78 Eldo lug nut torque

[Jakes]

Torque spec for the lug nuts is 130 ft.lbs. (#) -- that's tight!  Why is it that high as opposed to 100# on most cars?  I have a Sears click-type 20-150# torque wrench that I've used for years.  I did front brake work recently and when I tried setting the lug nuts to spec the wrench kept turning - no click. Fearing that I'd overtighten the nuts and do some damage, I loosened them, reset the wrench to 100#, tightened the nuts and got the click.  I guess I could have then used my tire wrench to tighten them more, but I decided to leave well-enough alone.  I suspect my Sears wrench is now out of calibration, so I couldn't resist ordering a Tekton 25-250# wrench on Amazon (good user feedback).

Can anyone explain why the torque spec on the 78 Eldo is so high?  Must be related to the weight of the car.

[TJ Hopland]

I wonder if its the offset of the wheels?    A typical wheel of the era was much closer to center so you would think at least going straight there would not be that much stress on the lugs.   With the offset these wheels have there has got to be pressure on them all the time.   

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

The torque for the '72 Eldorado is 105 ft.lbs. which is the same pressure for all '72 Cadillacs, and as the '72 weighs in more than the '78, there is no reason why the '78 should be any different.

Boy, I would hate to see anyone try and undo a wheel nut with the supplied wheel wrench at 130 ft.lbs.   Or even try to do it up.

Cadillac invented the Self Starter to assist mere mortals in getting a car going, but at 130 ft.lbs., getting a puncture would stop a lot of drivers from proceeding.

Bruce.

[Jakes]

Bruce...  The lug nut torque spec for the '78 Eldo is indeed 130#.  I have a 2-ft. breaker bar to loosen the nuts and a collapsible one in the trunk.  The tire iron that came with the car is a joke.  Actually, the thing I hate most about having to pull the wheels is removing/refitting the wheel covers.