Wow those lug nuts are hard to remove
 

As soon as I drove off from my house I heard a loud pop and I knew my tire is fuked.

The size of that thing that punctured my tire is ridiculous. I guess I should have stayed home. Some of the those lug nuts are so hard to remove I had to ask my friend for help. We had to 2-man the torque wrench to break those nuts loose.

By the way, the spare wheel actually looks pretty good when viewed on its side. From the back however, it's hilarious.

http://i.imgur.com/JytOMJb.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/LYtmq3M.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ztPjbrI.jpg

Good lord. What is that in your tire?

85ft lbs of torque. Hard to break it loose.

I've wondered about what care must be taken to drive a Z with a spare on the rear. Can only imagine keeping the traction control on would severely limit forward movement due to the amount of wheel spin I'd expect from a spare.

One word: Michelin Pilot Super Sport

OK, that was 4 words.

If you had trouble with your lugs then

1. They were over-torqued
2. You need to work on your arm/upper body strength

85 ft/lb is the specification.

Talk about some ******** shrapnel. Bummer bro.

If you're too weak to undo a lugnut, just put the lug wrench on there and use the scissor jack to turn it.

My owner's manual says 80 pounds, not 85.
Like others have said, if it took two to remove the lugs, then they were over-torqued.

NOT a good idea to take lugs off with a torque wrench. It can screw up the wrench. Trust me I did it.

Yeah, your lugs were WAY over-torqued. That's very bad for the rims and hubs.

Suggestion - go over to Lowes and purchase a breaker bar and a torque wrench with the proper socket for each. I carry a breaker bar in the car under the trunk mat. You do not want to be stuck on the side of the rode with frozen lug nuts.

Shop Kobalt 1/2-in Breaker Bar at Lowes.com

You should check the torque on your lug nuts at least monthly, along with tire pressure.

:iagree:

:tiphat: breaker bar. I needs. No way i could break them loose w/o a socket/ratchet which I do not carry w me.
Christmas is coming. Somebody text my husband please. :tiphat:

OK

I check mine a few days after re-installing. If they are still tight, I forget about them. If any need tightening, I check again in a few days. YMMV

The little short arm bar that comes standard in the Z makes removing the lug nuts fairly difficult even if they are torqued properly to 85 ftlbs. I usually end up standing on it to break them loose because I seem to always tear up my knuckles on the rim or the ground when I do it by hand. It's fine in a pinch (i.e. side of the road and only one tire), but I use a 36" long breaker bar at home. It was $10 at Harbor Freight on clearance (I haven't seen them since, but they have a 25" one about the same price) :tup:

I have to stand in the bar as well to remove my lugs. While 80-85ft/lbs maybe what they were installed at over time with oxidation etc. it will require much more than that to remove it. And never remove bolts with a torque wrench unless there is no other choice.

A little bit of NeverSeez (or equiv) will (usually) make it easier to remove the lug nuts. Apply in a very thin layer to all the bolt threads that will be in contact with the nut. The stuff will provide some lubrication so torque to the low end of the range or a few ft-lb less.

:tup:

i dont use any anti-seize. i also dont torque the lugs like some kingkong or gojira~! :eekdance:

sorry to hear about your flat. take it to a tire place that has touchless mounters. otherwise mount mark galore!

So you mean if I've had the Michelin my tire won't pop? :ugh2:

I'm pretty sure it's over-torqued. My friend and I tried standing on the bar to remove it and they wouldn't break loose. 2/5 of the nuts required the strength of 4 arms and legs and we aren't scrawny either.

I'm at Volco tires now and seeing if they can repair the tire.

bk- you need to get yourself some real tools..

Haha, this (fortunately, unfortunately?) is the second time it happened to me for the past 15+ years of driving. The first time changing the spare tire was a breeze.

No, I noticed that you are running Hankooks and was suggesting a superior tire. Also, I would not attempt to repair a gash in a Z-rated tire.

:iagree: If it were my car, that tire would be headed for the trash bin.

Bk dat's not the point. you're driving an enthusiast's car. get some tools ..

:iagree:

When I had my 06 G35 coupe I had to use the short arm bar several times. I found, that if you have the arm bar parallel to the ground once you have it on a lug nut, come directly down on it with your dominate foot hard which is basically stomping on it and you can break the lug nut loose. :tup: A bar that short doesn't give you any leverage obviously lol.

Wow guys so much hate on the good old Hankooks. If I was living somewhere warmer I would definitely get better tires than these. These tires were much better than the stock Bridgestones and for the price I think they aren't bad at all.

Also, how is the brand of the tire relevant to what happened to me? Unless there are proven facts that those Michelin, or other "superior" tires, will not pop if the metal piece left a 3 inch gash in the tire. What some of you are saying is like someone totalled your car, and I say "Get a Ferrari, they are better than our Z".

I think his point was that this misfortune is a good excuse to get (arguably) better tires.

Haha I know I know, but winter is coming, I'll probably winterize the Z for the next 4 months. I will, however, look for some better tools in case anything happens again.

Ah, then I'm sorry if I misunderstood you guys. Like I said, I would do it in a heartbeat if I was living closer to the equator. Actually, I wouldn't even consider these Hankooks but summer only lasts 3 weeks here in Vancouver (I would be riding my bike most of the time anyway) so I can't convince myself to get nice tires for this sh!tty weather. It has been raining here nonstop for the past month...

For now I have to buy a replacement Hankook. The tire was damaged beyond repair.

Yikes!

+1. This is rule #1 about using a torque wrench... it's NOT a breaker bar. Rule #2 is don't store it under tension; set it to its lowest setting before putting it away. Rule #3 is the wrench exists to make sure you don't over-tighten bolts, not to make sure you tighten them enough.

I now keep a torque wrench in both my cars because I went through this myself a very long time ago

I always let the wheel shop or mechanic know to hand tighten which can really make a difference if you ever get aftermarket lugs

...and I'm sorry. It I'll take hankook rs3s over just about any other street tire out there. Including the ridiculously overpriced michelins.