me.

 

same thing happened to me

 

by over tightening you can stretch the threads and then subsequently strip the bolts and/or nuts. gets those jackasses to take them off and PROPERLY torque them down by hand

 

you could also strip the lug from the hub...

ALWAYS use torque wrench.