From: Mark A on
>> Why do you only tighten the lug nuts finger-tight while the car is in the
>> air, and wait until it is lowered to tighten them to their final torque?
>> I always tighten them to their final torques (in a star pattern) while
>> the car is in the air, and I know that when the car is on the lift at the
>> service centre, they do the same.
>
> If the wheel is not in contact with the ground, tightening the lug nuts
> with a wrench just spins the entire wheel. if you have an impact gun,
> this is not a problem.

The correct reason is that the car cold fall off the jack or stands if you
try and tighten it in the air. This is not a problem if the car is on a
professional lift.


From: Mark A on
"Built_Well" <built_well_toyota(a)hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:471b877c$0$90438
> When it comes to tightening the wheel's lug nuts, the main
> difference between what the Camry manual recommends and what
> the book "Auto Upkeep" says concerns when to tighten
> the nuts completely with a wrench. "Auto Upkeep" says to
> completely tighten after you lower the wheels so the
> tires /just/ barely touch the ground but before the car is
> completely lowered. The Camry manual says to lower the car
> completely first.
>
> You'd have to read closely to discern the difference.

In either case, it is a safety issue. Do not tighten while the car is in the
air.


From: Built_Well on

Mark A., I know it's not safe to tighten lug nuts to
their full torque while the car is in the air. That question
was asked by "Nobody Important." It was not asked by me.

But I see you didn't attribute the question to him when you
quoted him in your earlier message.

Mark A., you're quite a sly little fellow.



From: Nobody Important on
Built_Well wrote:
>
> Mark A., I know it's not safe to tighten lug nuts to
> their full torque while the car is in the air. That question
> was asked by "Nobody Important." It was not asked by me.
>
> But I see you didn't attribute the question to him when you
> quoted him in your earlier message.
>
> Mark A., you're quite a sly little fellow.
>
>
>

To me, the risk of putting the tire on in a cockeyed way because it made
contact with the ground crooked exceeds the risk of the car falling on
me while I tighten the lug nuts. I block the diagonally opposite wheel
and apply the parking brake, and I use a high-quality hydraulic jack
with a wide footprint. I also make sure my appendages are not under the
car as I work.

Honest men can differ on this point, though.
From: Built_Well on
Nobody Important wrote:

> To me, the risk of putting the tire on in a cockeyed way because it made
> contact with the ground crooked exceeds the risk of the car falling on
> me while I tighten the lug nuts. I block the diagonally opposite wheel
> and apply the parking brake, and I use a high-quality hydraulic jack
> with a wide footprint. I also make sure my appendages are not under the
> car as I work. Honest men can differ on this point, though.
========

Sure, we can differ on this point. I'm just saying that both the
Camry manual and "Auto Upkeep" instruct to fully tighten the lug nuts
after the car is completely lowered (in the case of the Camry manual)
or the tires are lowered to the point of just barely touching the
ground (in the case of "Auto Upkeep").

Apparently the "Auto Upkeep" author thinks there's some advantage
to fully tightening the wheels while the car is not completely lowered.

I'm not sure what Auto Upkeep's logic is, but both the Camry manual
and "Auto Upkeep" instruct not to fully tighten the wheels while
the car is way up in the air.