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Are there special torque specifications for Titanium bolts?
Yes, Titanium bolts require different torque specs than steel. When installing Titanium bolts, you should always lube your bolt threads to prevent galling which will reduce your required torque spec. We recommend lubing the threads of Titanium bolts with High-Pressure Grease or Blue Loctite depending on the application.
What Should I Use?
Blue Loctite – Use on parts such as Rotor Bolts, Sprocket Bolts, Axle Pinch Bolts, Triple Clamp Bolts, Linkage Bolts and any other bolts that you don’t want to come loose over time. You can pretty much put Blue Loctite on everything.
High Pressure Grease – Use on parts that are removed and checked often such as Clutch Cover Bolts, Chain Adjuster Bolts, Seat Bolts, etc. When using High Pressure Grease, it’s a good idea to paint mark the bolt heads so you can quickly check to make sure everything is staying torqued down.
Some teams use only high pressure grease, some teams use assembly lube, and some teams use blue loctite for everything. It all depends on how often you check over your bike. If you don’t check over your bike often, Blue Loctite is a safe bet. If you check every bolt before you ride, High Pressure Grease is fine.
It’s always a good idea to mark your bolts with a paint pen once they’re torqued. This allows you to quickly check over your bike to make sure nothing has came loose before each ride.
**We DO NOT recommend the use of Anti-Seize, since torque values will need to be greatly reduced by 20-40% to achieve the required clamping force. A lot of people use Copper or Silver Anti-Seize on Titanium hardware and then have bolts fail due to over torquing the bolts. Plus, there’s no reason to get that stuff everywhere when Blue Loctite or High Pressure Grease works just as good!
Titanium Hardware Torque Specs
Most manufacturers provide Dry Torque Spec Values in their service manuals unless otherwise stated. When installing Titanium, reduce the OEM/Steel Dry Torque Spec by 10-15%. Since you are lubing the bolt, it requires less torque to achieve the same clamping force.
If your service manual calls for Loctite or another lube on a bolt and gives a torque spec, this would be considered the Lubed Torque Spec. This Lubed Torque Spec can be used as the Titanium Torque Spec since the manufacturer is already reducing the torque spec to achieve the correct clamping force.
If an OEM bolt had pre-applied (i.e., dry) thread lock on it and the service manual’s spec is 30 Nm, is that considered a wet torque spec or a dry one? If I reuse the bolt but have to scrape off the worn, dry thread lock and apply liquid blue Loctite, do I torque the liquid blue Loctite bolt to 30 Nm or 25.5 Nm (-15%)?
Hey Al!
When a bolt has pre-applied (dry) threadlocker from the factory, and the service manual specifies 30 Nm, that torque spec is typically considered a “dry” torque spec unless otherwise stated. Liquid Loctite acts as a lubricant during tightening, lowering the friction and reducing the torque needed to achieve the same clamping force. If you plan to re-use the bolt, I wouldn’t worry about scraping off the pre-applied threadlocker and re-torque it to the dry torque spec. If you are upgrading to a Titanium bolt or cleaning and re-using the stock bolt, we recommend lubing the bolt with Blue Loctite 243 and reducing the OEM Dry Torque Spec by 15%. Hope this helps!
Thanks! – JB