Tightening Knock-offs

Don't use a dead blow. Get a lead hammer.

 

I give mine a few shots off the ground to register them with the OEM mallet and finish them on the floor. Maybe im doing something wrong but I dont beat the daylights out of mine and they never come loose. I hear about people applying 350lb/ft of torque to them with a special socket and killing themselves to get them off. Mine come off with a couple of good hits plus its just cool to do.

 

I used to use the lead hammer (now pretty flat on one side). I would give it a few good whacks while off the ground, then on the ground, give it some good whacks until I was not seeing much movement....you kind of get a feel for it. Then just check them again after you next ride to ensure they are tight. I do now use a torque wrench with the socket as I wanted to be a bit more consistent and did not want the wrench to fall off the nut again and chip a wheel....yes spaz I am....

The most important thing is EVERY TIME you remove the wheel, put anti seize on the splines so the wheel slides on nicely, and on the threads of the bolt. Just a light brushing will ensure you will not have issues a year later trying to take the thing off.

 

The way you do it is proper. If using the socket 350 is really too tight but not by a whole bunch. What does happen though is with a 6ft long bar or wrench 350 does not feel like much so people give them a little (a lot) more to be safe.

 

i wack mine with a lead hammer till they stop moving with the hits just little amounts then its good, recheck after 50 miles usually the rears get loose it seems.

 

I used to wack mine til I slipped and chipped the paint on the wheel,,, just a tiny chip, but the wheel was perfect before. So now I torque them.
Brian, if 350 isn't correct, what is the correct torque setting? And yeah, with a 4 foot long handle, over torquing would be easy.
John

I should add that since torqueing I've never found a wheel loose.

 

Ferrari never had a torque spec for them. Their method was to use a hammer. TR was a different design, in my opinion a little stronger just from a fastener point of view and they called for 325 lbs.

 

Thanks.
John

 

Had the front left come loose on the 512BB last year but was give the car a bit of a work out on a quiet bit of motorway. Think heavy braking may have loosened it but never had it happen before.

 

Treat yourself and get the Hill Engineering socket from Ricambi....it is beautiful. And then you can get a 600# torq wrench from Harbor Freight Tools for about $145. I don't like beating a lug bolt when the wheel is in the air. So maybe hand tighten to 150# while the wheel is in the air (off the ground) then lower and torq to whatever. YMMV.

Jeff Pintler
89 348tb, 86tr

 

Lot's of good advice given in this thread. Here's my experience...

If you wash your car often, then it's good idea to to routinely (every 3 to 6 months) pull the wheels off, clean the hub splines and mounting surfaces (cones) really good, and give all of them a coating of copper anti-seize. Then with the car in the air, install a wheel and then tighten the bolt by hand while rocking the wheel in/out until wiggle ALL movement is gone. Finally lower the car and tighten with the factory spanner wrench and lead hammer. Pound away until there is very little movement, it won't take much. If you do periodic maintenance on these wheels you will NEVER have any problems. There are horror stories out there, but with proper car these wheels are great - no issues.

 

325 is what I use and was also confirmed in post #8 above

 

I've been using that torque figure for 25 years...My nuts haven't fallen off yet!

 

TR and BB are very different. TR is a big bolt and I have never seen one damaged from overtightening. BB is a more classic nut and I have seen the male thread on the hub crack and break right off from being overtightened.

 

Every single car company since knock offs were invented give owners a mallet so don't single Ferrari out. There is an expectation on the part of the car company that the owner/operator do his part in having a brain and using it just the same as the Stanley screw driver company should expect you not to stick a screw driver in your eye. There is a big dose of common sense involved but no one wants to be responsible to have it or use it. Changing a tire used to be part of driver training but that went out the window long ago. I guess the car companies have dodged that bullet by just not giving us spare tires. They were right in doing so. The public can no longer be trusted with such a complicated task.


There was no rust involved....just owner stupidity.

 

For 17 years still use the same Ferrari lead hammer and I purchased another many years ago I have new in the tool pouch.
I do take wheels off yearly to change all fluids plus any other time is needed.
Just turn by hand until stop and then use the hammer lightly with wheel of the ground to pick up extra slack.
With the tire on the ground hold the hammer by the middle of the handle and hit almost tap ALL ears of the knock off going around intill the nut stops.
It does not take much and they get tighter driving.
If you hammer away hard the same way they do not come off if you have driven a lot.
I can hit each ear only twice and there is no chance I can get a wheel loose driving, plus they come off by hitting one ear a little hard once then another one once and there is movement ..one more tap now and they are off...you get used to it and it is another Ferrari experience....so easy to take off and put on...safely!
If I had to take a rim off fast I can do it with two hits.....plus the lead does not damage anything if you do not pound like trying to kill something...I have missed and hit the rim and it will wipe right off.
If you have chrome being damaged on the ears it is only from someone using something other than the lead to get them off being too tight.

 

Forgive me for what I know is going to be a dumb question, but i am about to take the wheels off my '86 TR for the first time and I have been reading up on these threads, and noticed folks tlaking about torque wrenches that have to work in both directions as the single bolts thread on in different directions on each side of the car.

My question:

Do the bolts go clockwise on the left side (drivers) and counter-clockwise on the right side (passenger)? Sorry, I know this is probably a dumb question.

 

Yes...to tighten the bolts, clockwise-left side, counterclockwise-right side.