In order to support something as heavy and fast-moving as an automobile, car wheels — from the best to the worst brands — need to be sturdy and secure. An essential element to achieve this are the lug ...

Q: I had a flat tire fixed, and my neighbor said I should have the wheel nuts “torqued” by someone, as the young man at the gas station didn’t do this. I didn’t want to sound ignorant by asking what ...

We've said it before, but it's a fact that few things are as simple as they look. Take something as commonplace as lug nuts: They hold the wheels onto a vehicle. That's simple enough, but another ...

Q: For the past several years, I have had run-ins with service people at the tire store. When I go in for tire balancing, I write 76 foot-pounds lug nut torque, which is what Toyota calls for. When I ...

Most people think tightening wheels after fixing a flat tire is simple — grab a wrench, lean on it until your shoulder pops (ouch!), and call it a day. But wheel torque isn't just about brute force -– ...

A torque wrench (pronounced "tork") is one of the essential tools you need before starting an engine rebuild, and helps determine when the appropriate amount of force has been applied to a fastener ...

When tires are rotated or when new tires and/or wheels are mounted on a vehicle, tightening the hardware to the right torque is critical. As the hardware seats naturally, those bolts don’t always stay ...

Torque is a twisting force. The muscle you apply to the top of a screw-top jelly jar is torque. And when you use a wrench on a threaded fastener (such as a bolt, nut, screw, or stud), you're applying ...

When I get the car back, I use my old-style torque wrench, which has a needle point scale that goes from 0 to 140 pounds. When I try to loosen the lugs, they don’t break free to well past the ...