Torque guides
How to turn a torque number into a correctly tightened joint: the pattern, the passes, the thread condition and the tool. Every guide is built on manufacturer instructions, Henkel data sheets and the NASA, Fastenal and RCSC references cited on each page.
Contents4 sections
Key takeaways
- Thread condition changes the torque more than anything else: the same clamp load needs about 25% less torque oiled than dry.
- Torque is an indirect measure. A torque wrench controls clamp load to about ±25% 1.
- Torque-plus-angle-to-yield bolts are stretched permanently and must be replaced once loosened 2.
Where to start
Each guide answers one practical question, quotes the manufacturer or standard behind each instruction, and links to the calculator that does the arithmetic.
- Tightening a wheel. Lug nut tightening covers the star pattern, the passes and the re-check intervals the vehicle makers print.
- Tightening a flange, cover or head. Torque sequence explains why bolts are tightened in a pattern and in stages.
- Threads are oiled, coated or locked. Read dry vs lubricated torque, then anti-seize or thread locker for the compound you are using.
- The manual says “plus 90 degrees”. That is an angle step, often on a single-use bolt. See torque-to-yield bolts.
- Choosing or checking a wrench. How to use a torque wrench covers click, beam and digital types, accuracy and calibration.
- Why the numbers carry a ± sign. Torque vs tension explains how much of the torque turns into clamp load, and how much is lost to friction.
In this section
- Torque sequenceWhy multi-bolt joints are tightened in a star or crisscross pattern and in several passes, with the sequences GM, FCA, Subaru, Ram and NASA actually specify.
- Torque-to-yield boltsTorque-to-yield bolts are tightened by torque plus angle into permanent stretch. How to read a TTY spec, apply the angle, and when GM, FCA and Honda say to replace them.
- Dry vs lubricated torqueWhy oiled bolts need less torque than dry ones for the same clamp load, with nut factor K values from Fastenal, NASA and Henkel for oil, zinc, anti-seize and moly.
- Anti-seize torqueHow much to cut torque with anti-seize, from LOCTITE data sheets: copper and metal-free K 0.16, marine and silver 0.18, moly 0.11. And why NGK says no on plugs.
- Thread locker torqueLOCTITE 242 changes the nut factor by no more than ±10%, so torque stays at the dry value. Henkel publishes no figure for 243, 262 or 271. What the data sheets do say.
- How to use a torque wrenchHow to set and pull a click, beam or digital torque wrench, what ±4% accuracy means under ISO 6789, when to recalibrate (12 months or 5,000 cycles) and what not to do.
- Torque vs tensionTorque only estimates bolt tension: about 90% goes into friction, so preload scatters ±25% or more. The figures from NASA-STD-5020B, NASA RP-1228, Fastenal and RCSC.
- Lug nut tighteningTighten lug nuts in a star pattern, in two passes, on clean dry studs, then re-check when your manual says: 25 miles for Ram, 100 for Ford, 600 for Nissan.
Sources
- 1
- 2
Spotted a value that doesn’t match its source? Report an error
Related
- CalculatorsSix torque calculators: bolt torque by size and grade, dry-to-lubricated, ft-lb to N·m, wrench extensions, clamp load from torque, and bolt grade from head marks.
- MethodologyHow Torque Reference calculates bolt torque from SAE, ISO and RCSC standards and sources vehicle torque from manufacturer documents, with every input listed.
- Lug nut torqueLug nut torque for 31 popular US vehicles by model year, quoted from each manufacturer's owner's manual with the page, from the Ford F-150 to the Tesla Model Y.
- Bolt torqueBolt torque for SAE Grade 2, 5, 8 and metric 4.6 to 12.9, 1/4 in to 1 in and M3 to M30, with dry, zinc-plated and lubricated values shown separately.