Changing wheels by yourself?

[toadcat]

and how inconsistent they can be.

I have experienced cases where I had to manually tighten wheel nuts after "professionals" tightened them with rattle guns. I have also had cases where I needed a 6 foot long pipe to get the buggers undone. Both are bloody dangerous.

Then there was this guy at a tyre shop on the corner of Coppins and Swan St's in Richmond back in Feb I saw tightening the wheel nuts on a merc with a torque wrench. Good to see there are some intelligent shops out there

I think this was the case with mine too.
Had a torque wrench. That didn't work. Got a longer one, that didn't work. Got the same long one and put another bar inside it so it was about 4 feet long and could fit two people standing on it and that didn't work either.. The car was literally swaying backwards and forwards with the handbrake on and in-gear and the nut still wouldn't come loose
Off to a tyre shop tomorrow to use a rattle-gun..

[Fangin_RX]

wooo rattle guns , you know you can ask them to use the Crossbar to tighten them. A Fair amount of people do to make it easier for them instead of doing what you had to do and have the car doing the mexican wave whilst you try to crack the nut

[smythie]

I think this was the case with mine too.
Had a torque wrench. That didn't work.

Never use a torque wrench for anything but final tightening of a nut/bolt. NEVER use them for loosening a nut or bolt.

[Sentinel]

I think this was the case with mine too.
Had a torque wrench. That didn't work.

Never use a torque wrench for anything but final tightening of a nut/bolt. NEVER use them for loosening a nut or bolt.

+1

[Fangin_RX]

Saw goodbye to the Nut/bolt when using a torque wrench

[zorbaru]

i changed the wheels on my wrx back to the stockies before i traded it. piece of piss to do.

it was a pain in the ass having to jack each corner tho. in the past when i have done it i have borrowed my mates trolley jack. that made it a lot easier.

get yourself a wheel brace too (the cross looking thing) so much easier to use that a regular tyre iron.

and if any of the nuts are loose you will definitely notice it as soon as you take off. i did

[Spec B Wgn]

go and buy yourself a trolley jack and a set of stands, it will make it easier. you will be able to do 2 wheels at a time and your own oil changes

X 2

[nate]

yeah it's a real bitch when your rattle guns overtighten them, then when you get a flat you can't loosen the damn nuts.

Just make sure that when you fit the wheel, you tighten bolts opposite each other (don't just tighten them in a clockwise or anti-clockwise sequence), or your wheel may end up wobbly.

[toadcat]

Just took it down to Kmart tyre and auto (everywhere else was shut on the weekend lol) and got them all changed over for $20.

[Spec B Wgn]

i bet your mum was happy...