Lug Nut/Wheel Lock Torque Question (2021 CX-9)

[leok]

I am planning to install wheel locks and have the following questions:

1. What torque do people usually use - Mazda has a range instead of a specific number. Does 90 sound reasonable?
2. Does anyone know what the manufacturer uses when torqueing at the factory - or, since there's a range, can one expect lack of uniformity?
3. Is it OK to torque only wheel locks without adjusting the other lug nuts to the same spec (since I don't know what the other lug nuts are torqued at; I assume then I will need to loosen all of them and re-tighten if I wanted to have the same torque on all of them; therefore, wanted to know if I could only do the wheel locks).

Thank you.

 

[Jack Rabbit]

Why do this?

Thief's are stealing cats, not rims. If you're parking where they have time to steal your rims, they're gonna take the cat instead. And the good thief's can always get your rims... Watch YouTube videos on how to get the wheel locks off...in one(1) minute or less. They should call them "feel good locks" cause they don't protect anything.

Chances are you'll lose the lug key, or leave it at the last tire shop/ mechanic until you have a flat and be stuck where you can't get the tire off.

The only person the wheel lock keeps from getting the rim off is you.

Just don't do it.

If you must, keep the lug key in a plastic baggie in the small compartment in the wheel well and remember to get it back after tire shop.

 

[leok]

Why do this?

Thief's are stealing cats, not rims. If you're parking where they have time to steal your rims, they're gonna take the cat instead. And the good thief's can always get your rims... Watch YouTube videos on how to get the wheel locks off...in one(1) minute or less. They should call them "feel good locks" cause they don't protect anything.

Chances are you'll lose the lug key, or leave it at the last tire shop/ mechanic until you have a flat and be stuck where you can't get the tire off.

The only person the wheel lock keeps from getting the rim off is you.

Just don't do it.

If you must, keep the lug key in a plastic baggie in the small compartment in the wheel well and remember to get it back after tire shop.

Jack, thank you for your insight but you did not address my questions.

 

[Jack Rabbit]

Jack, thank you for your insight but you did not address my questions.

I don't know. When first bought vehicle, the tire shop couldn't put on new tires because the lug key was missing so had the dealer pull those babies off.
Hopefully another member has the torque answers you need. Did you check the manual to see if they list the torques in there?

 

[theblooms]

Jack is right, wheel locks are far, far more trouble than they are worth. I took mine off of both of my Mazdas and sold them on eBay for $40/set.

But, to answer your main question re: lug nut torque, I use anti-sieze on my studs and use a torque wrench to torque each nut to 80 ft.lbs.

 

[edmaz]

On the first tire rotation I did, the factory torque seemed to be right around where it should be, based on how the lugs broke free. I've been torquing to 100 ft-lbs for all of our tires for quite a while (FSM spec is 80-108 ft-lbs), in a criss-cross sequence.

I would undo and re-torque all of the lugs - not just the one or two you replace. And of course re-torque all of them after 50-100 miles.

 

[Buzzman12]

Gotta second and third those opinions on wheel locks. Those things are a PITA and not worth the hassle. In over 50 years of driving, I've never had anyone try and steal my wheels/tires. I've had cars broken into and stuff stolen, but never the wheels.
As for torque, I guess I'm old school. I tighten them up by feel. Never used a torque wrench (don't have one). As was suggested though, I check them a few hundred miles after having changed the wheels, but that's it. So far I haven't had one fall off...lucky me.
The other thing I always do is if I've had the car serviced and the wheels were off, as soon as I get home, I loosen and re-tighten every lug nut. Those morons at tire shops etc., use an air gun at full power, and ram those lug nuts on as tight as they can. Tourque wrench? Ha. Not a chance.

 

[theblooms]

Those morons at tire shops etc., use an air gun at full power, and ram those lug nuts on as tight as they can. Tourque wrench? Ha. Not a chance.

You're going to the wrong tire shops then. It's been standard practice to properly torque lug nuts using a torque wrench for about 20 years now, ever since aluminum wheels have became standard equipment on pretty much all cars.

I can absolutely believe that some fly by night used tire shops may still be be giving it the full beans with their guns, but that's not right, and you just plain won't see that anywhere anymore that has properly trained technicians.

As far as not owning a torque wrench, why not? They're cheap! You can get a Pittsburgh that is accurate enough for lug nuts from Harbor Freight for $15. At that price, there's no excuse not to use one.

 

[edmaz]

... Those morons at tire shops etc., use an air gun at full power, and ram those lug nuts on as tight as they can. Tourque wrench? Ha. Not a chance.

Actually I believe the trend among tire installers is to use a torque wrench. Even a big general merchandise store like the BJs where I buy tires uses one. And amazingly, when I checked their work on our latest new tires, their torque was just a tiny bit less than the 100 ft-lbs I use to torque lugs.

But I do agree that there are still some shops that employ idiots who gun the lugs on so tight that they will NEVER come off. After getting new tires installed at a 'specialty' tire shop a few years ago, I came home and started to re-retorque them as I always do. Some of those lugs couldn't even be removed with a 2' breaker bar - I had to slip a 4' pipe over the bar, in order to break them loose. I considered it a miracle that none of those studs snapped off.

I used to do tires without a torque wrench, just like you do. But after getting into DIY a bit more seriously, I decided to switch over. Not trying to tell you what you should or shouldn't be doing, only that I now use that tool on virtually every job I do.

 

[youri]

Shops usually have torque sticks or equivalent for their air gun. They work like a torque wrench, they limit the torque applied to wheel nuts to a specific value.

