I recommend testing the tightness of your wheel bolts

Just out of curiosity I tested the torque on my CS wheel bolts. My car hasn't been touched since being assembled at the factory, and the bolts on three of four wheels were well below the factory torque recommendation of 96ft-lb or 130n-m. The passenger side bolts were especially loose. My car has about 1600 miles on it. It is good practice to re-torque the bolts at about 50 miles after every re-mount of the wheels. A good 1/2" drive torque wrench (I use Precision Instruments) and a 19mm socket with wheel protection is a good investment for any Porsche owner. (An extension shaft is also a good idea.) PS - on newly delivered cars, check the air pressure in the tires. Nearly all new cars are delivered with very high pressure, and you should lower it to factory spec for your tire size.

Great reminder!

Also, any time you get new tires, don't trust the inflation or the bolt torque. Test both. It's easy and cheap.

Note to self... And when you are done torque'n...don't put the wheel lock key in your tool box. Put it back in the car. It can't help you when it is in the garage and you need to take off the wheel somewhere....and the guys at the tire store really think you are silly.

I've solved that particular embarassing issue previously by buying a second one for the tool box. Have to make a note to self to do that.

Yup, I did the same thing with my CS -- it also saves time when swapping wheels before/after autocrossing. If you want to buy a second Porsche lock socket, just take your current socket to the dealer's parts counter. Show them your lock socket and ask them to order you another one. There's a code inside the socket that they need to get the right one. Also, if your dealer has a hard time finding the listing for the lock sockets, tell them to look under Cayenne parts -- for some reason, that was the only place the parts guy could find them (hopefully Porsche will fix this in PET soon).

.....aaaand always remember to tighten the doggone lug nuts when doing brake work.....plumb forgot it one time. Damn near a major disaster.

The 1st thing I bought for the car was a set of 4 wheel bolts to replace the anti-theft units. Way too big of a PITA to deal with during the AX season. If someone wants my car, they will take my car, wheels and all. Brian

You wouldn't want this to happen to you:

I noticed he engaged the emergency brake probably because the rolling resistance is much less for thin steel brake discs vs rubber tires... All four wheels at one time?? That had to be staged...

What an idiot! He must have been in a real hurry to get out on the course. He learned his lesson.

all wheels have the same torque spec? btw where can i get the service manual if there is one. thanks

yes, 96 ft. lbs. No such thing as a printed service manual - it's all in PDF, and is in several volumes - you have to buy a subscription by the year - when it's all said and done, it's about $5k/year. brad

Agree on both counts. Those nice Rennsport hommes torqued my nuts (so to speak) at tech before DE at Watkins Glen and they all needed some tightening. And after someone here mentioned ride comfort and tire pressure I checked mine with the door sticker and found that all mine were +5psi. Ride comfort is much improved now.

I vaguely recall the backstory was he had new lugnuts installed with the wrong thread pitch when he upgraded his wheels/tires just before the AX. They held until any real force was applied then all gave way at once...

Which wrench? Blue, Which wrench from P.I. are you using? Checked their web site and got confused. (I need to learn better habits re: my cars, and this is one of them...)

This is the 1/2" drive version I use: Precision Instruments (PREC3FR250F) 1/2" Dr. Split Beam Click Type Torque Wrench with Flex Head - 40 to 250 Lb. Ft.<br><img src="/free-shipping.gif" width="79" height="26" border="0"> - PREC3FR250F I like the PI torque wrenches because they come with a calibration print-out, you don't have to reset them to zero to maintain their accuracy, and the price is pretty reasonable considering the quality. After serveral years of use I recently had mine checked for accuracy, and it was still +/- 2%. Like I said, not bad for the price.

I just ordered one too. It is a need tool. thanks for the link.

I am glad I ordered one and thanks alot again. My wrench came today and bolts were loose. and I tightened them. It is a great reminder. My car is ~1200 miles now. It would be great, If you guys can create a sticky pre/post delivery check list from which alot people can benefit.