J.A.
Senior Member
Ok, I had a chance to take the rig out for a spin today. City driving is fine and I knew that already as I took the spidertrax out for a quick test run after install to check for rubbing. Highway - had it on the open road for about a 15 mile run at between 55-70. I was checking for any sort of vibration or shimmy and I am quite relieved to say that there is none. I wasnt able to get the speed above 70 due to traffic conditions and I only ran them 15 miles but so far so good.
Before doing that run I did a tire rotation. Now I didnt do the rotation at the time of the spidertrax install as you are supposed to check the nut torque at the 50 mile mark and I figured that not doing the rotation would force me to check the tightness. I didnt have 50 miles on the spacers but felt that it was appropriate time to check the torque.
Why? Well, first of all the nuts on the spacers are loctited in place with the red type threadlocker. So you cannot turn the nuts when checking tightness anyhow because even if you could turn them while they are locked in place you would break the seal and then have to re-loctite them again. You would have to heat the studs with a torch to lossen the nuts or at least to clean off the old loctite. So I wasnt expecting them to be loose.
What I did was set the torque wrench to the 80lb level (3 lbs less then the level used to put them oin originally) and check them. They were fine. The wrench clicked before they turned which is what you want to occur. They should have been fine anyhow as the studs were already pre-stretched and not new.
The studs preinstalled on the spacers on the other had are brand new and I wonder if when the instructions say to check the torque after 50 miles they are referring to the factory lug nut tightness on the spacer lugs. Because being new the lug studs will upon first tightnening, stretch and continue to stretch within the first 50 miles or so. When they stretch, even if the lug nut stays in the same place, it would be loose because the stud became slightly longer.
Anyway I just reached the 5k mile mark and did the first 5 tire rotation. I will check the lug nut torque again after another 50 miles as the spidertrax lugs may stretch some more.
When tightening down the lugs it is improtant to get the correct torque so use a torque wrench. Again, I like to torque down first to 40lbs then 60 then 83. All the time using a criss cross pattern as shown by the attached pic. This will make sure everything is seated and torqued evenly.
Any more questions, let me know.
Before doing that run I did a tire rotation. Now I didnt do the rotation at the time of the spidertrax install as you are supposed to check the nut torque at the 50 mile mark and I figured that not doing the rotation would force me to check the tightness. I didnt have 50 miles on the spacers but felt that it was appropriate time to check the torque.
Why? Well, first of all the nuts on the spacers are loctited in place with the red type threadlocker. So you cannot turn the nuts when checking tightness anyhow because even if you could turn them while they are locked in place you would break the seal and then have to re-loctite them again. You would have to heat the studs with a torch to lossen the nuts or at least to clean off the old loctite. So I wasnt expecting them to be loose.
What I did was set the torque wrench to the 80lb level (3 lbs less then the level used to put them oin originally) and check them. They were fine. The wrench clicked before they turned which is what you want to occur. They should have been fine anyhow as the studs were already pre-stretched and not new.
The studs preinstalled on the spacers on the other had are brand new and I wonder if when the instructions say to check the torque after 50 miles they are referring to the factory lug nut tightness on the spacer lugs. Because being new the lug studs will upon first tightnening, stretch and continue to stretch within the first 50 miles or so. When they stretch, even if the lug nut stays in the same place, it would be loose because the stud became slightly longer.
Anyway I just reached the 5k mile mark and did the first 5 tire rotation. I will check the lug nut torque again after another 50 miles as the spidertrax lugs may stretch some more.
When tightening down the lugs it is improtant to get the correct torque so use a torque wrench. Again, I like to torque down first to 40lbs then 60 then 83. All the time using a criss cross pattern as shown by the attached pic. This will make sure everything is seated and torqued evenly.
Any more questions, let me know.