 

[Jack Rabbit]

Shops usually have torque sticks or equivalent for their air gun. They work like a torque wrench, they limit the torque applied to wheel nuts to a specific value.

Yeah. Doesn't help of they don't use them though. With exception of myself, my local mechanic and local tire shop , everywhere else always welds them to my hub.

 

[youri]

also, it doesn’t matter if all the wheel nuts are not to the same torque, as long as the torque is within the right parameter for each of them to ensure they don’t come loose

 

[youri]

True. Just saying that the fact that they didn’t pull out a torque wrench doesn’t mean they didn’t do it right.

 

[Tchman2016]

Shops are supposed to use a torque stick first, and then lower the vehicle until the tires just touch the ground, and then use a proper torque wrench to do the final torque spec on the nuts. Then lower the car fully. Any shop that does not do this is an absolute hack

 

[theblooms]

Shops are supposed to use a torque stick first, and then lower the vehicle until the tires just touch the ground, and then use a proper torque wrench to do the final torque spec on the nuts. Then lower the car fully. Any shop that does not do this is an absolute hack

This. 100% this. Avoid any shop that isn't doing your wheels exactly like this. If the shop is too lazy to take the 90 extra seconds to properly torque your lug nuts, then what else are they what else are they taking shortcuts on?

 

[leok]

Ok…are there any mechanics over here? I want to know this. If I torque only the wheel locks to a spec within the proposed torque range and don’t re-torque the other lug nuts (leaving them at whatever torque they were done at the factory) will it be OK?

 

[theblooms]

Your lock *is* a lug nut, it's simply a lug nut with a funny (and annoying!) shape. When you check the torque on your lug nuts after driving a little bit like you're supposed to, checking the torque on the lock is a part of that process.

 

[yrwei52]

I am planning to install wheel locks and have the following questions:

If you feel wheel locks can provide better protection, go ahead install them. I installed OEM wheel locks when my 2016 CX-5 GT was new. I save the wheel lock key in the spare tire area so that I can have it readily available whenever I need it.

1. What torque do people usually use - Mazda has a range instead of a specific number. Does 90 sound reasonable?

In addition to inaccurate and inconsistent fluid change “approximate” capacities Mazda provided in the owner’s manual, such as you actually need 5.5 quarts instead specified 5.1 quarts for oil change on the 2.5T, giving a range on all torque specs instead of a specific value like everybody else is very strange and giving people an impression whether or not Mazda cares about precision.

Checked 2021 CX-9 owner’s manual and I was surprised to find CX-9, even the vehicle is much heavier and the tires are bigger, the torque on lug nuts is still listed as 80 ~ 108 ft·lbf which is the same as my CX-5!

To handle this torque range only by Mazda, I use the median value all the time sometimes have to use calculator to figure it out. 94 ft·lbf is the torque value I’d use on CX-9’s 18” or 20” wheels.

Noticed CX-9 also gets smaller in diameter compact spare, T155/90D17 101M, like the CX-5. T155/90D17 has 28” in diameter but CX-9 road tires, P255/60R18 107H or P255/50R20 104V, has 30”! Be aware of using it especially if you have an AWD!

At least the compact spare fits the front on CX-9, as the even smaller T145/90D16 106M compact spare provided with 2019 CX-5 2.5T can’t even fit the front!

2. Does anyone know what the manufacturer uses when torqueing at the factory - or, since there's a range, can one expect lack of uniformity?

Mazda factory uses robot to install tires. The torque should be consistent on all lug nuts with a single value. I believe they use the median value from the torque range.

3. Is it OK to torque only wheel locks without adjusting the other lug nuts to the same spec (since I don't know what the other lug nuts are torqued at; I assume then I will need to loosen all of them and re-tighten if I wanted to have the same torque on all of them; therefore, wanted to know if I could only do the wheel locks).

No, you really don’t want to use the torque wrench only to the wheel locks. You should check the torque to all lug nuts and wheel locks at the same time with a single torque wrench for consistency. Consistency is the key. For convenience, you can loose the existing lug nut and re-torque it one by one in criss-cross sequence to the desired torque value (94 ft·lbf) without jacking up the car. That’s what all dealers do when they check the torque on lug nuts during new vehicle preparation; and that’s what I’ve been doing after Discount Tire did any tire service to my vehicle as their torque applied sometimes is not that accurate and consistent with a beat-up torque wrench.

 

[sm1ke]

Consistency is the key. For convenience, you can loose the existing lug nut and re-torque it one by one to the desired torque value (94 ft·lbf) without jacking up the car. That’s what all dealers do when they check the torque on lug nuts during new vehicle preparation; and that’s what I’ve been doing after Discount Tire did any tire service to my vehicle as their torque applied sometimes is not that accurate and consistent with a beat-up torque wrench.

^ This is what I would do in your situation @leok. I have a 2018 CX-9 and I use a torque wrench to torque to 100 ft-lbs.

 

[Bronco Boy]

1. What torque do people usually use - Mazda has a range instead of a specific number. Does 90 sound reasonable?

Use the factory torque specs.

2. Does anyone know what the manufacturer uses when torqueing at the factory - or, since there's a range, can one expect lack of uniformity?

The robots are programmed to use the factory torque specs.

3. Is it OK to torque only wheel locks without adjusting the other lug nuts to the same spec (since I don't know what the other lug nuts are torqued at;

Sure, but all wheel nuts get the same torque spec, so do them all to make sure they are ok.