Should I retorque my wheels when changing my tires? What those in the industry recommend

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It's a ritual Canadians perform every year as the end of fall approaches.

Soon, drivers across the country will pull out their dusty winter tires to throw on their vehicles before the snow arrives.

When it comes to safety, there are multiple things drivers should consider when ensuring the wheels on their vehicles are secured properly.

Many shops will retorque a customer's wheels for free – that is, inspect each lug nut on the wheel to check whether they may be too loose or too tight – after driving a certain distance following a tire change. Others may not recommend it at all.

But as some point out, when to retorque will vary depending on who you ask, while cleaning is one aspect that drivers sometimes overlook.

WHEN SHOULD I RETORQUE?

CTVNews.ca reached out to several auto-care companies and industry associations for their thoughts on when and why you should retorque your wheels after a tire change.

Most recommendations ranged from 50 kilometres of driving after a tire change to upward of 100 or 150 km.

The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) said in a statement that most unintended wheel separations while driving are caused by a fastener failure, or when the lug nuts or bolts holding the wheel in place come loose.

CAA recommends drivers retorque the wheels on their vehicles within 100 and 150 km after a tire change, to clean the rim and hub mating surfaces, and check that the correct fasteners are used and properly torqued.

A spokesperson said this recommendation should be used as a general rule of thumb and that some service providers may suggest an earlier retorque depending on their assessment of a vehicle.

Tire Dealers Association of Canada (TDAC) vice-president Charley Kriksic said in a statement that a retorque should be done to a vehicle manufacturer's specifications within 50 and 70 km.

A spokesperson added that TDAC works with the U.S.-based Tire Industry Association, which has done studies and worked with tire manufacturers on when retorques should take place.

"While industry recommendation can vary, with some stating the retorque should take place prior to 100 km, the TDAC alongside other provincial tire associations make our recommendations based on guidance and information from the Tire Industry Association," the spokesperson said in a statement.

Greg Lawrence, general manager of Ontario-based Active Green + Ross Complete Tire & Auto Centre, said while a retorque is typically done within 100 km or seven days, "It really makes no difference."

Some stay-at-home customers, he said, may take a month to drive 100 km, while others like himself can drive up to 200 km each day to and from work.

"It's a store-specific decision," he said in an email to CTVNews.ca.

CLEANING AND THE COLD

While retorquing may help, it isn't the only thing drivers should watch for.

Lawrence told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on Tuesday that there is no harm in doing a second retorque.

But what drivers should think about is that the contact points between the wheels and hub assembly are cleaned of any oil and dirt.

"There's corrosion that builds up over time in between there and if that's not cleaned off, you can retorque wheels as often as you want but they won't ... set properly, and that's what causes wheels to come off," he said. "It's not necessarily a wheel torque issue."

The issue is more prominent with alloy wheels than steel, Lawrence said, the latter of which don't corrode as heavily or as often.

"But even if it's just a light sanding or a light cleaning of the surfaces, sometimes they're very heavily corroded if wheels haven't been off in several years, and then it becomes a bigger task to get them cleaned. But that is the sole reason that we've seen any wheels that come loose or come off," he said.

Cleaning may come at an extra cost and drivers could ask their garages if they clean mating surfaces before putting wheels back on a vehicle.

Something else drivers should consider, Lawrence added, is whether a shop uses calibrated hand-torque wrenches, which he prefers in order to get a proper torque. Also ensuring the right wheel nuts are in place is just as important.

"If you put a wrong wheel nut on, you can clean it and torque it all you want but it's not going to seat properly. So there's a lot of engineering behind even something as simple as a wheel nut."

Chris Reynolds, field expert and vice-president of advertising at Canada Drives, said retorquing would help if a couple days after getting a tire change the temperature drops dramatically or a driver goes over a hard bump, both of which could affect a vehicle's lug nuts.

Even if you don't change your tires, going in for a rotation could give someone an excuse to get their wheels checked out, he said.

And then there is ensuring your tires have enough tread, which Reynolds said a simple toonie test could help determine.

"If you never change your tire, which is also a scenario, I would recommend going in at least once a year and getting it serviced and getting it checked out," he said.

TORQUE CHECK AFTER INSTALLATION

A Kal Tire spokesperson said in a statement that the company used to perform a torque check 50 km after an installation or the following business day.

Now, it happens immediately after an installation, to prevent a situation where a driver may forget to follow up.

"Although driving a distance will reveal poor joint settlement, there are other ways to identify when this issue will occur," the spokesperson said.

After removing the wheels, inspecting the components and cleaning the mating surfaces, the spokesperson said the lug nuts are tightened to below their recommended tightness and hand torqued further while the vehicle is suspended.

"Prior to handing over the vehicle to the customer, we lower the vehicle onto the ground from its suspended position and replicate the joint settlement process, similar to what would happen when the vehicle is driven," the spokesperson said.

"We then hand torque the lug nuts to specification again. During the final torque check of the vehicle's wheels, if any lug nuts are found to be loose, we bring the vehicle back in and redo the entire process."

For drivers installing their winter tires and rims at home, the spokesperson says it is strongly recommended they check their torque within the first 50 km of driving.