Dear Tyre Shop Monkeys

[Mike.Gayner 0]

This is to people working in tyre shops with single digit IQs, which appears to be about 99% of all tyre shop workers. Please learn to use your tools properly. Your incompetence is illustrated when I spend $500 having two tyres fitted, then a couple of weeks later when I'm working on my car I can't get the wheel nuts off. Here's a handy tip - if I can't get them off with a power bar, they're too f**king tight. What am I supposed to do if I get a flat tyre?

By the way, Mr Tyre Shop Idiot, the correct response when I arrive at your workshop to complain about this is to say "Wow, sorry sir, you're absolutely right, that was a stupid thing to do. Let me quickly whip those off for you and refit them correctly.". The correct response is not to belligerently roll your eyes and tell me you're too busy to do it now, so leave it with me. It is certainly not appropriate to tell me they're fine and I should stop complaining.

Signed,

The last customer of Summit Tyres, Waihi Rd, Tauranga.

Edited June 5, 2009 by Mike.Gayner

[sp8s 1]

Well said

[kiwi535 538]

i always ask them to make sure the nuts can be undone with the car wheel nut spanner.If not i find that 90 kg worth of kick gets em undone.You need boots to try that trick tho...

[Guest FrantiC]

They just tend to impact wrench them on.. Which is pretty stupid. Not all of us have impact wrenches to take them off , especially on the side of the road.

Only one good tyre shop I've come across... The guy impact wrenched them on, but only loosely and then torqued them with a torque wrench which was pretty good practice.

[Mike.Gayner 0]

Only one good tyre shop I've come across... The guy impact wrenched them on, but only loosely and then torqued them with a torque wrench which was pretty good practice.

In my view, this is not just good practice, it's the only acceptable practice. No professional mechanic would tighten cylinder head studs without a torque wrench, and no tyre shop worker should use the rattle gun to save 2 minutes.

[Eagle 1526]

They just tend to impact wrench them on.. Which is pretty stupid. Not all of us have impact wrenches to take them off , especially on the side of the road.

Only one good tyre shop I've come across... The guy impact wrenched them on, but only loosely and then torqued them with a torque wrench which was pretty good practice.

What the place i goto does every time ive seen them chuck on my wheels

[JiB 0]

Impact wrenches can be used with the correct torque sticks for the required wheel stud torque, so don't be too quick to yell at them for using impact wrenches if there's a bright coloured looking extension attached.

That said, overtightening can result in stretched and weakened bolts which are somewhat dangerous.

[Mike.Gayner 0]

Torque sticks should only be used in conjunction with a torque wrench, not as a replacement. They're just not accurate enough.

Edited June 5, 2009 by Mike.Gayner

[JiB 0]

Torque sticks should only be used in conjunction with a torque wrench, not as a replacement. They're just not accurate enough.

I wouldn't know, but wouldn't a torque stick defeat the point of a torque wrench? They're meant to flex with the impacts delivered by a impact wrench when a certain torque/moment is reached.. Torque wrenches need the surrounding bodies to be rigid to measure the moment created to provide accurate readings (not to mention linear force being applied)?

I'm sure +/-10nm is acceptable for a street vehicle's wheel bolts? These are the boundaries of the torque sticks in my limited experience with them?

edit: I'm in no way defending sloppy workmanship, but was just saying a torque stick in my opinion is acceptable (assuming correct calibration)

Edited June 5, 2009 by JiB

[Sick Puppy 1]

Beau repaires on kent/cambridge terrace have always torqued them on with a wrench whenever I've been there, no idea about TTS though.

What I get annoyed with though is the "this is the best price we can do for you sir"- how anyone can try starting their prices at $260 a tyre, and then in the end reduce it to $190 is beyond me, especially when I went down the road and got the same tyres at $160... how about some realistic pricing tyre guys?

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread, but I do feel better for getting that off my chest...

[jordyboy2 0]

They just tend to impact wrench them on.. Which is pretty stupid. Not all of us have impact wrenches to take them off , especially on the side of the road.

