How tight is too tight

[hooshockey77 0]

I'm just getting back into roller hockey after a couple years of ice and idk how far to tighten the wheels. The wheels feel like they spin better when they are loose, but they make a clicking noise. Is this noise bad? I also just got a new set of bearings that have only been skated on once. Could that have any effect?

[Datsyukiandeek 0]

You've got a really bad chassis if tightness is clamping the wheels. I tighten mine to the point it hurts to turn.

[Hockeypunk 0]

Over tightening leads to stripping. Its hard to judje how tight a person tightens them because tight to one person isnt very tight to others. I dont strain when I tighten my wheels but I dont keep them loose. Its hard to explain. But if you tighten them to the point where its effecting your wheel spin then its probably to tight

[KYHockey3 0]

too tight is when the wheels wont spin anymore.

i tighten mine untill they are secure, sometimes this may mean tighten a lot, then loosen a little till you get the perfect fit.

[inlnfn 0]

The wheels need to be tight and should not effect wheel spin very much. If tightening causes the wheels to stop spinning your bearings are bad or the wheel spacers are to short causing the bearings to bind.

[Muzza_77 0]

I do little tests, I shake the wheels in each direction, push and pull, to see if there is any movement, then tighten until there is no more sound. A loose wheel can really bug me.

[iceburg19 1]

i put a couple of drops of lock tight on the axle(blue color)then tighten so the wheel could spin at its best,in about two or three days just back off the axle alittle more ,just a touch to lock the lock tight in.they use the blue lock tight on the axles in the factory,just add alittle more.it might work .

[stevoc 0]

i put a couple of drops of lock tight on the axle(blue color)then tighten so the wheel could spin at its best,in about two or three days just back off the axle alittle more ,just a touch to lock the lock tight in.they use the blue lock tight on the axles in the factory,just add alittle more.it might work .

I do the same with my red star magnesium chassis. Lock tite on the threads, then just snug the axles. Never have an axle come loose.

[SickLife 2]

i go all the way tight without really forcing, then back it off a bit.

[Hoffer 0]

I tighten my wheels up to the point where the wheel stops being lose. But not as tight as possible.

[BrunoZ 0]

If you ever had a Mission Generator chassis with the blue axles, you know what overtightening means ... an aluminium axle in a steel nut has a pretty short life span.

[disclaimer : rambling ahead ...]

My very own rule of thumb is to use my full strength using :

- a regular (3 inches approx.) Allen wrench

- my thumb on the axle end of the wrench

- only the last joint of my forefinger (only one finger) on the loose end of the wrench

thus limitating the torque.

Of course, that rule would need some ajustments if you look like the Hulk or a skinny nerd.

Lock Tight is a must, without it any axle may get loose getting so much vibrations.

Normally, if your spacers and wheels have the right dimensions, you could tighten like hell without impairing the wheel rotation. But as wheels tend to have a slightly larger bearing-to-bearing length than the spacer, to compensate for the softness of the wheel hub compared to the aluminium spacer (and to pre-compensate wearing), the wheel hub is pressing the outer part of the bearing outside, whereas the axle/chassis/but is pressing the inner part of the bearing inside. That is putting some stress on the bearing, which doesn't turn freely anymore. The risk is to wear your bearings too fast.

Eventually, when the bearing are a bit looser and the wheel hub get used to being compressed, the wheel will roll freely even if you tighten too much. If it doesn't, it may be time to get new spacers matching your wheels model. Having good spacers matters, it's always overlooked, which is a pity given the ridiculous price of good spacers.

[stevoc 0]

If you ever had a Mission Generator chassis with the blue axles, you know what overtightening means ... an aluminium axle in a steel nut has a pretty short life span.

Doh! Yes...I had a set of those chassis and had many problems with the axles...overtightening causes the axle openings to mushroom out, making the axle a pain to remove and inset into the spacers. I've had to file down the ends of a few axles many times.

(PS: I have a set of new generator axles I never got rid of once I sold my skates f someone is interested...I think I have a total of 6-8 full axle sets)

[riotgear 4]

another reason the wheel may stop after tightening is if the bearings are not fully inserted into the hub. NORMALLY, overtightening will cause the bearing to push its way fully into the hub, BUT there are some times where it wont and the wheel will stop much sooner than the rest.