Axle Nut Torque Tips 

Yeah, we have heard and seen it all. One of the top comebacks we see with wheel bearings is over/under-torqued axle nuts. A lot of wheel bearings rely on proper axle nut torque to set the preload on the bearing. Too much or too little preload will dramatically reduce the life of the bearing. There are certain wheel hub assemblies that have the bearing preload set at the factory, and the axle nut serves only to retain the axle shaft in the hub. In those cases, the axle nut torque isn’t going to throw off the bearing preload, but the spec should still be followed to ensure proper seating and retention of the axle shaft. Either way, proper axle nut torque is critical to the reliability and safety of a vehicle. We always tell techs and DIYers to trust the spec and use a torque wrench. Thanks for commenting!

@@BCABearings Like you said, my axle nut has nothing to do with preload. The nut tightens against the hub.

Yeah, many modern hub assemblies no longer rely on the axle nut to set the bearing pre-load. These designs limit installation error caused by setting the incorrect preload, but the torque spec is still important to follow.

Thanks for checking out our video! Unfortunately, BCA parts are only catalogued for vehicles in the North American market, so we do not have access to a torque spec for that vehicle.

Great question! In many applications, the axle nut torque specs exist to set the proper bearing preload. The rear wheel bearings on the Equinox (AWD or FWD) have a rolled closure design that sets the wheel bearing pre-load from the factory. This means that the FWD models are able to use the same rear wheel bearings as the AWD models without needing a torqued axle nut to set the preload (since there is no axle nut to torque on the rear of FWD models). The AWD models with rolled closure designed hubs, still list a torque spec for the front and rear axle nuts; this torque spec is more important for proper installation and safe operation than it is for setting the bearing preload. Hope this helps explain.

Good question. There are websites that offer torque specs, but the information is generally behind a paywall that requires a subscription to access. You may be able to find torque specs for individual applications on automotive forums or in youtube videos, but we always recommend using a trustworthy source for critical specs, like axle nut torque. BCA includes an axle nut torque spec guide in the box with our wheel hubs to ensure our customers have accurate information.

Good question! Any style of torque wrench of decent quality (Click, Beam, Digital, or Dial) can be calibrated. Many tool manufactures market their own torque wrench calibration tools, and professional tool dealers, like Snap On, sell the calibration equipment and also provide calibration services. You may also find reputable calibration services where you can send them your torque wrench for calibration and they send the calibrated tool back to you with a certificate of calibration.

@@BCABearings Thank you, the closest I found is in Houston (it is Calibration Laboratory there), I got in contact with them already, but I'm curious, how all the dealerships in Dallas, so they also do the calibration via mail? Thank you again for pointing out on that question about the frequency of calibration. My previous impression was that you might need to calibrate the torque wrench, but very very rarely, and since I have several of them I can double check occasionally and that is all. I'll keep your advice about the calibration ~ once a year in mind.

Axle Nut Torque for a 2011 Hyundai Elantra (Front) is 202 Ft-lbs / 274 Nm.

Good question! No, the wheels do not need to be on the ground to properly torque the axle nut. However, on axles that rotate, like on a 4WD application, the axle needs to be secured so it will not turn while tightening the nut. Most technicians do this by putting a screwdriver or other such tool into the cooling vanes of the brake rotor to prevent rotation, or have someone depress the brake pedal to keep the axle from turning during tightening.

Ok so much info online would confuse anybody looking to do this job and thank you for the detailed reply.

I think this can be auto manufacturer specific based on the service manual. For example, I just did a set that had the initial torque of 143ft-lbs and it was required that the wheels were off the ground. Then they asked for an additional 180 degrees with wheels on the ground.

It is surprising how many people disregard axle nut torque specs. Our top causes of warranty claims are installation errors, and over/under torqueing the axle nut is chief among those. We often hear from people that they can achieve the proper torque using their impact gun alone, so we constantly need to tell folks to use a torque wrench and follow the manufacturer specs. We can't say it enough.