How to Lower a Car Wheel

Part of the Video Series How to Install Car Brakes

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Have you been working on your brakes or tires? Learn how to lower a car wheel after with expert auto maintenance tips in this free car repair video clip.

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Video Transcript

How to Lower a Car Wheel
Hi! My name is Nate McCullough on behalf of expertvillage.com. In this clip we are going to talk about the proper way to let your vehicle down and torque your lug nuts. Pretty much what you do is you remove your jack handle, insert it on a release groove and just give it a little crack. You don't want to let it down real fast, right there. I always tighten the screw back up when I'm done just so we are ready to go back up for the next side. Remove your jack out of the way. Torquing the lug nuts is crucial. If they are not torqued properly over time, these nuts may loosen up causing the wheel to fly off. You are going to want to torque them in a star pattern. I always start with the bottom one. You start here and then go to the next further bolt there and the next further bolt away there and then the next further bolt away there and the next further bolt away there and lastly, up top. Aluminum rims are supposed to be torqued to a 100 foot pounds which is pretty much as strong or as hard as the average man can pull with one hand. A steel rim is recommended to be torqued to 80 foot pounds on much passenger cars. Just a little less and as hard as you can pull with one hand. Go ahead and start the torquing procedure and just give her a good pull. That's all the tighter they need to be. Come up here to the top one and across to the next further one away and then across to the next further one away and across to the next further one away. Once you are done torquing them, go ahead and take your cover if the vehicle happens to have one; this one does. You can see the notch here lines up with the notch there. If you don't line those up, you will have a heck of a time trying to get it on. Once you get it lined up, I see two sides of it and just give it a pop and you are finished with the outside of the vehicle and that's how you properly torque your lug nuts and let the vehicle down.

About the Expert

Expert: Nathan McCullough graduated from Nashville Auto-Diesel College with a Grade Point Average of 3.5 and received their craftsmanship award and honor seal. Read More