RussianGiraffe

i guess my story starts back when i got mounted my new tires, the guy doing it said "we dont have a torque wrench, so i guessed" well my impact drill could only take off the lug nuts he "tightened' so i took off one of the wheels to clean brake dust. I got it off and washed it and put it back on and i wanted to apply tire shine so i drove it around to "air" dry. As i was making a turn i heard a thumping and vibrations coming from the wheel i worked on. i tried to see if anything was making contact and as far as i could see the front rotor. nothing was touching it.( my front wheels actually have 10mm spacers to avoid being rubbed onto by the caliper) so i dont see any contact besides from some gum i see stuck to the tire and now im thinking, "can gum really affect a 3,700lb car?" no gum couldnt be causing these vibrations they only occured when i turned my wheel, on top of that i noticed my brake pedal has gone mushy i can sometimes brake normally but im not sure how air could have gotten in?

any ideas of what happened by just by putting a wheel back on?

Epiphany

Did you happen to somehow knock a bleeder screw loose or something? Future reference, don't take your car to a place that guesses at how much torque is on bolts holding your wheels in place.

RussianGiraffe

i found out the problem, the rotor got pushed forward a bit and when the lug nuts came on it somehow stayed like that, improper contact against brake pads. also ive been to other tire stores who supposedly couldnt fit my 255/35/zr 20 tires

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Glad you found the problem, and agree w/ Epiphany, stay clear of that place (or at least that service tech). Hopefully your rotors & wheels are ok if they were severely over-torqued.
FWIW I'd invest in a basic torque wrench, even if it's a Harbor Freight $25 tool and verify the torque after every shop visit, and since you have spacers you should check torque every couple thousand miles anyhow. Should be 80 to 85 ft lbs.

slartibartfast

iTrader: (7)

And no lube on the lug threads. Torque specs are for dry mating. You can lube the wheel contact face but never the threads.

main_shoby

iTrader: (1)

I learned that the hard way too.. over torqued my own wheels lol.. now my rotors are warped.
Now that I know, me and my friend shared cost on a medium quality torque wrench from harbour. I torque to 90 lbs (85 is oem spec).