Re: Driving with 4 out of 5 studs
So...you use a torque wrench to tighten your lug nuts? I always do. Problem is that the torque ratings are designed for clean threads...not greased as I found out the hard way.
Yes, I most often hand-torque lug nuts with a torque wrench. Even the local GM dealer does that as policy to avoid warping rotors or leave anything to chance (read: liability)
(they don't allow use of "torque sticks")
The "clean thread" torque deal is probably most relevant to head bolts and other applications where stretch and psi on a gasket makes a difference, or rod bolts and crank caps which perform a loaded task. Some head bolts are even one-time use items which are replaced if the engine is rebuilt or the head removed.
1] if greasing wheel studs causes them to break, there would be wheels littering the highways and byways here in the northeast, and towing companies celebrating all the way to the bank- constantly.
2] A single 10mm stud of the proper grade is rated at about 10,000psi. Not only that, SAE and other organizations publish dry and lubed torque specs you can use(if you really feel the need to do so). Generally, though, Grade 5 and Grade 8 lubed torque specs are about 75%-80% of dry specs. How many people actually look up the torque specs for their wheels?
3] While it is important
not to over torque your lugs by a significant amount, it is probably MOST important that they be tightened in the correct pattern and to the same degree. I do "cheat" on my own vehicles I am familiar with: I weigh about 168#- on a 18" breaker bar my weight will way over-tighten a nut on a wheel. So I actually use an upward motion to tighten my wheels so I can gauge how much force I am actually applying.
4] If the lug studs on our vehicles are THAT close to tolerance where a 20% variance causes them to fail, I am sure the Lawyers Of The Land would be all over that with class action suets. I don't see that going on...
When he pulled into the parking lot and lost #3 he finally broke down and fixed it
