General Determing type of wheel so as to determine correct torque setting

[MotoRosso]

I have a rookie question. I have a Fiat 500 (Lounge) 1.2 litre, first registered in 2010. I understand the correct torque settings are 100Nm for Aluminium wheels and 85Nm for steel wheels. But my question is how do I tell which type of wheel I have?
Thank you in advance.

 

[There all puntos]

The simple answer is try a magnet on your wheel (no not the bolts, they will be steel) if it sticks They're steel. If they don't they're alloys. Much easier way is to show a photo of them on here.

 

[chris3234]

Steel wheels have a external wheel trim the clips over the wheel

Alloys do not for the most part


Unless you have a pop model you are unlikely to have steel wheels I think anyway

 

[varesecrazy]

I have a rookie question. I have a Fiat 500 (Lounge) 1.2 litre, first registered in 2010. I understand the correct torque settings are 100Nm for Aluminium wheels and 85Nm for steel wheels. But my question is how do I tell which type of wheel I have?
Thank you in advance.

Hi

a picture would help massively

Basically if the 4 hexaganol bolt heads are clearly visible.. It's Steel

IF they are sunken in tubes it's Alloy

Another giveaway.. A security locking bolt
Not often fitted to Steel wheels

 

[The Panda Nut]

Lounges do generally have alloys.

 

[There all puntos]

Ohhh the lounge, how twee. I call it the snug. Or a drinking establishment with a TV and bar food.

 

[MotoRosso]

Thanks all. I have now attached a photo.
It sounds like the consensus is that it's an alloy wheel, not steel. But is it aluminium? The 'fiat-500-2007-2014-workshop-manual.pdf' downloaded from this forum only gives torque nut settings for aluminium and steel wheels.
Thanks again.

 

[varesecrazy]

It's an Aluminium Alloy.

 

[MotoRosso]

The simple answer is try a magnet on your wheel (no not the bolts, they will be steel) if it sticks They're steel. If they don't they're alloys. Much easier way is to show a photo of them on here.

Thank you! The magnet doesn't stick.

 

[MotoRosso]

It's an Aluminium Alloy.

Thanks! The 'seeing-a-photo' test and the magnet test both confirm it's aluminium alloy.

 

[There all puntos]

Only glad to assist a fellow motorist. Regardless of what they drive. Welcome and enjoy yourself here.

 

[John202020]

Have to admit I never use a torque wrench to tighten the nuts

 

[There all puntos]

I used to tighten steel wheels until the nuts went and started to squeak.

I have had much alloy wheels they don't squeak (if they do the bolt holding them goes limp) . So I use a torque wrench or when at the side of the road I tighten them until resistance is felt.


Then one half turn. Until I'm home (or at my lockup) where my torque wrench resides.

When I had my Uno's, first Punto and last Stilo I had a steel wheel as a spare, I also had four steel wheel bolts.

 

[Ralf S.]

I tend to use the Ralf-o-meter (aka my forearm) to tighten the wheels...

I once put a torque wrench on a wheel nut to see how the Ralf-o-meter compared with the factory setting... and I wasn't too far over-tight... but either I got the torque setting wrong, or the wheel bolts really do not have to be as tight as most tyre fitters (!) seem to think.


Ralf S.

 

[chris3234]

I tend to use the Ralf-o-meter (aka my forearm) to tighten the wheels...

I once put a torque wrench on a wheel nut to see how the Ralf-o-meter compared with the factory setting... and I wasn't too far over-tight... but either I got the torque setting wrong, or the wheel bolts really do not have to be as tight as most tyre fitters (!) seem to think.


Ralf S.

4 ugga duggas is that not the correct torque for a tyre fitter

 

[There all puntos]

Learned my lesson the idiot way after doing the cylinder head on my Ar 125Lc motor moped engine. It consisted of a pair of lower alloy casings (inside is big end, gearbox and final drive parts). Up top is a cast barrel, with a steel sleeved insert, alloy cylinder head. Tightened it up far to much. Buckled the cylinder head (it ran shi7e and overheated) after my rebuild filling the bottom of the casings with boiling hot water.

Took it apart to investigate, and as I had ignored the different types of metal, whilst over tightening the cylinder head bolts.

I had drove two of them, too far down cracking the lower casings and causing the compressing back blow to squirt the hot water inside the gearbox, making it all milky and foamy.

Luckily for me, I had a mate who gave me his Ar 125 workshop manual (still have one) and I already had a spare engine.

Never underestimate the power of the (I'm in a fucxing hurry) mind. Torque wrenches are used for a reason.

P.s. I also purchased a pair of matching torque wrenches. One for low settings ( 10 -To 50 Nm), one for high (40 - 130 Nm).