Double-bearing hub--nut torque

I have Winner's Circle double-bearing hubs on the rear of my Elva Courier and wonder if anyone knows the recommended torque setting for the hub nut--that's the big nut that goes onto the threaded end of the axle housing.

BTW I'm posting this question here as this refers to a non-stock part used frequently by racers.

Hi Michael,
I think the tighter the better. Not sure what diameter your axle extensions are, but even a 1" nut can easily take 200 lb/ft of torque. I'm sure that yours are larger than 1". I doubt if you can get them too tight with the average wrench. On that thin nut the socket slips if I try for more than 150.
D

Michael, I run mine on the Sprite at 140~150 ft. lbs, as per the Winners Circle. The instructions with the hubs don't specify a torque, so I called Dave and got it from him. Experience with Joe Huffaker agrees.
Jeff

140 pounds, clean threads, red locktite, no tabwasher, and that what I see most Sprite racers doing. Just to clarify, I have no problem with Jeff or anybody's recommendation of 150 ft lbs.

Hap--

When you say "No tabwasher" do you mean not to bend over a tab on the washer or no washer at all, and if the latter can you give the rational behind that?

I answered in the Spridet forum.

(Hap and Jeff's posts and my reply from the Spridget forum):

"The tab washer is only held in place with a small hole in the rear housing, if it should slip under the heavy rigors of racing, it acts like a hand and can simply turn the nut off the threads of the rear end housing, so no tab washer at all. The nut can sat right up agint the hub bearing."

Hap


"In addition to what Hap mentions, they are soft, can give erroneous torque readings, and may crush under load, causing the above mentioned scenario to happen."

Jeff
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Hap and Jeff--

Thanks for the input. Being a bit short on time I resumed working on the car this morning after posting without waiting for your replies. I pulled off both nuts (L & R) and saw that the tabs that engage the holes had in fact been filed off so I reinstalled the nuts WITH the washers using red locktite and 140 ft/lbs. Both nuts felt solid and could no doubt have taken more.

Now that I have read your posts I regret my impatience and having reused the washers. I considered not using them but it looked like they would serve to better distribute the load against the bearing and perhaps provide some safety were the bearing to sieze. Since they were already torqued against several times perhaps they have already crushed?

Mike, since they're already used, the crush problem may already have been taken care of. As long as the surfaces were properly prepared for the Loctite, I doubt if you will have any problems with the nuts backing off. Probably good to go, but if it were me in this situation, I'd recheck them after the first couple of sessions.
Let's see what Haps thoughts are.
Jeff

Jeff--

My next event is with VRG at Shenandoah and after that I will be changing the rear set from present 4.5 to 4.2 for the SVRA race at VIR. I'll definitely go in there then if not before and recheck torque, etc.

Good luck at both events, Mike.
I wish I had time to prep something for Vintage.
Jeff

You using the the tab washer doesn't scare me, as long as you didn't bend it over the nut, and just used it as a normal washer. They do more harm than good when used as a tab washer, so I never wasted my money on them, if you just dlete them all together, the the nut sits against the inner part of the bearing whichi stationary anyway and doesn't hurt the bearing, so either way as long as the tab is not bent over the nut is fine.

Hap Waldrop said:

You using the the tab washer doesn't scare me, as long as you didn't bend it over the nut, and just used it as a normal washer.

Click to expand...

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Hap--

I peened the washers flat before putting the nuts on.

Sounds to me, like you're ready to roll, good luck at your races. I've got to do the same job this week on a Bugeye SCCA race car, switching to a 3.9 for VIR.

I agree with Hap in NOT using the washer...and for the same reasons.

There is another reason NOT to use the washers.....with some aftermarket axles, the o.d. of the washer interferes with the od of the hat/ recess in the axle flange.

The factory used a lot of tab washers....under the ring gear bolts were another factory use. Why ??? B.L. (before Loctite).

Some are pretty soft and will allow crush. They all need the floation test.

Jerry the best I can fiquire is someone at MG was sleeping with someone at the tab washer factory /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif There are so many senseless tab washers on MG engines and components it cracks me up.