How to Reinstall Wheel & Snug Lug Nuts

Video Transcript

"Hi. My name is Nate McCullough on behalf of Expert Village. In these clips, we're going to talk about the proper way to inspect and adjust your drum-style rear brakes. In this clip, we're going to talk about the proper way to re-install your vehicle's tire and spin down the lug nuts in order to begin our final adjustment phase of our rear brakes. What I'm going to do is step over here and grab my wheel tire assembly, role it into position, and grab it neat. Get a hold of the bottom of the tire. As you can see I have my hand on my leg here, use my leg to help me out with the weight of the tire. I'm going to slide it on the vehicle's studs just like so. Get my magnetic tray out, put all my lug nuts on it here. I like to start the bottom lug nut first. What that'll do is hold my tire for me so I can let go of it and start all the other ones. Once I have them all started, I'm going to use what they refer to as the "Star Method" for snugging them down. This is not torking them, we're just going to spin them down tight...start with the bottom one. As you can see as the lug nuts spin down, the wheel just by the way...let me take one off and show you...there's a concave surface here and a convex surface here...they will self-center. I'm starting from here, going here, going here, going here, and going here. That is the star pattern. You're going to want to use that anytime you are installing a wheel. What that will do is ensure that your wheel is seated flat and true to its mating surface. I'll demonstrate for you why they call it the star pattern here in just a second. The star pattern, and why it's called so, is you start with your bottom lug nut and from there your going to go here, from here your going to go here, from here your going to go here, and from here your going to go here. And pretty much just what you do is draw a five pointed star. That will ensure that your wheel is seated true and correct to its mating surface."