I replaced my pads and rotors, but when I put the calipers and wheels back on I didnt have a torque wrench to use. Is it a big deal to just tighten by hand and not use a torque wrench to specs for wheels and calipers?

 

I've never used a torque wrench on any of the brakes I have done in the past and have never had a problem. Just make sure you make them pretty tight if using a socket wrench, impact gun could be overkill and might break some of the bolts.

 

I use the tq wrench for anything involving brakes or suspension. I would go back and tq to spec.

 

^^+1 on what smike said. use a torque wrench for basically everything involving suspension. if you dont you can warp rotors/pads too much worse things like wheels.

any idea on what the tq specs are for calipers, wheel spacers, and lugs for the evo? i had them written down but lost it. ive always done the wheels 90-100, overkill?

 

Caliper bolts are 80 ft/lbs front and 40 ft/lbs rear.

Lugs - I use 100 ft/lbs

 

Yeah I need to get a torque wrench, I'll prolly just ask the shop to tq to spec when I get some work done and get the tires rotated since I dont have a good place to do the work myself right now.

 

I've always used the 73 ± 7 ft-lb is that not correct? My wheels haven't came off yet but you have me second guessing myself Both stock and aftermarket lugs. I checked the torque specs thread too and that's what we have listed. https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...cs-thread.html

I can't sleep at night if my car isn't torqued and my AR isn't clean

 

Use a torque wrench if you want stuff done right. 80 ft/lbs on the front caliper bolts, 45 ft/lbs on the rear caliper bolts, and 80 ft/lbs on the lug nuts (factory spec is 73 +- 7). I always use a torque wrench of brakes, wheels, and cams. Some stuff "tight" is good enough while others you definitely want exact spec.

 

80 ft/lbs is the correct tq for the wheels. I've just always used 100 for piece of mind.

 

If you work on cars enough, and I am talking about years of continuous experience, you develop a feel for the correct torque. I got to the point where I could install lug nuts with an air wrench and when I checked them with a torque wrench, I would be right on the money.

Now, I work on cars less, my cars just don't break often enough and I have quit working on other peoples stuff. So, I am losing the touch and find myself using torque wrenches more and more. But anytime I was bolting on or bolting to something aluminum I always used a torque wrench if I could fit one in there. Aluminum is very unforgiving when a fastener is overtightened.

 

I use a tq wrench too but it's a big one and kind of hard to get to the bolts on the calipers... managed it in the end.. It's surprising how many people don't tq their wheel nuts.. after getting new tyres fitted I had both my front wheels come loose at the track.. could have been nasty

 

I like to think of lug nuts as needing to come off on the side of the highway, when the cars up on some mickey mouse jack. So I never pull more than 65 or 70 lbs.

Even at that tq the lugnuts are hard to pull.

but for everything else, that I don't want to work on at the side of the highway, a tq wrench and the specs works.

 

Just find or borrow a tq wrench if you might be worried about it. Would suck to lose your brakes cause you incorrectly torqued your brake bolts

 

Over streching bolts weakens them dramatically. I would stick with 73-80 lb/ft recommended in the manual.
Dan

 

124k when I sold my car. Never stretched the OE bolts with 100 lbs. Wheels came off hundreds of times. Having the wheels loosen on at the track - not funny.