Wheel Bolts

[Gren 24]

So I wont be using My Tourer for a few days. I thought I would take the wheels off and give them a good clean. Now for some advice please, when I but the wheels back on would it be a good idea to but some coppergrease on the bolts.
I know that the Torque as to be 125Nm, but dont know if I should use coppergrease.

[macafee2]

no copper grease and no lubricant, they go on dry

macafee2

[Gren 24]

Originally Posted by macafee2

no copper grease and no lubricant, they go on dry

macafee2

Thanks for your quick reply. Thought they did , but it was just a thought,


Cheers and keep well


Les

[suzublu]

I always smear a little coppaslip on bolts. And between wheel and hub

[stocktake]

coppaslip here too

[bl52krz]

I always clean the face of the brake disk hub which the road wheel fixes to, and then put a small smear of copperslip on the face of it. I also clean the part of the wheel that faces the hub when fitting the wheel. I do not put anything on the threads or the conical part of the bolt that tightens into the wheel. As an ex lorry driver, if you had a wheel come off your vehicle when you knew it had been torque tightened only 7 hours before, people would understand the reason for torque tightening wheels to the correct tension, and without any substance being applied to the face of any bolts used for fitting.I know this is true because the above incident happened to me on the M42 near Solihull many years ago, and the relevant information was given to me by the chief engineer of the company I worked for and the company we dealt with regards tyres. You have been warned.

[COLVERT]

NEVER lubricate the bolts. It's the FRICTION that keep them done up tight.

You will never find that the wheel bolts need lubricating in any service manual.

You might even find yourself saying---Oh look, a wheel has just rolled past us ---only to find it was yours---

[macafee2]

Someone did mention I think on a bike forum how "copper slip" can lead to over tightening.

Hold a heavy metal rod vertically in your hand, feel how hard you have to grip to stop it sliding through.
Now "copper slip" it and try again, see how hard you have to grip

I bet the pressure on your fingers is greater with "copper slip"

macafee2

[clf]

The way I do it is to smear a thin layer onto the taper of the bolt head, just enough to 'tint' it, then wipe the residue straight down the bolt. The bolt will be nearly dry, and will (hopefully) smear just enough on the threads to stop them seizing. Between the hub and wheel too, a light smear, too much and it will get flung around the wheel and possibly the disc too.

Never had a wheel stick since doing this.

Sent from my SM-A600FN using Tapatalk

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by Gren 24

Now for some advice please, when I put the wheels back on would it be a good idea to put some coppergrease on the bolts.

Yes, and here's the reason why.

Twenty five years ago I had to renew the lower front suspension arm on my SD1. At that time I lubricated its bolt threads, probably using grease since water repellent properties are more important in this application than the heat resistance of Copper Ease. I tightened them to the torque specified in the workshop manual and coated the heads and nuts with Waxoyl to protect against corrosion.

Last month the same arm needed renewal due to play in the integral balljoint. Despite the use of grease, none of the bolts had fallen out or loosened. Appropriate effort was needed to turn them but I used nothing more than normal hand tools. None of the heads rounded and no threads were damaged in the extraction process. All the original nuts and bolts were refitted with the new suspension arm.

That proves to my satisfaction that not only will greasing threads pose no problem but it is actually positively beneficial. I am sharing this long term experience with those who have ears for pragmatic rather than theoretical reasoning.

Simon