I agree, since 1969 as an apprentice I have always used a standard garage spider wheel brace and if threads look dry I have cleaned with a wire brush and personally used a small drop of copper slip (hear the big gasp from some quarters
) once spun up firm the car is dropped back on the ground and the same spider wheel brace is used with that experience to finish tightening to my satisfaction.
I have never had a wheel come loose and never felt the need to use a torque wrench to check my work on wheel nuts, this includes over 40 years with my own business and regular repeat customers.
Some years ago there was reports of wheels coming loose or wheels breaking on ambulances etc. I think it was Bedford CFs from memory, I suspect the cause was tyre fitters using powerful airguns with little experience. As a result it became popular for everyone to grab a torque wrench to do wheel nuts.
Ah, the "great debate" as to whether to use a torque wrench on wheel nuts?
I have a general rule which is - If the threads show obvious signs of lubrication, and it's often the likes of copper grease in my experience, so relatively easy to see, then I don't torque them. Why? because there's a very real risk of stripping threads or even worse of stretching threads leading to failure. A stretched thread is potentially the worse of the two options because it leads you to believe you've tightened it correctly (because the wrench clicked) but it can then later slacken due to the weakened threads. If you're still intent on using a torque wrench on a lubricated thread then how do you decide what to set it to? Within limits it's a pure guess isn't it?
If the thread is dry then by all means use a torque wrench, BUT, I mean a good quality tool. I'm not at all impressed with cheap internet type bargain wrenches. I've messed about with some of these owned by enthusiast friends (I got particularly interested in this after buying my digital torque adaptor) and, in general, what I found was that they were moderately accurate around the middle of the range they covered, but got progressively more inaccurate towards the limits - both high and low - of their range. Even quality wrenches suffer this problem - ie that they are only really accurate around the middle of range but they are much better at being within "acceptable" results towards the extremes. Also a "big name" "expensive" wrench will tend to be much nearer the true torque you are hoping to achieve. My understanding is that digital wrenches, or adaptors like the one I have, are less affected by range inaccuracy as they work with strain guages rather than springs and levers (so friction of moving parts in the measuring elements is not a problem.
So, when I'm working on a vehicle I'm not familiar with - which, at my age, is less often now a days. But I do still help out neighbours and friends with stuff like over tightened wheel nits etc. First thing I'm looking for is whether there's evidence of lubricant. If there is then I'm not going to bother breaking out the torque wrench. I think trying to clean out existing lubricant is too difficult to be sure you've got rid of it all so I don't try. Obviously, if the wrench can be used then tightness isn't an issue, but what about when you decide not to use the wrench? Well, then it's all down to "feel" and that's only something which comes with experience. Those of us who've put in the time on the shop floor will tell you that, after you've stripped and broken a number of different sized fittings you develop a definite feel for how tight is "tight enough". It was one of the most difficult things I tried to teach back when I was a trade trainer. I must have tightened thousands of wheel nuts on cars and smaller vans in my time and you just get a feel for how tight to do these things up. So, like Mike, I don't have a problem with doing it by hand but I like to use my good old Britool power bar, which I've had since I first started out, wouldn't necessarily trust my "feel" using the new, and slightly longer, Clarke bar I bought about 10 years ago from Machine Mart - It's all about "feel" and you've just got to learn that on your own.
Power tools? I first encountered air wrenches when I worked at "Tyre and Auto". There was one on the end of each airline - six ramps sharing them. They were always set to full air delivery and with a workshop compressor pressure of around 150psi they would have torn the bottom out of the Titanic without breaking sweat! I very quickly learnt they were a big asset for undoing wheel nuts but never ever to use them for tightening. These wrenches do have adjustment which limits torque, but that's dependent on supply pressure and that someone else doesn't tamper with it. I always hand tightened wheel nuts/studs and quickly learned how tight was "tight 'nuff". I would never use an airgun on a wheel security bolt but it seems common practice in many workshops, 'specially faster fit type operations. There are several of these near me which I pass when out walking and it's very rare to go past without hearing the familiar whiney rattle of one in use. Fair to say though that I have seen a torque wrench at the Kwik Fit near the library. It was one of the things which impressed me about Steven, my mobile tyre fitting man, he seems to reserve his air gun for emergencies only and uses a torque wrench for retightening - a digital one at that.
And one final thought - I now don't lubricate wheel nuts/bolts because, due to my increasing age and the limitations it's imposing on my body, My cars are having to go into the local workshops for more complex repairs and it's likely someone will use air tools and torque wheel nuts etc. I do always apply anti seize to stop alloy wheels seizing to the hubs though and slacken and retighten wheel nuts when I get the car back - no good finding a wheel nut is too tight to deal with if out on the road trying to deal with a wheel change!
