Now the season of changing to summer tires are here, what is your experience and knowledge? Anyone had issues with it?
Lube and reduced torque or dry and recomended torque?
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I’ve always done dry in lugs. I do make sure my threads are really clean. I don’t think that anti seize is that bad on a bolt that can withstand a lot of torque. Just make sure you apply a thin layer on really clean degreased threads. Don’t plaster, use a torque wrench. Usually anti seize is applied in areas where bolts aren’t very accessible or rarely removed. People used to put them on spark plugs, but that is no longer recommended by most manufacturers.
- 22 hours
I usually don’t. But this year I have a new-to-me car that had a couple of cross-threaded wheelbolts. Changing the whole hub is pricy and the shop refused to replace just the bolt. I managed to re-thread the other.
Anywho, most lug nuts were really on there, so I gave them a dab of marine grease. I always re-tighten at 1, 100 and 1000km and before any longer trip. But they haven’t moved at all since the 1km re-tightening.
- 14 hours
Ouch, crossthreaded on that high torque sounds awfull, glad you managed to deal with it!
100% a question to get angry answers on both sides. I use anti-sieze on lugs but I also use an adjusted torque value with that to compensate for the reduced friction, and check my lugs frequently.
There are two possible failures here, you overstretch the stud and yield it from the reduced friction in the thread increasing the tension in the stud threads which weakens the stud and either pops it off when you tighten it or it fatigues and pops off later. The other failure is that the nut comes loose later when you are driving. I’ve never seen that actually happen.
Reason for me using anti-sieze is, I tow a trailer in salt water and have had lugs rust to the studs then snap the hex off the lug leaving me to drill out the little nubbin that got left behind. Luckily it was in my garage that it happened and not on the road.
- 14 hours
Sorry no intention to make people upset, but yes I know this is is very debated! I just wanted some opinions and good points from both sides!
Myself I have always had some kind of anti-sieze or lubrication since we use salt on the roads here, makes life easier with bolts that is not stuck solid.
- 13 hours
You’re good, just trying to prepare you for the spirited debate lol
- 1 day
No lube, just dry, torque to spec. Don’t know where you got the idea to lube them, that’s super dangerous.
- 8 hours
In some applications it’s required, but not usually with lug nuts. The main one I can think of is Honda crankshaft bolts say to put oil on the washer and bolthead surface before torquing, and the torque spec is adjusted accordingly (still 181 ft-lbs tho!).
The most I ever do for lug nuts is just wire brush off any rust so the surface is clean, and re-torque after about 100 miles (I check them occasionally after spirited driving too, since hot brakes and things cause thermal expansion that can loosen things up on newly installed wheels). I don’t drive somewhere with salt, otherwise I’d maybe try using anti-seize like I saw someone else mention.
- 7 hours
Yes, it entirely depends on how it is specced. And wheel bolts are specced dry.
- 23 hours
It’s not dangerous at all if you do it correctly. If you live in a very salty area like I used to, you basically need to add antisieze or when you have a flat you won’t be able to get your wheel off.
I’ve been lubing my studs for over 25 years. No issues. Torque them a little higher.
I think the fear is from a lack of knowledge. Plenty of vital bolts and studs in your engine are lubricated without locking features and don’t come loose. It’s all about knowing the amount of vibration and correct torque specs.
Sure an automated blast furnace needs lube AND lock wires or Nord-Locks or similar.
- 11 hours
If you lube the threads, you need to torque them lower. Otherwise you will add more tension than intended, possible deforming the bolts permanently or even breaking them.
- 7 hours
They’re probably fine for lug bolts at least, the studs are big enough an extra 10-20 ft-lbs would still be in a safe range. If they haven’t broken a stud in 25 years, it’s probably never going to happen.