Only one good tyre shop I've come across... The guy impact wrenched them on, but only loosely and then torqued them with a torque wrench which was pretty good practice.

This is what the beaurepairs nearest to me does, and their always friendly, And love my bmw lol

Warkworth Beaurepairs FTW

[*Glenn* 854]

The correct way is to use a rattle gun at its lowest setting and then use a torque wrench to torque them at 90 Nm

We have a special torque wrench specificaly for that purpose. All wheels removed in our workshop get refitted this way

Edited June 6, 2009 by *Glenn*

[Mike 1]

I worked at a tyre shop a while ago and thats how we always did them too.

Glenn - you sure you didnt mean 90Nm, 90 ft lbs is a sh*t load?

Edited June 6, 2009 by Mike

[bravo 34]

I've had the same problem, not at a tyre shop, but at a mechanics. Got my own back though. He used to always deny that anyone form his workshop would do that, and that I must have used my rattle gun since to do them up.

One weekend he did a quick brake job for me on the way to a 4x4 run that he was also attending. I got a flat, and when I couldn't undo the nuts, I called him over and asked him to undo the bolts he'd only done up himself that morning.

Since then, no problem.

My wheel and tyre shop use a torque wrench. So do I. Warped brake discs or stuck on the side of the road with a flat FTL.

BTW, e30 studs should be around the 155nm mark. Your average wheel wrench is 300mm long, so 1kg = 9.8N, so 115nm on a 300mm bar = 39kg at the end to turn it. So basically if you are standing on the end of your average wheel wrench, and you weigh more than Kate Moss after a big mac super combo, then even with friction torque taken into account, it's too tight.

[bravo 34]

I worked at a tyre shop a while ago and thats how we always did them too.

Glenn - you sure you didnt mean 90Nm, 90 ft lbs is a sh*t load?

Mike - I thought it was 85 ft/lbs aka 115nm. So yes, I believe Glenn is correct.

[Boost Junky 1]

I worked at a tyre shop a while ago and thats how we always did them too.

Glenn - you sure you didnt mean 90Nm, 90 ft lbs is a sh*t load?

I would have to agree here with Muke, thats a huge ammount of torque! Not doubting you Glenn or Graham but didnt think they would need to be so tight?

[Creaver 55]

The bentley says to torque to 100nm if I recall?

[DRTDVL 0]

i thought it was 120..

[Eagle 1526]

I do mine at 110nm, seems the range is 100-120nm. Remember something about bmw upping torque setting

[JiB 0]

Are the higher torque settings to compensate for friction modifiers? Copper grease etc? Would make sense I guess?

[*Glenn* 854]

According to TIS, cars with M12 studs 120Nm...M14 140Nm...both + or - 10

We just do everything to 90 Ft lbs.... we have a torque wrench set and specfically used for that purpose

90 ft lbs = 122 NM

[Mike 1]

^Jesus, that much? I'm still sure we only did 90Nm.

Not gonna argue with TIS though, are bolts torqued higher than nuts for any reason? Obviously the majority of our cars had nuts, Glenn, I'm guessing most of your cars are fitted with bolts?

The bentley says to torque to 100nm if I recall?

yip, bentley has 100 +/- 10 Nm.

BTW, e30 studs should be around the 155nm mark.

where'd you get that info from?

I thought 90 ft/lbs was actually higher than 120 Nm, which is why I first questioned it. I'm worried I've been doing wheels too loose now

Edited June 6, 2009 by Mike

[*Glenn* 854]

This is handy

http://www.onlineconversion.com/torque.htm

[kingkarl 136]

Firestone on 2nd ave is awesome. Cheap, professional, friendly, fast and helpful. They've got a kick ass customer waiting area too. Free internet, coffee, tea and all the latest car magazines.

[Mike.Gayner 0]

I refuse to go to Firestone 2nd Ave as long as they're still hocking that nitrogen BS. Telling grandmas that they will save money by spending $5/tyre on nitrogen is NOT cheap, professional, friendly or helpful.

Edited June 7, 2009 by Mike.Gayner