Torque??

[Platinum White]

Page 332 of  2017 Ford Edge Titanium owners manual has a torque value of 162 lb.ft. for the lug nuts.

This seems to be very high for a lug nut.  I haven't tried to remove one with the tool provided  with the spare tire.  What is the reason for this torque other than to  keep the wheels on?

[Gadgetjq]

Hey PW,

 

It's been awhile since you asked your question, maybe you don't even care by now but here's an answer for anyone else who's wondered.
 

Torque values are based on the size of a bolt/stud, the material it's made of, the thread used and probably some other engineering mumbo jumbo.  Bottom line for us though the spec is 162 ft lbs which simply means a 162 pound person standing on the end of a 1 foot long breaker bar would get the spec exactly right.  If you weigh more than that you'd want to choke up on the bar a bit and if you weigh less get a longer bar. 

 

That said, you really should try your wrench on every one of your lugs, especially if the tires have ever been changed or rotated.  The two-piece lug nuts used on many vehicles these days tend to distort at high torque values, especially when an impact wrench is used.  The result can be a twisted nut that your OEM wrench won't fit any longer.  The problem is so common that many drivers now have a flip socket stored with the spare tire.  One side is the stock 21mm, the other side of the socket is 21.5mm to accommodate the twisted lug nut.  I carry this extendable breaker bar replacing the OEM.

 

Cheers!

[txaggie]

I carry an 18" breaker bar with a six point socket in the correct size in all of my cars for breaking the lugs loose to change a tire.  Don't want to have to try and break loose with a compact 4-way in a pinch.