Correct torque for Vintage Wheels centrelocks

A

Arnie Webb

I'm way off needing ton actually do this, but a friend of mine has just been wondering how to torque the wheeelnuts on his new 997 GT3 - to 350ft/lbs.

Seeing as we are supposed to be using a lead hammer of around 5lbs in weight to torque the Tri wings, I was wondering how hard to actually hit them, and how this can be measured.

Otherwise I would imagine the torque to vary massively from car to car.

Any suggestions?
 
E

Alex

I've seen some 1/2'' tq wrenches go to like 450ftlbs.

Out of curiousity, is this setup one of those single-really-large-centered lug nuts, and then some form of spinner that attaches onto it? I tried googling it, but didn't find anything.
 
A

Arnie Webb

No, its like this here:

2010-porsche-gt3-rs-wheel.jpg
 
E

Alex

Fascinating - thank you for the picture.

(speaking with absolutely no experience here) but I would have thought looking at it they'd include some type of splined really-really-large socket for tightening it.

I'm familiar with the spinners they have you whack on (and safety wire) with a lead hammer on vehicles like Cobras, but usually there the 'wings' extend out from the rim - I just can't see smashing a lead hammer there ... i'd imagine you'd hit the rim as often as you'd hit it???
 
A

Arnie Webb

Sorry, perhaps my original post was misleading. i need to know the torque for the Vintage Wheels tri wings as used on the RCR cars, for my P4 Kit (whihc has the Vintage hub centres, but isn't an RCR kit)
 
P

Phil

Arnie:
You could just call Bob at Vintage wheels 1-800-720-0459 for torque specs, he is a very knowledgeable and helpful guy in my experience.
I also have some trepidation about smacking spinners with a lead mallet, especially since its always a "guesstimate" as for what the torque is, and with some of the wider wheels available its next near to impossible to get a decent strike on the spinner with any force, and as was mentioned also hitting the wheel surface.
There is a wheel socket available that is urethane lined, and allow spinners to be tightened to spec, I think one of the forum members Eglitom has them.
I use a hex nut and I torque to 250 lbs./ft seems to be sufficient, and locks of some sort are highly recommended.
The biggest problem with torqueing is stopping the wheel from spinning unless someone is on the brakes.
Good luck
Phil
 
C

Cliff Beer

If you don't like swinging a 5lb lead hammer around your vintage wheels, or your surrounding body work (as I don't), there is a "socket" that is available which is very large and fits over the trispinnners. The socket has a hole machined through it to accommodate a long and beefy breaker bar.

I know that when I use the breaker bar and the socket instead of the lead hammer it takes a LOT of force to remove the spinner....something like my full 200lbs on a four foot breaker bar (probably about three feet from the center of the wheel to the point of force - my foot - on the bar).
 
R

Old Roaring Forties

We calculated 407Nm however the RF cars use a slightly modified hub adaptor (reduced wall) t get down to this torque. I am lead to believe our source for the wheels and adaptors is the same as for Vintage.
 
W

Bill Musarra

I hate to say it, but the video brings up an old and much discussed point. Which way should the spinners go to tighten. I have RCR hubs on mine which came with them labeled right/left, and they are just the opposite of Dennis's video. I only plan to run my car hard on the occasional track days and will safety wire them as well. I am sure there will be some more opinions.

Bill
 
C

Chris Simpson

wbmusarra said:
I hate to say it, but the video brings up an old and much discussed point. Which way should the spinners go to tighten. I have RCR hubs on mine which came with them labeled right/left, and they are just the opposite of Dennis's video. I only plan to run my car hard on the occasional track days and will safety wire them as well. I am sure there will be some more opinions.

Bill
Click to expand...

Our Radical has centre lock wheels which tighten with the top of the nut going forward, ie the opposite to that recommended for a GT40 - and they are stamped Left and Right. The recommended torque is 200 ft/lbs, for which we use a torque wrench, but it needs very much more to undo them so we use an impact driver for that. It is apparently very much NOT recommended that the mating faces between nut and wheel are lubricated as this can cause the nut to come loose (although the threads can be lubricated) - the nuts are aluminium. Of course the Radical only weighs 500 Kilos so this could have some relevance to the torque.

Chris
 
R

Old Roaring Forties

my last post in this thread seems to have been deleted for some reason.

We calculated 407Nm but use slightly thinner wall hub adaptor on the RF cars to get down to this torque. The wheel and hub adaptor source is the same for Vintage I believe.

You guys might find that the hubs marked left and right are for LH thread and RH thread NOT LH side of the car and RH side of the car, the video is correct for tightening.

Regards Paul
 
R

Old Roaring Forties

2 of my posts seem to have been deleted from this thread, not sure why but:

you might find the LH and RH marks on your hubs are for LH thread and RH thread not LH side of the car and RH side of the car, the video is correct for tightening.

we calculated 407Nm but use a modified adaptor (from, I believe, the same source as Vintage), reduced in wall thickness to get down to this torque.

Regards Paul
 
Big-Foot

Randy V

Moderator-Admin
Staff member
Admin
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Paul - I did not see your posts nor do I see a trail of their deletion (normally I will see them as moderated posts - hidden from view by anyone other than a moderator or administrator)..
 
G

René

wbmusarra said:
I hate to say it, but the video brings up an old and much discussed point. Which way should the spinners go to tighten. I have RCR hubs on mine which came with them labeled right/left, and they are just the opposite of Dennis's video. I only plan to run my car hard on the occasional track days and will safety wire them as well. I am sure there will be some more opinions.

Bill
Click to expand...

I believe, to tighten them when the car points front you hit the rear of the spinner to tighten them.

That is done because a car moves forward, say when you hit the throttle and the wheels spin the spinner wants to go even tighter when it could, that's the effect.
When you put them wrong and you spin the wheels it would have the effect of loosen the spinner.

to try out what I mean is, if you would hold the spinner still with your hand when it is loose, and you turn the wheel forward the direction of the noose of the car then it will tighten itself if you put them on on the right way.

when wrong the spinner will fall of...

that's what I heard long long time ago, you also have tires with a rotating direction on them, then you can't switch the tires from one side to the other side...but thats another story.
 
J

Jac Mac

GTRene said:
That is done because a car moves forward, say when you hit the throttle and the wheels spin the spinner wants to go even tighter when it could, that's the effect.
When you put them wrong and you spin the wheels it would have the effect of loosen the spinner.
Click to expand...

Its a slow night down under:) I take it then that when your decelerating under hard brakeing ( which incidently most cars are capable of doing at a greater rate than they can accelerate ), that you have a magic switch that changes the thread direction from side to side so that the very effect that you say is keeping your wheels tight during acceleration will continue to do so under deceleration....:heart:
 
G

René

jac mac said:
Its a slow night down under:) I take it then that when your decelerating under hard brakeing ( which incidently most cars are capable of doing at a greater rate than they can accelerate ), that you have a magic switch that changes the thread direction from side to side so that the very effect that you say is keeping your wheels tight during acceleration will continue to do so under deceleration....:heart:
Click to expand...

when you are decelerating your wheels still rotates forwards only slower:drunk: under braking weight wants to go forwards not rotating/spinning as you do when you accelerate, but I know what you are trying to say
 
M

TimB

GTRene said:
when you are decelerating your wheels still rotates forwards only slower:drunk: under braking weight wants to go forwards not rotating/spinning as you do when you accelerate, but I know what you are trying to say
Click to expand...

I can confirm a friend had his E type jag towed backwards (rear in the air front wheels down) resulting in the front spinners loosening and losing a wheel. Cost the tow company dearly
 
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