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Kia Sportage lug nut torque by year

Kia prints the Sportage wheel torque as a range. The 4th-generation QL (2017–2022) and the 5th-generation NQ5 (2023 on) are 79-94 ft-lb (107-127 N·m, 11-13 kgf·m), on steel and alloy wheels alike. The 2011–2016 SL is lower: 65-79 ft-lb (9-11 kg·m), and Kia printed no N·m for it.

By the Torque Reference editors 3 sources cited Last reviewed Method
Contents7 sections

Key takeaways

  • 2017–2027 (QL, NQ5/NQ5A): 79-94 ft-lb (107-127 N·m) ⁠1 ⁠2
  • 2011–2016 (SL): 65-79 ft-lb (9-11 kg·m), no N·m printed ⁠3
  • NQ5: never use oil or grease on bolts or nuts ⁠2
  • 2005–2010 Sportage manual not found

Kia Sportage lug nut torque by year

Model yearsVariantTorqueStudOwner’s manual
2011-20163rd gen (SL)all (US/North America)65-79 ft-lb–metric (size not stated)
Page p.370 / printed p.6-17 'If you have a flat tire'

“Wheel nut tightening torque: 65~79 lb·ft (9~11 kg·m)”

2014 Kia Sportage (SL) Owner's Manual, North America (Kia official web manual, '2014 SL OM C2.pdf')

⁠3
2017-20224th gen (QL)all wheel sizes 17/18/19 in. (US/North America)79-94 ft-lb107-127 N·mmetric (size not stated)
Page p.580 / printed p.9-4 'Tires and wheels' (also PDF p.457 / printed p.7-20)

“Wheel lug nut torque [Kgf·m (lb·ft, N·m)] ... 11~13 (79~94, 107~127)”

2019 Kia Sportage (QL) Owner's Manual, North America (Kia official web manual, '2019 Sportage OM.pdf')

⁠1
2023-20275th gen (NQ5 Korea-built / NQ5A US-built)steel & aluminum alloy wheels, 17/18/19 in. (US)79-94 ft-lb107-127 N·mmetric (size not stated)
Page Specifications > 'Tires and wheels' (topic t00738); also 'Changing tires' t00626, 'Tire rotation' t00690

“Wheel lug nut torque lbf·ft (kgf·m, N·m) ... 79 ~ 94 (11 ~ 13, 107 ~ 127)”

2023 Kia Sportage (NQ5) Owner's Manual, en_US (Kia official web manual)

⁠2

Values as printed in the manufacturer’s owner’s manual for the year shown, not converted. Years between two checked manuals of the same generation are assumed to share the value. Open a row to read the exact wording.

What the owner’s manual says

  • Re-check: After changing wheels, have an authorized Kia dealer tighten the wheel nuts to their proper torque as soon as possible
  • Re-check: After changing wheels, have an authorized Kia dealer tight- en the wheel nuts to their proper torque as soon as possible
  • Threads: Never use oil or grease on bolts or nuts because the nuts might come loose. The vehicle's wheel could fall off, causing a crash.

What changed between generations

  • 3rd generation (SL, 2011–2016): the 2014 North American manual gives “Wheel nut tightening torque: 65~79 lb·ft (9~11 kg·m)” in its flat-tire section ⁠3. The specification page in that PDF is an image with no extractable text, so we have only this statement. It gives no N·m, and we don’t convert one.
  • 4th generation (QL, 2017–2022): the 2019 manual lists 11~13 kgf·m (79~94 lb·ft, 107~127 N·m) for the 17, 18 and 19 in. wheels ⁠1.
  • 5th generation (NQ5 Korea-built, NQ5A US-built, 2023 on): 79 ~ 94 lbf·ft (11 ~ 13 kgf·m, 107 ~ 127 N·m) for steel and aluminum alloy wheels ⁠2. The tire-rotation and tire-mobility-kit sections repeat the same range.

The Sportage follows the same pattern as its Hyundai relative, the Tucson. Both moved from a 65–79 range to 79–94, so a setting from a 2016 Sportage sits at the bottom edge of the newer range. Any value inside the printed range is to spec.

Re-check and thread condition

The SL and QL manuals give no re-torque mileage: “After changing wheels, have an authorized Kia dealer tighten the wheel nuts to their proper torque as soon as possible” ⁠1. The NQ5 manual’s tire-rotation step says to “check lug nut tightness”. It is also the only Sportage manual where we found the thread warning: “Never use oil or grease on bolts or nuts because the nuts might come loose. The vehicle’s wheel could fall off, causing a crash” ⁠2. Every Sportage manual notes “metric threads on the wheel studs and nuts” without giving the size. Tighten in a star pattern and finish with a torque wrench (lug nut tightening guide).

Years we have not checked

We have not found a 2005–2010 (2nd generation) Sportage manual on Kia’s manual site, where the earliest listing is 2011. The 2011–2013 SL is assumed from the 2014 manual. The 2017 QL web manual returned an error, so we used 2019. Kia’s owner’s manuals give no oil drain plug or brake caliper torque.

Sources

  1. 1
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  3. 3

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