lug nut bolts keep breaking

^^

This

Someone's overtightening them.

 

If folks have issues with lugs that have been tightened with air, hate to say it, but it's the goon holding the gun that caused the issue, not the gun.

There are very specific tools designed to torque lug nuts with impact guns. They wouldn't make em' and sell the crap out of em if no one used them.

 

Les schwabs also cuts the lug nut in half to show its not cross threaded. They say it catches a sliver of metal and it jacks up the stud. They do new brand new cars and it happens. Idk if its just some bs they try to fool u into thinking its not their fault and get ur money

 

I've NEVER broken a stud, and I used to work at a tire shop growing up, literally changed thousands of tires. Never used anti-sieze, all you need is a torque wrench, set to the proper spec for what ever vehicle your working on. Thats it thats all, tighten bolts in star formation, and your golden

 

You've been fooled.

 

I figured. It alsways happens after they rotate my tires and then I go to do stuff to the truck and off goes a lug nut and stud combo

 

Toyota wheels and lugs are trickier than most. The wheel is a hub centric wheel. The middle bore of the wheel fits directly over the hub bore.

Then the lugs themselves are slightly odd. Most lugs have a tapered end to them, a good portion of Toyota lugs do not, they have a flat washer style lug that centers into the stud hole.

(This is why there is confusion as to if the OEM wheels are lug are hub centric. Thier a little of both)

Getting the lugs seated properly is very important on Toyotas with flat washer style lugs, they can easily be damaged/destroyed without care.

Whenever I do wheels with the washers, I'll fully seat one lug to make sure it goes on smooth and flush. Put the others on a few threads, lighty seat them with the air, then fully seat them after all are flush. Never had a problem this way, ever.

 

This.

I use an impact gun to put tires on cars/trucks all the time. But the difference from me to most other mechanics is that I use a torque stick appropriately rated for whatever vehicle I'm working on. Never busted a stud ever, never had a wheel fall off.

And if you're upset cause it's hard to take the wheel off after taking it to the shop, well at least you know the tires were on there tight and wouldn't fall off going down the highway. I've seen it happen, it sucks.

 

While this has not caused problems for you, this is bad advice to be giving to the young and naive. Everybody has a different strength, and the torques would vary wildly.

You may tell the girl next door to just tighten it as hard as she can, and she'll be good. But would you give the same advice to the football jock that lives across the street?

MY PERSONAL OPINION: (Keep in mind that the only tires I change regularly myself are torqued to 480 ft/lbs...yes...480)
When I change tires, I thread them on until hand tight. Then I use an inpact gun to tighten them further, then a torque bar until at proper torque.

Here's the truck that I change tires on, for reference.

 

Fair enough with that vehicle, but most young and naive diy-ers don't even own a torque wrench, and if they do, it doesn't come out for the lug nuts. Brutus better get out that torque wrench.

 

The semi's tires I used to change where usually in the 360 ft/ibs range. those were a bitch to change haha I did both light and heavy duty vehicles

 

I have 6 torque wrenches, I can't help it

 

studs get stripped or cross threaded when getting screwed on, so if a stud broke while removing, the person that last installed the wheels back on the vehicle is at fault. if your working on your vehicle, never force lug nuts on, they should screw on by hand at least the few threads, if they dont then maybe the threads have already stretched from being over-tightened before. always use a torque wrench for tightening, you can use an impact gun but only with a torque stick.

 

I've never broken, bent or thread locked a stud/lug nut and I use a torque wrench at home, and a breaker bar for on the road. 95lbs at home,hard as fuck lbs on the road. Star formation tightening, tighten by hand with lug key, then vehicle on ground, then torqued in star formation.
None of that anti-seize bullshit used, wtf? Who would use that shit..
3+ years no problems on the Yota
You guys are smokin coke.

 

How do they cut the lug nuts in half? Do they have a band or chop saw in the shop?

Personally, I use a small amount of antisieze on the lugs, but more on the hub and wheel mating surface, the reduce the torque by 20% and air impact gun followed by a torque wrench.

When doing CRITICAL work, like a single sided swingarm motorcycle lug nuts/bolts, hand tighten and torque.

I haven't snapped a stud in years, but have changed a few studs when they start looking bad.

 

Where's Chris4x4?

He knows everything!

 

Whoever tightened the lug nuts last tightened them down too much and stretched the studs, and warped the threads on the nuts. The fact that the shop takes the studs and cuts them in half and "knows what they're talking about" I personally would not take the truck back to them, however I don't trust most tire shops.

 

i love the misinformation on this board.... awesome.

i have been using antiseize/torque wrench for over 30 years on my hoard of street cars, race cars and trucks and NEVER lost a lugnut. worked in the automotive field since i was a kid, and if you are trying to make $, you didnt use antiseize... on your personal stuff, always.

i use a dab on each stud, and never have galling/corrosion on the aluminum lugnuts and the steel enclosed nuts always stay nice and clean.

i am also in the northeast, where salt/corrosion etc is abundant. i can see if you are not in a state that has corrosion issues thinking antiseize is a waste...

 

I'm calling BS. I've lived in New England for the majority of my life and have never used anti-sieze nor have I broken a wheel stud. If you rotate your tires every 5,000 miles like you're supposed to and properly torque them, you won't have an issue.

If you're going to work on your own vehicle, invest in the proper tools. You'll never get even torque by hand, I don't care how long you've been doing it for. The reason you torque wheels is so you get the same even pressure on each wheel stud (helps balance). If one is looser and things start to shake, the lugs can back themselves off. Granted, this is an extreme case but my point still stands, get the right tools for the job.

 

I always use a torque wrench and never tried anti cease. I don't even use air guns. It seems to always happen after les schwabs rotates my tires.