I'm needing a little help here judging just how far my plugs need to be torqued in. I've seen the manual, I know the official 114-156 in lbf. Frankly, that's way too wide a range to be accurate.

I'd like to hear about the EXACT torque people used to put their plugs in, as well as how far away the plug still was from engine wall once they hit that torque.

04 MT RX8. Currently, the lead plugs seem to have the hex head flush with the engine wall, while the trailing plugs have the hex head about maybe a quarter inch from the engine wall. We used 120 in lbf for both.

 

The exact torque I use is a half turn past hand tight.

 

I've never bothered using a torque wrench, and I doubt many others here have either. Just don't crank it in there to the point that you end up with a seized plug in 30,000 miles and not too loose that it will work it's way out either. That's all you need.

The tip is entirely recessed and even if you go to the maximum possible torque, the tip will still be completely clear of the apex seals as they sweep by. This recessed nature of the plugs is actually a contributor to the economy problem of the rotary, but it also means that the precise torque is not important. Just within the range is perfectly fine. Firm wrist torque has been sufficient for the last 92,000 miles for me.

 

^ That's pretty much how I do it too.