Yorkshireman

OK, so nobody please tell me to convert to 5 lug. Please.

So, here's some history. I have PCCBS and please don't tell me to convert those either, I like them. I have 5 FL DE events on my PCCBs so I want to check the pads. Plus I broke my left foot so no driving the Porker for 6 weeks at least. Time for some maintenance while hobbling around the garage.

Before the CL recall I could get the CL nuts off with no bother. Huge torque wrench and some body weight. After the CL recall and a track day at Homestead, no effing way would those CLs come off. So I took at back to the dealer and said "You over-torqued these CLs. take 'em, off and re-torque them to the correct specs. Oh, and inspect the pads for me while you are at it.". Which they did. All is beer and skittles and off I trot to PBIR.

Now we are post PBIR and I even went as far as to buy myself a 3 foot length of thick wall tubing and a breaker bar. 5'8'' of leverage should do it (Oh, how niave I am). You guessed it - I just tried to get the nuts undone and NO WAY. I have 5'8'' of leverage and I am lifting my feet off the ground and bouncing. My breaker bar is even bending! Now, I am light 5'10'' and 160 ( Yes, TRACKAR I do need to eat more cheese) but I must be putting over 1000 ft lbs of torque on the BLOODY NUT and nothing!

So, my question is what are your experinces? And what the heck should I do next? I have a bet with TRACKAR for all the beer, cheese and vodka that he can consume that he can't get 'em off with just the torque wrench. I'm feeling pretty good about that now and am getting ready to up the ante.....

Help or advice greatly appreciated.

aero997c2s

First time I took mine off fairly recently it was very hard, like you I added another metal tube for more leverage and finally got them off. It was definitely tough as hell though.

mooty

CL ****
there's a great post on five lug conversion. all factory parts except the studs and nuts. go for it.

911rox

I have a 3' Snap-on breaker bar and 5.5' piece of pipe... I sleave the pipe over breaker bar all the way to the base so it supports it ( to minimise flex). Initially, to crack them, I position it horizontally and put my whole body weight on it and they get going...

Only other option would be torque multiplier...

rlips

5' 8" of leverage is 5 2/3 feet, at 160 lbs you are applying 906 ft-lbs of torque, more than double the 444 ft-lb specification. Something is obviously wrong.

I don't think it should make this much of a difference, but you want to make sure the trapazodial surface of the CL nut is coated with Optimoly.

I would be wary on the track until I found root cause here.

Yorkshireman

I knew it wouldn't take long Mooty.
Read my first sentence.

skl

+1 on the torque multiplier- I use it to loosen them with a long breaker bar. Then when reinstalling, use either the monster torque wrench or the multiplier with a regular 1/2 torque wrench, though I trust the big wrench more for the final torquing.
Tooltopia is your friend for both...

mdrums

I have to actually start the car to get the brake boost needed to remove the fronts. My dealer way over torqued my CL's too but they finally came off.

I know my Precision Torque Wrench is supposed to work both ways and I've been using it as the breaker bar but I'm scared I'm going to ruin it so I'm getting a breaker bar too.

You need to convert to PDK so you can drive with a broken foot...LOL...just had to get that in there for ya! Hope to meet you at a DE soon.

Yorkshireman

Mdrums you are a funny guy.

I think I'll buy even more pipe to slot over the whole length of the breaker bar. How is 7 feet? Fkit, let's get 10 feet. That way the bar won't break and break my other foot. I'll just have to strap it to the roof for DE events. Maybe I should do a sunroof conversion too and poke it out of that.

Now where is that cheese?

brim

At my last track day I retorqued when everything was still very hot (10 mins between sessions) and when I got home and tried to break the CL nut loose, I was on for a real workout. I think the route cause was not enough optimily grease on the nut surface causing it to sieze a bit I had to hang on my breaker bar and really tug at it for 30 mins or so to get it to break loose. I weigh 185 and I was sweating like you wouldn't believe after getting the wheel off the car. The rest were fine though.

Are you having issues with all of them or just one?

atleung

I found lifting up the bar to be easier than pushing down.

stujelly

I use a torque multiplier and have not experienced a problem I have taken the nuts off cold and hot. It sounds like over torque to me.

Forget the CL conversion. hang in there

DJN

Hey Yorkshireman,

No worries, just put an extension pipe about 2.5 ft long on your breaker bar.

The 5 lug conversion is only truly necessary if you change your wheels sets contantly,.....like me !

Cheers!
Doug N.

mdrums

1-Where is the best place to get a breaker bar and long pipe?

2-When at a DE do you have to keep checking torque on CL's?

I use the Castrol Opti Paste I got at the dealer and put on a little more than my dealer tech showed me. When I torque the wheels they are hard to get off but not like what my dealer torqued them too.

Izzone

Reyer lives close to you

He torqued his to 1,000 ft lbs one time......trust me he can break them

For the record, I love my centerlocks.....you are all haters