Greasing Wheel nuts

[JDS]

Is it ok to use copper slip (or other grease) on wheel nuts, more specifically chrome nuts on alloys. Also is it ok to copper slip on the wheel faces to stop them sticking to the hubs.

Dave

[wooden wheel]

Hi Dave,

"Copper slip" Is normally used where high temps are an issue,Where I work the official line is that a light smear of engine oil should be applied to the threads of the nut or stud, but NOT to where contact is made between the nut and wheel rim!

Steve

[You've Been Bongod]

i use copper slip on my nuts
and always have done, i aint had any probs

[steviebongo]

I use copperslip at work on both nuts& hubs and after 22 years never had any probs, especailly when no wheel trims are used.
















cheers.

[mikeonb4c]

Amazing what you learn. I was told years ago that it was best not to get any lubricant on your nuts as there was less chance of them coming loose with vibration while you were driving if the mating faces were kept dry. OK so they squeak a bit while being spannered into place, but I can live with that

[Nevets]

I would recommend a small amount on the nut thread and the inside of the alloy wheel where it fits to the rim of the hub because the alloys tend to oxide up causing it to bond to the hub and making it very difficult to get off without belting the alloy with a mallet.Just what you need at the side of the road with a flat tyre

With all alloy wheels you should use a torque wrench on the right setting for the vehicle(most are around 110nm upwards) and the should be re-checked after 50miles or there abouts..

[helen&tony]

Hi
I think it's a matter of checking the nuts every week to ensure that they are tight if you use lubricant. Last year i had the front anti-rollbar bushes done at a local firm, and they said the clonk from the suspensiion was probably not the bushes (we know different in Bongoland, and we had already done the droplinks)....interestingly, the guy said that if the wheel-nuts weren't REALLY tight, then that can account for noise....he managed to tweak the nuts tighter, and we have never used lubricants, having been told the same as Mike.
Cheers
Helen

[mikeonb4c]

Yipes - I've never had a torque thingie to do mine with (though I do now and would like to learn how to use it so you've given me a good idea). I just do mine up good and tight (now with a socket and extension bar so I'm getting good leverage), but I don't re-check them (and never found one loose). I can see a bit of grease on the thread wouldn't do any harm, but for some reason I'm reluctant to put any on the mating face. Interesting thought though that torquing probably wouldn't work reliably (static coefficient of friction and all that) unless the nut faces were greased. Oh what a conundrum

[Nevets]

Torquing wheel nuts in the garage trade is of paramount importance.

Nearly all decent garages and tyre fitting outfits have to torque the wheel nuts/bolt due to company policy and customer saftey..

The company I work for insist on wheel nuts being torqued correctly and noted down on the job sheet so it becomes natural to me when removing wheels they get lubriacted on the thread and the outer rim of the hub and inner rim of the alloy cleaned and lubricated.s

But of course not all adhere to company policy and the old style coefficent of friction bit is not gonna save my job IF a wheel was to come off

But you're right Mike what a dilemma???

[brorabongo]

Anyone tried to remove a wheel from a three year old sprinter? We had to use a sledge hammer, the wheel was seized onto the hub. I smeared a bit of copper ease on the hub before replacing the wheel, this will hopefully mean no sledge hammer needed next time.

I've never greased my nuts though. Glowplugs yes.

[Nevets]

[quote="brorabongo"]Anyone tried to remove a wheel from a three year old sprinter? We had to use a sledge hammer, the wheel was seized onto the hub.

Seems like everyday to me

[mikeonb4c]

...and of course when you are doing this job in a professional setup you absolutely need to be able to say (and prove) the wheel nuts were tightened as per the handbook so you can't get claims etc. It probably explains why the average wheel brace can't get the nuts off when you next have a puncture.

Incidentally, I thought garages used a pneumatic tool to put wheel nuts back on. Do these things have the ability to dial in a torque setting then (s'pose they must do when I think about it)?

[missfixit70]

...and of course when you are doing this job in a professional setup you absolutely need to be able to say (and prove) the wheel nuts were tightened as per the handbook so you can't get claims etc. It probably explains why the average wheel brace can't get the nuts off when you next have a puncture.

Incidentally, I thought garages used a pneumatic tool to put wheel nuts back on. Do these things have the ability to dial in a torque setting then (s'pose they must do when I think about it)?

At Bathwick tyres round the corner from me they use the pneumatic job to put the nuts back on, but a torque wrench to tighten them up correctly, never had any problems with them being too tight, but I do use one of these - extendable wheel wrench

[bigdaddycain]

I've used copperslip on my alloys for as long as i can remember,thankfully, me being sat on the floor, kicking the hell out of my seized alloy wheel some years back is a distant memory.

[Rhod]

First time I tried to remove the Bongos wheels I had to resort to visiting the local garage & borrowing a 3ft extension bar... Glad I wasn't sat at the roadside with a puncture! The threads & mating surfaces were well coated with Copaslip after that & I've had no problems with anything working loose. It's about time that I checked that they'll come off again now though..

I treid using an extending wrench the first time, but had problems because of the L-shape of it. Basically the shape meant that putting pressure on the bar tended to twist the socket off the nut. I now carry a 2ft extension bar & a good quality socket instead.