I searched through the DIY section and could not find info on this. Its pretty straight forward (i think) so thats probably why there is not a DIY on it.

When swapping out rims what do I need to know? I have 4 stock rims with tires on them that I am going to put onto my car tonight. (two of mine rims are bent) I am going to keep the two good ones as full size spares.

Is it o.k to tighten these by hand? Will that cause any issues?

Is there anything else I need to know?

I enlisted my dad to help me in about an hour before it gets dark. Thanks for all the info.

Cheers

 

What do you mean tighten by hand? You certainly can't just hand tighten them and expect them to stay on. Use a torque wrench!

 

hahaha I meant with a Tire iron. The one that comes with the car. Obviously I can't just do them by hand!!

But Do i need an actual torque wrench or would a standard tire iron be enough? Can I over tighten them?

 

You can over tighten or under tighten. The tire iron is a quick and dirty job that some people feel suffices, but for myself at least I need a torque wrench as I really have no idea what the tire iron is tightening to.

 

Yup.

It will work, but you could bust a stud or the nut could fall off from undertightening. (which i've had happen, not fun to buy replacements)

I dont recommend it. The best part of using a torque wrench is all the bolts share the load of keeping the tire on, when you tighten unequally it could put all the strain on one bolt and it could bust off.

1/2 drive torque wrench $30-$120
6" 1/2 extender (needed or you will scrach the crap out of your wheels) ~$20
socket set to fit 21mm i believe ~$40

 

One more vote for a torque wrench.

Tighten the nuts in a diagonal pattern, not just one after another in a circle. Do it in two stages, first tightening them about halfway, then the rest of the way. Either look up the torque spec, or wait 5 minutes and someone here will post it. Even guessing at the torque (90 to 100 foot pounds is a good guess) is better than randomly tightening with the tire iron.

The biggest problem with uneven tightening is that you can warp the brake rotors. That happened like clockwork with my Honda. I'd take it in for an inspection, where a grease moneky would remove a wheel and slap it back on with an air wrench. If I did not loosen and re-torque the nuts, in a few days I'd get a nice warped rotor vibration.

Ken

 

Its like 115 ft lbs now I think, didnt they raise it from 108?

Anyways, I tighten mine to 105 ft/lbs.