When putting tires on a personal vehicle it’s always recommended to tighten the lug nuts in a star or criss-cross pattern, yet when you see pit crews for nascar they just go around one by one very quickly in a circle, why can they get away with doing it that way even though they’re driving much faster so things like a loose lug nut or vibration should be a pretty big deal, but it’s recommended that I always do a star or crisscross pattern?
In: 20
Because they use an impact gun and torque the shit out of them. The reason to use the star pattern on your car is to make sure the wheel is seated evenly to the rotor/hub and so the lugs aren’t on so tight that they damage the nuts or become unable to be removed.
This is a sport where tenths of a second count, and wheel studs are replaced every race. Lug nuts don’t stay on long enough to rust or seize. The wheels also experience many times the forces the wheels on your Civic do.
On balance, it is far more advantageous to use an impact gun and do it in the most efficient pattern to get the car out ASAP.
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