To lube wheel studs or not, that is the question

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clutchdust

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I have heard from both camps on this but thought I would throw it out there to people I respect.
I've always heard, and practiced, that wheel studs should be dry whenever mounting wheels. This made sense to me at first but now I can't reconcile how it's a problem. I mean if you lube the main cap and head bolts before installation and they stay in, how is lubing a wheel stud any different? I have seen people put either a little anti seize or oil on the studs with no problem. So what's the skinny?
 
In a very rust prone environment i think it's a good idea. In others not a bad idea. The downside is grease or antiseeze is messy. I'm trying to lube wheel studs whenever i take the wheel off these days. I started the practice after my 3/4 ton suburban wheel nuts would not break loose.
 
I have nothing scientific to back this up, but my dad would have smacked me upside the head if I put lug nuts back on without first dabbing some grease on the threads.
 
pancake said:
I have nothing scientific to back this up, but my dad would have smacked me upside the head if I put lug nuts back on without first dabbing some grease on the threads.
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I been greezing my nutz for a long time and so far, have not broke a stud....:cool::thankyou:
 
If I remeber correctly adding grease or never sieze changes how tight you get it, a lubricated fastener turns easier than a dry one thus a dry fastener will see 100ft/lbs before a lubricated one will.
 
Stpman said:
If I remeber correctly adding grease or never sieze changes how tight you get it, a lubricated fastener turns easier than a dry one thus a dry fastener will see 100ft/lbs before a lubricated one will.
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:clap: Which makes me laugh at the so called specs of 100 ft lbs for a aluminum wheel....for that matter, who in hell ever really torques their lug nutz?? seriously...it's 6 taps with a Ingersoll that's it....

I think that amounts to about 70 ft lbs....I never had one come apart, been doing it for decades on all sorts of cars/trucks/vans/even the 8 lug 5/8 stud motor home...:shocking:
 
I remember reading somewhere that torque specs are for dry mounting and if you lube up the stud you could easily over torque.

I use anti seize liberally on my boat wheel studs but just a dab on the cars and then I back off the torque.

I try to keep from getting anti seize on the mating surfaces of the nut and wheel. Lube there seems to make it even easier to over torque.

I wish I could get good torque specs when using anti seize.

DC
 
Never used lube on any wheel stud.........never had a problem.

Never used a torque wrench on a wheel nut.....never had a problem.
 
SmokinBBC said:
Never used lube on any wheel stud.........never had a problem.

Never used a torque wrench on a wheel nut.....never had a problem.
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How can you be sure they are torqued right then? When I swapped my corvette aluminum wheels on my camaro I 3 stepped to 85ft lbs and after a 20 minutes drive in the car they had losened up a bit to about 70 ft lbs. THen retorqued to 85 ft lbs and they have been fine ever since. I think final torque must be done after rims warm up after initial torque.

Ive never used anything on my studs since I live in california but I can only imagine if they back off dry what they would do lubricated.
 
JeffP1167 said:
SmokinBBC said:
Never used lube on any wheel stud.........never had a problem.

Never used a torque wrench on a wheel nut.....never had a problem.
Click to expand...

How can you be sure they are torqued right then? When I swapped my corvette aluminum wheels on my camaro I 3 stepped to 85ft lbs and after a 20 minutes drive in the car they had losened up a bit to about 70 ft lbs. THen retorqued to 85 ft lbs and they have been fine ever since. I think final torque must be done after rims warm up after initial torque.

Ive never used anything on my studs since I live in california but I can only imagine if they back off dry what they would do lubricated.
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Guys, torque spec is something to keep engineers safe on liability.....lawyer crap, reality is, some 50 years of not using any torque device on wheel studs sorta tells the tale far as I"m concerned....6 taps and it's done...

too boot when I get tires, they do that torque shit to ~xxx ft lbs, and next time I take the wheel off, so much more aluminum is smashed off from the wheel, as in why??.....
 
JeffP1167 said:
SmokinBBC said:
Never used lube on any wheel stud.........never had a problem.

Never used a torque wrench on a wheel nut.....never had a problem.
Click to expand...

How can you be sure they are torqued right then? When I swapped my corvette aluminum wheels on my camaro I 3 stepped to 85ft lbs and after a 20 minutes drive in the car they had losened up a bit to about 70 ft lbs. THen retorqued to 85 ft lbs and they have been fine ever since. I think final torque must be done after rims warm up after initial torque.

Ive never used anything on my studs since I live in california but I can only imagine if they back off dry what they would do lubricated.
Click to expand...

I always retorque after a heat cycle when I had the wheel off. I just don't use a torque wrench.
 
mrvette said:
seriously...it's 6 taps with a Ingersoll that's it....
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True words. 40 years, that's all I have done, and will ever do,. Works fine for NASCAR too.:rofl:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
mrvette said:
JeffP1167 said:
SmokinBBC said:
Never used lube on any wheel stud.........never had a problem.

Never used a torque wrench on a wheel nut.....never had a problem.
Click to expand...

How can you be sure they are torqued right then? When I swapped my corvette aluminum wheels on my camaro I 3 stepped to 85ft lbs and after a 20 minutes drive in the car they had losened up a bit to about 70 ft lbs. THen retorqued to 85 ft lbs and they have been fine ever since. I think final torque must be done after rims warm up after initial torque.

Ive never used anything on my studs since I live in california but I can only imagine if they back off dry what they would do lubricated.
Click to expand...

Guys, torque spec is something to keep engineers safe on liability.....lawyer crap, reality is, some 50 years of not using any torque device on wheel studs sorta tells the tale far as I"m concerned....6 taps and it's done...

too boot when I get tires, they do that torque shit to ~xxx ft lbs, and next time I take the wheel off, so much more aluminum is smashed off from the wheel, as in why??.....
Click to expand...

I thought that till both front wheels on a little VW I had a about 15 years ago came loose after I swapped a set of 17's onto it. Since then, I always bring out the torque wrench and tighten them. Never had a problem since and it doesn't really take me very much time.

Mind you, i had to install wheel studs cause it was an A3 car and the wheels stud/lug nut worked loose. But it was still enough to elicit and solid, "WTF, ferdinand?!" from me.
 
Did my apprenticeship at a transport company and they beat it into us that you always use antiseize on the wheel studs. Spent 16 years working on forklifts and Bobcats as well and we always used it on them to. Never had any issues with it causing problems. I think the main thing is to make sure you recheck the nuts after you have been for a test thrash. Must admit that I have never used a tension wrench on wheel studs though.

Doug
 
I used to use a 4 way wrench when I put wheels on and then I got into the habit of using a torque wrench. I bought last year a couple torque extension one for the cars (100 ft/lb) and one for my truck (140 ft/lb) and use them with my impact. check the after with the torque wrench
 
mrvette said:
Yeh, but they do ALL of them at ONCE.....anyone know if they are stock lug nutz or something super duty and increased count???
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Gene, They are attached to the rims with plastic tabs. They zip off the old ones, and they are on the wheel already when they zip em on.
 
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