When installing a wheel and tire on a vehicle, lug nuts should be torqued in which pattern?

When installing a wheel and tire on a vehicle, lug nuts should be torqued in which pattern?

• A. Circular pattern
• B. Star pattern
• C. Cross pattern
• D. Diagonal pattern

Answer: (B)

When you tighten lug nuts, the goal is to pull the wheel evenly onto the hub so it seats flat and stays centered. A star pattern achieves this by alternating tightening across the wheel, effectively drawing from opposite sides as you work around the circle. This distributes clamping force evenly around every lug, preventing distortion and misalignment that can happen if you tighten in a circular or sequential order. After the nuts are snugged, you should re-torque them in the same star sequence to the specified torque to ensure the wheel remains seated properly. The other patterns do not distribute force as effectively around the circumference, which is why the star pattern is the standard approach.

When you tighten lug nuts, the goal is to pull the wheel evenly onto the hub so it seats flat and stays centered. A star pattern achieves this by alternating tightening across the wheel, effectively drawing from opposite sides as you work around the circle. This distributes clamping force evenly around every lug, preventing distortion and misalignment that can happen if you tighten in a circular or sequential order. After the nuts are snugged, you should re-torque them in the same star sequence to the specified torque to ensure the wheel remains seated properly. The other patterns do not distribute force as effectively around the circumference, which is why the star pattern is the standard approach.