Posted by Sherman in Idaho [108.162.245.181] on Saturday, January 14, 2017 at 17:25:50 :
In Reply to: Re: never-sieze on wheel lugs posted by Paul (in NY) [108.162.219.235] on Saturday, January 14, 2017 at 15:11:42 :
That's the intelligent answer -- if torquing to "dry" spec, lube will result in over-stressing the bolt. As far as I know, bolts that are deliberately stressed past their elastic limit, like head bolts in modern aluminum engines, are always specified with perfectly clean, oiled, threads. Realistically, nobody uses a torque wrench on budd lug nuts in the field. The studs are so over-sized that it's humanly impossible to over-torque them. I can't imagine a fine SAE thread unscrewing itself just from being lubed unless it was barely torqued at all to begin with.
Exhaust manifold studs are the only example I know of on our old trucks where you have to go with very light torque to allow the manifold to slide against the block when it heats up. In that case, the special lock nuts and cone washers are needed to keep the nut in place, so even there anti-sieze on the studs isn't going to make them come loose.
If you really worry about lug nuts coming loose, the easy check is to look periodically and see if there are rust streaks radiating out from the nuts. If there are, the wheel has been wobbling. DOT inspectors are wise to this. The more certain check is to get those plastic arrows that you snap over the lug nuts. You snap them on so they're all pointing the same way, and then you can tell at a glance if one has moved. They look dorky, but a lot of fleet operators are starting to use them.