Stripped wheel nut!

Beware the tire replacement shops and their air wrenches!.
I just had a nut completely stripped!.
This may be due to over torquing by them and possibly by myself on occaisions!.
I was told by and expert that 95lbs was sufficient if you have used grease.
As a precaution, I replaced all 60 aluminum nuts!.
Maybe paranoid but better than the wheels falling of at an auto x!!!.
Maybe time to check yours?.
rgds Ben

I wouldn't recommend grease. Use a light coating of antiseize. Don't let anybody touch with them with an air tool either!

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8 9 9 1 1, The last of the line.

Ben,

That is, IMHO, Criminal ABUSE of a Porsche! The ignorance of some of those tire store 'Gomers' is UNBELIEVABLE! And, it is also why none of them has ever laid a wrench on my cars' wheels or lug nuts!

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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

I work at a tire store. We use those air wrenches unless the person tells us not to. Usually the only people that even know that you should have it set to a certain torque are the people that have nice cars. I don't use the air wrench on my tires.

The reason the studs usually get messed up is that sometimes the person doesn't get it started right and it screws up the threads when they use the air wrench. Another thing that can happen from from over torquing your wheels are warped rotors.

Also, anyone in the central PA area want some great deals on tires. Let me know.

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Porsche, Through and through
Tim
'83 944

It should be a criminal offense to do this to any car, including a Porsche!
Using an impact wrench to tighten the wheels torques it at around 200-250 ft lbs! They should be 80-95!!!
Talk about the fastest way to warp some brake rotors...not to mension stripping out the lugs! Or what happens when your wife gets a flat and can't change it because the factory 15" long wrench does not have enough leverage to loosen 200 ft lbs!

You can use antisieze on the studs, but this won't do anything for overtightening.
Nick.

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Nick Shumaker
1982 911SC Coupe
nickshu@yahoo.com

Hey Ben - - when you get your track tires and wheels, be sure to purchase STEEL lug nuts too. They are safer than the alloy lug nuts for track events and AutoX. They are mandatory for PCA Races. That tells you something. When you change shoes back to the streeties, you can put your pretty alloys lug nuts back on too.
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Chuck

Thanks Chuck did not know about the mandatory steel nuts for pca events. I have my 1st one coming up just after my B'day in April so have time to get those!.
Thanks all.

Ben, the steel lug nuts are required for the PCA RACES, not the DEs or AutoXs. However, some PCA chapters may required them for there DEs and/or AutoX as well.
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I just look at them as a safety item when running in DE events. It's probably overkill, but, on the other hand, relatively cheap insurance.
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Chuck

Warren.
How do get tires installed? Remove the wheels and take them in independant of the car? Or do-it-yourself?

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Clint
73T mfi coupe

As it turns out, most tire stores have the 'touchless' tire machines that do not touch the wheels. Sometimes they might carefully use a floor jack to avoid hurting the car on the lift. Yes, tire stores can chage tires on our cars, but you'll have to tell them NOT to jack the car up incorrectly and NOT to use ANy air tools on the wheel nuts.

Our local autocross and DE events require that all nuts on a particular wheel be the same type, but they need not be steel. But tracks do prefer steel nuts, so I have them on the back. Haven't gotten them for the front yet. I don't happen to think the steel nuts look any less beautiful than the fancy alloy ones. FWIW, I was absolutely AMAZED when I first held five alloy nuts in my hand. They weigh about the same as feathers.

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'83 SC

I have to put my 2 cents in here-I worked at a tire shop for about a year -(I won't mention the name, but the initals were NTB)-and finally quit in disgust at the overall attitude of most of the guys that worked there, from tire techs all the way up to the store manager himself-these guys didn't give a **** about cars, or taking care of them-it was always "get 'em in, get'em out-and don't admit if you screwed anything up." These guys LOVED their impact wrenches, but couldn't be trusted to even get a hubcap back on right, much less adhere to a torque spec. I tell you three times-If you care about your car, do as much work on it you can yourself-nobody else really gives a damn.

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Clay McGuill '66 912, '97 Jeep Cherokee www.geocities.com/the912guy

I would suggest getting a good tire shop and getting to know the people there. I go to Winston Tire and they are very careful with my car. They even asked how to jack the car up! I showed them how and now they always jack it up properly, unlke my experience with WARDS (I cringe just thinking of it). Also let them know you concerns with the wheels. Most importantly always go there to rotate your tires, fix flats, balance your tires, and to replace tires. If you become a valued customer they will treat you and your car with respect.

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Joshua Harrison
1968 912 Coupe