i dont have a torque wrench, and was wondering if it would be alright to tighten all the bolts as much as i can, or is that not safe.?

 

dude, if you can afford coil overs, you can afford a torque wrench and do it right. i can see not using one for a drain bolt, but your suspension? don't half *** it. sorry, i'd just hate for you to "tighten them as much as i can" and read a post on here next week about how you wrecked due to suspension failure....you're talking about your Z here. she deserves the best.

 

Yeah, if you do any wrenching on your own car (more than just an oil change), you NEED a good torque wrench. Heck, even just occasionally checking the torque on your lug nuts is a good preventative maintenance procedue.

 

YOu can probably rent a decent torque wrench at AutoZone, but why??? Just breakdown at buy a good torque wrench 3/8 or 1/2 inch Craftsman, Mac or or even Snap on if possible.

 

you don't really need it. I've done mine with out it and still keep up good!!

 

yah...but i dont think id feel very safe on the track with a non torque specd suspension.

 

Lol...come on... The car sits ON the coilovers, you dont need to torque em to spec. If you were doing your differential or internals, youd definitely need to but for the coilovers it isnt necessary.

 

^^ I'd rethink that one with all of the directional forces the suspension is subject to. I just replaced a coilover and used an air gun, but after reading this thread I think I will have to get a torque wrench. THANKS!!!!

 

I stripped my top strut mount...

Go to sears and buy a torque wrench.

 

You only need a torque wrench when you dont want to OVERTIGHTEN a bolt.
i.e. the bolts on connecting rods. If you overtighten those, then you restrict the oils ability to lubricate where the connecting rod meets the crank shaft, causing huge problems.
People who are saying that you NEED to torque down your coilovers are simply wrong. You are not going to hurt the coilovers by overtightening the bolts (obviously not to the point of stripping, but that is unlikely anyways).
Its like people insisting that you need to torque down the lug nuts for your rims. Come on!

As long as you dont undertighten, you wont have a problem. Just make sure you go over every bolt twice or three times so you dont leave on a little loose. I'm guessing thats how mthreat stripped his strut mount.

 

Your ability to judge torque is pretty limited. It's actually pretty easy to overtighten a bolt, and strip or break it, and it's also pretty easy to undertighten a lug (and not know it) and have it fall off on the highway.

Ture, it is your car, and your life, but I would hate to be driving near you when a shock or strut rips loose on your suspension, or a wheel falls off, and you are now using your brake rotor as a wheel.

 

YIKES! torqueing a bolt not only has to do with overtightening, but undertightening as well, as dave points out.

the example you gave with the connecting rods is only half right - if you over torque a bolt, you over stretch it, simple as that. you put undue stress on the bolt which will either cause fatigue failure or a stress fracture. this is true for any bolt, no matter what it's for.

undertorqueing is dangerous because of vibration. your car will go through vibrations and with that, things happen to shake loose. torqueing down the lugs on a wheel is very important. not only will it ensure that your lugs won't vibrate loose, but setting them at the proper torque will minimize the distortion that can happen to a rotor.