TIL I was torquing my lug nuts wrong for 10 years

I was at a shop in Austin last month and the mechanic laughed when he saw me using a regular ratchet instead of a torque wrench... turns out I've been over-tightening them this whole time and probably warped a few rotors. Has anyone else gone that long without realizing a basic thing like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

spencer_owens581mo ago

Man, don't beat yourself up over it. I've been working on cars for years and I still see guys making the same mistake. It's super common. The thing is, most people never get taught how to torque stuff properly. You just grab a wrench and crank until it feels tight. A warped rotor is a pain but at least you caught it now. Better late than never with this stuff.

dakotab931mo agoMost Upvoted

Learned that one the hard way myself last year. Torqued my lugnuts by feel on a brake job and warped the rotors within a week. You're right though, most guys never get taught that torque wrench thing until they mess up something expensive.