Am I missing something

[DaveA1]

Now I torque my van wheels at the start of every holiday 130 nm click click, job done.

I've heard this before and again today, that before you do, you should loosen them, then torque them down.

This time the reason given was that if you didn't you would progressively tighten until they were over tight.

Now if you use the same wrench that is set at 130 nm and the wheel nut is tightened too 130 nm and the wrench goes, click click at 130 nm how can that tighten them down any more.

 

[Damian]

There are various "informed" perspectives on this .
Lets start with fitting a wheel after a tyre change, it is torqued up, the van then used and about 20 to 30 miles later you check the torque, just to make sure it has not changed.
You do not loosen the bolts you are just confirming the torque setting and as long as the torque wrench clicks at the right pressure, you leave it alone..

Now take the same set of circumstances, wheel changed, tightened up, checked after 30 miles, but you loosen the bolts and retorque to the level you need.
Now you have to drive another 30 miles to check that the setting is the same, but you loosen the bolts and retorque,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,its going to make a very long journey and a very long time and nothing achieved.


Once the wheels are torqued up then do NOT loosen the bolts, you are not going to apply any more torque by just checking that you wrench clicks at the correct figure, of course assuming that you have your torque wrench calibrated every year and never leave it set to your torque figure but wind it back to zero when not actually in use.

 

[DaveA1]

Once the wheels are torqued up then do NOT loosen the bolts, you are not going to apply any more torque by just checking that you wrench clicks at the correct figure, of course assuming that you have your torque wrench calibrated every year and never leave it set to your torque figure but wind it back to zero when not actually in use.

Thanks Damian
That's how I do it.

 

[JezzerB]

And me!