I have been reading the discussions of reusing lug nuts, and setting toe
for some time now. Verry interesting.
Talk of bolt stretch , ect is of course correct , for most bolts. There
are some bolts and nuts that are different, and lugnuts are one. The
clamping force of stock lugnuts comes fron the taper on the nut and wheel.
This wedge adds lots of clamping force to the wheel, and also increases the
friction of turning the nut. What this means is it takes more torque to
tighten the nut.
This means that 85 ftlb does not stretch the bolt , and as lug nuts are
hardened more that most nuts, the nut is not streatched either.
So lugnuts will last a long time. The first sign they are going bad is a
resistance when first putting on the nut. If it is hard to hand turn the nut
give it a floatation test ( throw it in a body of water, if it floats
reuse it)
Now for measuring toe. You can make a trammel gauge out of wood for next to
nothing. Or you can use the string - box thing. Neither of these will give
you a equal toe reading side to side. You must work from the centerline of
the car for that. It will not be any big deal if you are off a little at the
front, as long as you don't have to change the wheel more than a tooth.
( best to set and reset untill the wheel is back centered and not remove the
steering wheel)
The front toe should be set for the center of the steering box or rack
because some types have a "high spot" in travel at the center, and this will
feel odd if offcenter. Also as someone pointed out, your turning radius will
be off if the steering rods are not equal ( it wold need to be rather far
out to make much difference tho).The biggest reason to have perfect center
on steering rods is because of caster. Caster changes as you turn the wheel,
and you can endup with staggered caster while setting toe.
I wouldn't set the rear without a platen and a slip plate for the tire, as
incorrect settings at the rear can effect the car a lot .
So have at it and save some bucks Tom Tarleton
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