Just realized I was torquing lug nuts wrong for 10 years

I was at a shop in Tampa last Tuesday helping a buddy swap tires on a Cessna 172 and he stopped me mid-crank. He asked if I ever use a torque wrench in a star pattern. I told him yeah of course, but he pointed out I was doing it one nut at a time instead of in stages. Like I'd torque one to 20 ft-lbs then move to the next, instead of going around the pattern at 10, then 20, then final. I felt like an idiot because I've been doing this since I started and nobody ever corrected me. Now I'm wondering how many wheels I've had on that were slightly uneven. Anyone else have a basic habit they thought was right but turned out to be totally off?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_kai1mo ago

Did the exact same thing for years before a machinist friend set me straight.

bell.emma1mo ago

Three different machinists told me the same thing over the span of about two years before it finally clicked. They kept saying "speed is your friend" but my brain just refused to believe them. Took snapping off a brand new $80 cobalt bit in a piece of 4140 to really get the message. Now I run everything at least twice the RPM I used to and the cuts come out cleaner with way less chatter. Still feels wrong to push that fast sometimes but the results don't lie.