Copper grease

[Howard H]

Just a quick question is it a no no to put copper grease on wheel studs/bolts , I should know but for the life of me can’t remember. Thanks

 

[John Barrett]

Increases the torque by up to 20% and they can still be undone two years later...

 

[Howard H]

Increases the torque by up to 20% and they can still be undone two years later...

Is that a good thing or a bad thing ?

 

[L' Hobo]

It's not recommended for the back of brake pads anymore because the copper carries electricity and confuses the sensors.

 

[L' Hobo]

Is that a good thing or a bad thing ?

Increasing the torque, I would have thought was a bad thing because it stretches the stud and if you do that every time it will, eventually, break.
Being able to undo the nut after 2yrs can only be good.

I still put a VERY small amount on my wheel studs after cleaning off the old and check my studs, by giving them a tap with a small hammer, on a regular basis.
Also a small smear on the centre boss.

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[John Barrett]

Increasing the torque, I would have thought was a bad thing because it stretches the stud and if you do that every time it will, eventually, break.
Being able to undo the nut after 2yrs can only be good.

That's what torque wrenches are for. It will break only if you exceed the yield point.

 

[L' Hobo]

That's what torque wrenches are for. It will break only if you exceed the yield point.

So why would you exceed the setting by 20% as stated in your first post?

What a lot of people don't realise (or so I was told when I was training to be a Marine Engineer) was that every time one torques up to the limit, the bolt is stretched just a little bit more????

 

[John Barrett]

Ah, but they probably didn't tell you about Young's Modulus! The Army told me...
Youngs modulus

1. a measure of elasticity, equal to the ratio of the stress acting on a substance to the strain produced.

 

[L' Hobo]

Ah, but they probably didn't tell you about Young's Modulus! The Army told me...
Youngs modulus

1. a measure of elasticity, equal to the ratio of the stress acting on a substance to the strain produced.

Yes but that's similar to Hookes Law and Youngs Modulus states that VERY FEW materials are flexible to any great extent and I would contend, My Lord, that 20% cannot be described as small. I rest my case!

PS. I was one of the last Junior Engineers to cover Coal Burner technology and well as Diesel and Oil!

 

[ivorantony]

A smear on the studs and a bit more around the wheel flange especially if it’s aluminium wheels you have to stop corrosion,
A torque wrench for the wheels is the only safe way to guarantee nut or bolts are not over-tighten,
My biggest problem in the motor trade was idiot tyre fitters using the same max torque setting on their air hammer gun to fit the wheels back on the car/ truck,
This sometimes necessitated using heat and a very long bar to remove nuts or bolts,

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[gerry mcg]

the question should be is the recommended wheel stud torque rating a dry or lubricated torque?
if you torque a lubricated bolt to a dry torque setting, it will be under tightened, and conversely if you torque dry bolt to a lubricated toque setting it will be over tightened.

i was alway under the impression that wheel bolts were dry torqued and no lubricants should be used on them.
you can put copper slip on the hub centrebore tho to prevent the wheels seizing to the hubs

 

[L' Hobo]

the question should be is the recommended wheel stud torque rating a dry or lubricated torque?
if you torque a lubricated bolt to a dry torque setting, it will be under tightened, and conversely if you torque dry bolt to a lubricated toque setting it will be over tightened.

i was alway under the impression that wheel bolts were dry torqued and no lubricants should be used on them.
you can put copper slip on the hub centrebore tho to prevent the wheels seizing to the hubs

Your absolutely right, this is the reason why I emphasised, I hope, 'VERY small amount' perhaps, 'none' would have been better?

 

[John Barrett]

the question should be is the recommended wheel stud torque rating a dry or lubricated torque?
if you torque a lubricated bolt to a dry torque setting, it will be under tightened, and conversely if you torque dry bolt to a lubricated toque setting it will be over tightened.

i was alway under the impression that wheel bolts were dry torqued and no lubricants should be used on them.
you can put copper slip on the hub centrebore tho to prevent the wheels seizing to the hubs

I'll stick with my use of copper grease as an anti seize measure. BTW, the chap who designed the Titanic was under the 'impression' that it was unsinkable...

 

[Geo]

Torque settings are calculated with dry clean threads. Unless otherwise stated
Motor Manufacturers normaly specify dry torque settigs

 

[Richard n Ann]

I fitted new spark plugs in the car last year and the instructions said DON'T lubricate the threads or they would be overtightened. Think I stuck to the 'finger tight and half a turn' rule

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[robnchris]

I'm with Mr Barrett on this I always use Copper Grease on wheels nuts and also on the final drive threads on my Shaft drive motorcycle, if you carry out your own maintenance you will understand why.

 

[PaulyP]

Ah, but they probably didn't tell you about Young's Modulus! The Army told me...
Youngs modulus

1. a measure of elasticity, equal to the ratio of the stress acting on a substance to the strain produced.

Sounds like someone on the loo !

 

[Richard n Ann]

I always grease wheel bolts because my dad always did when I was a boy helping him

 

[John Barrett]

Sounds like someone on the loo !

Did you know that the little plastic jaws inside a three pin plug are euphemistically called 'Strain Relief'?

 

[ctc]

I thought copper slip was banned years ago, is it still available?

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[donkey]

Wheel fixing nuts and bolts rely on friction between the conical or flat faces to ensure they do not back off (work loose).
Therefore it is a NO if any lube is going to get onto the mating face of the nut/bolt.
You may if you wish add a very light smear to the inside of the nut part. That way the bolt will push the lube along the nut, but if lube is put on the bolt part it can 'bow wave' and contaminate the mating friction surfaces.

Geoff

 

[Howard H]

I thought copper slip was banned years ago, is it still available?

It’s a very old tube

 

[Howard H]

Thanks every one

 

[gus-lopez]

I thought copper slip was banned years ago, is it still available?

You should have stocked up in 1974. I only started a new tin a couple of years ago

 

[gerry mcg]

It is still available - (and it is called ”Copaslip” )

COPASLIP™ – Molyslip

www.molyslip.co.uk

Amazon product ASIN B07ZTRC3YT

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[John Barrett]

It’s a very old tube

My tube dates from 1975!

 

[dunnah01]

Ah, but they probably didn't tell you about Young's Modulus! The Army told me...
Youngs modulus

1. a measure of elasticity, equal to the ratio of the stress acting on a substance to the strain produced.

Wheel bolts are used in the elastic range but stretch bolts are taken to yield point where plastic behviour starts and there's no going back to the elastic state from there

 

[Landy Andy]

Just a quick question is it a no no to put copper grease on wheel studs/bolts , I should know but for the life of me can’t remember. Thanks

Yes. Apply as you mentioned.

 

[2GB Racing]

In my Peugeot / Fiat / Citroen handbook the torque setting is for dry threads, but as I’m ole school I did aply a smear of copper slip on the bolt threads not on the cone and also on the alloy wheel to hub face then torqued them down with my Britool torque wrench.

 

[EMS]

I use copper grease on the alloy wheels to the steel hub so that they can be removed without banging the wheels with a mallet. I have just removed a wheel on our car that is now 1.5 years old as it had a slow puncture and had to use a wooden mallet as it was stuck on to the steel hub. I never use it on the bolt threads as I use a torque wrench for tightening.

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