(909) 838-4587 ed [at] le-suspension.com

Most people over tighten nuts and bolts. Sometimes they really over tighten them. Using a torque wrench would reduce this problem. Practicing with a torque wrench builds muscle memory so you would be more likely to get close to the correct torque when you don’t use a torque wrench. Using a short wrench is another way to reduce the over tighten problem.

But over tight bolts are not all your fault. Mostly, but not all. Bolts get longer when they warm up and shorter when they cool. When your brakes warm up, so do the caliper bolts. The longer the bolt, the more their length can change. Radial mounted calipers have long bolts that are warmed by the hot calipers.

When you change your wheels at the track, you tighten the warm caliper bolts. When these bolts cool they get shorter and tighter.

I warmed one of these bolts up, it’s length increased from 71.34 mm cold to 71.53 mm warm. I installed this warm bolt into it’s caliper and torqued it to 12 foot pounds. After it cooled, I needed 24 ft/lbs of torque to remove it.

You are already aware that hot things expand and cold things contract. Put these tools and this knowledge to good use.