Car manufacturers specify a proper tightening level, a torque value expressed in foot-pounds, that can usually be found in your vehicle’s owner’s manual. Torque is a rotational force applied around a point or, in this case, a nut. Put a 1-foot-long wrench on a nut and apply 10 pounds of force to the opposite end. You’re now twisting that nut with 10 ft-lb (distance times force, or 1 foot times 10 pounds). Use a 2-foot-long wrench and apply 50 pounds of force, and you’ll have 100 ft-lb, which, happily, is just about as long as most lug wrenches, and as much force as most elbows are happy cranking on READ HERE
Comments are closed.