Wheels Bolts - Leave Dry Or Grease Em?

[GLPoomobile 958]

Dear forum

 

Wheen fitting your wheel bolts (on any car) do you believe that they should be left dry, or do you advocate using grease? Is greasing them a potential safety issue?

 

Discuss.....

[welshpug 1,657]

Always a light smear of grease, allows correct tightening torque to be achieved for proper clamping force to the hub.

 

Going in dry means premature peaking of torque on the fastener before correct clamping force is reached.

 

 

 

If insufficient clamping force is reached the wheel can move and cause the bolts to loosen, I witnessed this on DCC's girlfriends mk4 golf recently after having two new tyres fitted at a local tyre shop, bolts required a fair bit of force to remove and were done up with a torque wrench after a quick buzz up with a windy gun, a few days later the front wheels came loose on the M4, 3 out of five on one side had gone and two on the other side.

Edited October 4, 2014 by welshpug

[Daviewonder 533 3 Cars]

I clean them up but leave them dry.

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

I use a small amount of anti seize.

[GLPoomobile 958]

Tom, when you say anti-seize, what sort of product are you referring to? Is it essentially a type of grease?

 

Mei, I've never heard of bolts hitting peak torque prematurely if dry (but now I think about it I can kind if see a logic there), but I also thought that adding grease affects torque so if you do a greased fastner up to the specified torque it's actually not at that torque.

[2052006 10]

I always used to spray a bit of WD40 on the bolts and into the threads in the hubs to help clean and lubricate them. However, I've since read that this shouldn't be done. Indeed, in my Golf's manual it specifically states that although the threads of the bolts and hubs should be clean and the bolts turn easily, they should never be greased or oiled, otherwise they may come loose. So maybe a bit of WD40 or similar to help clean, but then thoroughly wiped dry?

 

That said, I never had a problem with bolts coming loose with a bit of WD40 applied.

[GilesW 41]

Clean up both threads and copper grease. (ie anti-seize).

That way they'll always torque up properly, and always undo (only) when you need them too.

 

Done this for 31 years and never had an issue on any type of vehicle.

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

I've got a graphite loctite one on the go at the moment, but copperslip or allyslip will also work. Only a small wipe needed not buckets of it.

[PAGOS 15 4 Cars]

WD40 should not be used as a 'coating' on wheel nuts or studs,it is a penetrating fluid formulated for the dis-assembly of components.Any thing sprayed with WD40 will oxidise quicker if not coated with the appropriate lubricant.WD=water displacement,40=formula number.

[u47sb2 27 2 Cars]

I use copperslip. Never had a problem once torqued. Do still check after a few miles though.

[lagonda 42]

Yes, always used copperslip on mine, so that's 11 years on the CTi alone...never had a problem. Except when tyre changers wang them up ridculously tight; so always undo and retighten after their efforts.

[johniban 59 1 Cars]

never used anything? why would you want a lubricant on the threads i cant see the benefit what so ever

[dobboy 231 2 Cars]

Think the manual says to oil the first five or 10mm of thread .

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

never used anything? why would you want a lubricant on the threads i cant see the benefit what so ever

When you've drilled and helicoiled a few hub flanges due to sheared seized wheel bolts then you'll see the benefit.

Plus it is simply good engineering practise to lubricate any highly loaded threaded joint.

[dobboy 231 2 Cars]

When you've drilled and helicoiled a few hub flanges due to sheared seized wheel bolts then you'll see the benefit.

Plus it is simply good engineering practise to lubricate any highly loaded threaded joint.

 

I think if you lubricate any bolts you need to reduce the torque settings depending on what type of lub you use.

 

(Pug's 85?nm may be based on the end being lub'd)

[S@m 156]

A small amount of anti seize on the ends of the threads for me, and whilst that would likely effect the torque settings it is a rare day that i can be bothered to dig my torque wrench out of the garage to check them anyway, i tend to just use a breaker bar and 'feel' when they are tight enough, then recheck after the next (short) drive.

[dcc 855]

always a dab of grease and torque up too

[matty_gti 20]

Always use some copper grease otherwise they screech when undoing them plus they go in smoothly, then just do them up tight by doing one bolt then the opposite one to it etc

[dcc 855]

Never use copper grease tbh! ruins the threads in my experience. also it goes dry and leaves a horrible deposit. makes me chuckle when you see people put it on their brake caliper slider pins.

[dobboy 231 2 Cars]

Copper grease also rots alloy(s)

[Rams_gti6 12 1 Cars]

Always use some copper grease otherwise they screech when undoing them plus they go in smoothly, then just do them up tight by doing one bolt then the opposite one to it etc

Don't bother if your deaf

[johniban 59 1 Cars]

always a dab of grease and torque up too

 

 

Never use copper grease tbh! ruins the threads in my experience. also it goes dry and leaves a horrible deposit. makes me chuckle when you see people put it on their brake caliper slider pins.

 

So you do use grease, or you don't?

[Daviewonder 533 3 Cars]

He uses grease, not copper slip.

[dcc 855]

Dave, I get the feeling some people are a special kind of stupid.

[johniban 59 1 Cars]

really....