Lug nut Torquing
 

I read some place that the RX-8 wheels should be torqued to 65-87ft lbs.. then later I read that there was a TSB to torque them to 108 ft lbs.. Is this for all four wheels?

On another note... do you follow the same torquing weight for aftermarket wheels?

bump..

i spoke to the RX8 tech at our local mazda dealer and he said the proper lug torque for all RX8 models is 100 ft/lbs.

Thx Connor.. How about aftermarket wheels, should those be torqued the same as OEM or do they have their own specs?

the torque specs would be the same. jus tmake sure you tighten them in a star pattern and not one right after another.

I just tighten them till i can't tighten them anymore ...

The proper torque is 85 ft/lbs... 100+ is to much...

Not seen this Mazda TSB? Mazda specifies 108 lb-ft.

Regards,
Gordon

According to the Mazda tech i spoke with earlier today the correct specified torque as per the Mazda technical information guide manual was 100 ft/lbs. take it or leave, that is straight from Mazda.

I don't care what Mazda says when it comes to this issue... We have a Mazda dealership and I also have spoken to our techs, the service director and a couple of good friends in the automotive engineering field and 100+ is to much... The setting should be 85, so you can take it or leave it...

This 100+ BS is a half-ass attempt by Mazda of NA to fix a problem with a noise coming from the hub assembly during tight cornering due to a tolerance issue... So in order to reduce the likelihood of complaints they issue this TB and absurd torque spec...

Think for yourself and don't believe everything you read...

I see your point, but 85 seems a little soft. I just checked mine and they were at 105. The dealer has been rotating my tires, so I guess they are following the TSB. Is there a reason to have them at 85? Is it better if they have a little room to move if needed? I'm not well versed on lug nuts.

Just make sure they aren't too strong that you can't take them off on the side of the road when you get a flat.

I actually torque mine to about 70. They've been fine.

I had my rotary mechanic tighten them up yesterday to 90 after working on the suspension. He said that was plenty.

When re-torquing brand new aftermarket wheels (you know after the first couple of miles to let the wheels settle), do you folks jack up the car to do it, or do you just torque it as the cars sits on the wheels..

I'm lazy... what's the right way?

The initial torque setting should be done with the wheel off the ground, to re-torque after 100 miles it is ok to do it while the car is on the ground...

thanks cortc.

Why off the ground? I get the lug nuts hand-tight while the tire's off the ground, then torque them when the tire touching the ground.

rx8cited

FWIW I had my torque checked at dealer today after doing a caliper paint job and they tightened them to 95 ft#s.

Not sure how far off they were before. Service folks were gone by the time I picked up the car.

interesting.. some go 108, some go 95, some go 87...... who knows.

Maybe we should start a poll.. hahaha

I am going to rotate my own tires tomorrow and after reading all these posts I am confused as to which torque setting to use. Is there any other info, since the last post was a year ago?

I've been using 100 -- seems like a reasonable compromise. Feels a bit heavy for my taste but haven't had any problems.

i too was using 100, but after reading I might rock up to the 108

I had a lug nut come off whilst torquing to 80ft/lbs, so now I use all 100ft/lbs

Pardon me for asking.....but.....what 'problems' would one encounter if a torque spec for lug nuts was not followed??? (besides the obvious if its not too tight it might loosen and the wheel vibrate or fall off)
I'd be very surprised if the majority of folks changing a tire ever used a torque wrench....come to think of it....I've never used one for this purpose either! (shame on me?)

Actually, most people don't bother themselves with car issues and just take them to places when problems arise, and most certified places do use a torque wrench.

So torque wrenches are overwhelmingly in use.


The problem with not using a torque wrench, is that there may be uneven distrobution of pressure holding the wheel on. Imagine if you torqued one really tight and the rest, not so tight. to the wheel, it would be as if you only had that 1 really tight nut holding the entire wheel on. Lots of stress and potential problems...