Whether due to a poor condition of the asphalt, the tire or any other incident that arises on the road, sooner or later we may be forced to change a wheel . If this is the case, taking into account that it is not something we do every day, nerves may arise and we will not find a correct way to do it, but rather to get out of trouble as soon as possible and get back on the road in good condition. security as soon as possible.
Well, if you want to internalize what it would be like to change the wheel like a professional , so that the next time you have to do it, you do it in the best way, this article is for you.
The advantages of cross tightening
Once you’ve removed the wheel to be changed and put on the spare, there are several ways to get the bolts back into the rim. One of the most useful is to tighten crosswise, since in this way we can better distribute the loads, thus ensuring a balance between the axes of the screws while tightening as evenly as possible. For example, first the one on the right, left, bottom and top on wheels with four bolts.
In essence, it consists of tightening a screw and, immediately after, its opposite and so on. You must tighten with force until the stop of the screw. Check each of them before lowering the car. Once the bolts are tight, lower the car little by little and gently. When the car is on the ground, retighten the bolts to the maximum.
This tightening sequence is not exclusive to the automotive industry, but is used in industry for any given tightening on a machine, valve, etc. In this way, the surface is tightened equally so that they all yield equally. Provides more even torque distribution and tightening, and when achieved with incremental torque, provides nearly uniform torque across all component fastenings without excessive torque on a small number of bolts. If you were wondering, to loosen the screws we should use a clockwise circular pattern.
Other tips for changing a wheel
Bolts, nuts, and other threaded parts have to be tightened to what is called their torque . It is a torque (tightening against the resistance of the bolt or nut) and is therefore expressed in units of force per turning distance. It is usual, therefore, to find that the tightening torques come in Nm (Newton per meter), Kgf-m (Kilograms force per meter) and even in some cases in English measurements such as Lbs-ft (Pounds per foot) or Lbs -in (pounds per inch).
The optimum torque value for your car or mounted rims can be found in the vehicle manual. It depends on the car model, rim size, design (aluminum or steel rims), and the number of bolts.