While I'm being an iconoclast I'll raise the vexed question of (NOT) lubricating the studs. Torque specs are usually for dry threads, and that fact alone makes torque specs of less than academic interest to me. It takes a few minutes of your time, and gives you peace of mind that a wheel isn’t going to come off, that you aren’t going to sheer studs and you’ll get to your destination of choice without any further issue. The point is the wheel studs or bolts are being used as sheer bolts, if, assuming as some do put grease between the wheel and the hub, the hub point is meant to be a friction coupling (had to look this up to confirm) Each new car that rolls off an assembly line has its wheel nuts ‘torqued’ to the correct Nm settings. However, if these factory settings are not maintained during ownership, wheel nuts can become either too loose or too tight.

On that note, I’d expect having them all done to equal amounts of compression would be very helpful, or you’d end up with some nuts being far more likely to come loose first, and the overall pressure on the wheel being uneven. The only solution then is to remove the dress-cap with a chisel to access the wheel nut, which not only destroys the dress-cap but also increases the risk of alloy wheel damage while doing so. How to avoid over-tightening I was taught in college that unless it was stated in the workshop manual, not Haynes, you never put grease on wheel threads because it altered the torque put on the threads So if I understand you correctly, friction between the hub and wheel surface prevents excessive sheer loading of the studs, and a suitably high tension on the studs keeps that friction adequate.

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Thanks for your constructive, and interesting comment. You are probably right about the firmly comment, but I bet Toyota would have a recommended torque specification on file somewhere. I’ve seen it for some of their other vehicles, and it is wheel dependent (and number/size of studs). The torque wrench is indispensable both for changing the wheel and for retightening the nuts. You can only tighten the wheel bolts correctly if you use one. The key to tightening tyres is the torque value (also called tightening torque). This is stipulated for each car or rim and tells you how much force should be used when tightening the wheel bolts. This value must be maintained so that the bolts can withstand the stresses they are subjected to when driving and hold the wheel securely in place. If the screws are not tight enough, they can come loose whilst driving. If the wheel bolts are too tight, the threads might get stripped or damaged. And this is where the torque wrench comes in. Not really. While it’s true that they’ll work as a regular wrench in a pinch, they’re not really designed for anything other than wheels and it won’t be a particularly good time to use. For normal wrenching, get a proper torque wrench. Are they different to other wrenches?

Actually they probably wouldn't come off even with a crash diet since (by my er..impressionistic standards) you may be over-tightening. Torque wrenches allow you to measure and limit the amount of force applied to a fixing. Every nut and bolt in your car will have a torque value. It’s particularly important that you have a torque wrench to hand if you’re working on the engine, gearbox or any crucial components in the drivetrain or suspension system. The 1/4 and some 3/8 inch drive wrenches will be measured in inch lbs., not ft. lbs… They’re designed for lighter fasteners requiring less torque. (12-inch lbs. is equal to 1-foot lb.) The 1/4 inch drive torque wrench is used for very light fasteners, like interior trim, control module covers, etc.

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A torque wrench won’t be accurate at the very top or bottom of its range, so bear that in mind when choosing your wrench. You’ll need about 10 ft. lbs. to spare. Common torque wrench drive sizes include 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, and 3/4 inches. All have different applications. this is why any type of grease on the hub or threads is not advised, as the grease can allow wheel sheer movement.