Bolting motors together correctly is precision work. Lots of that attention to detail goes into the fasteners used and their installation. Making sure that proper torque specs are met can mean the difference between a high-performance engine that carries you thousands of miles and maybe to the winners’ circle, or one that spits its guts out ten minutes into cam break-in. ARP has been an industry leader in the fastener business for ages and their assembly lube is used far and wide. The company has raised the bar on themselves with their new Ultra-Torque lube that they claim will get the user within 5 percent of the required preload on the first twist of the torque wrench.
According to ARP, other types of lubes that are commonly used, like oil, and moly are very inconsistent and their studies have shown wildly varying results when using the same procedure on different fasteners. Obviously, the last thing you’d want is for, say, a cylinder head to be unevenly torqued to the block, especially in an application that will see boost, nitrous, or just a whole load of compression.
The whole release from ARP is below:
NEW ARP ULTRA-TORQUE®
FASTENER ASSEMBLY LUBRICANT
Following years of extensive R&D, the engineering team at ARP® has developed a revolutionary new high performance fastener assembly lubricant that is superior to commonly used oil, moly and other lubes. ARP Ultra-Torque® allows builders to torque fasteners within 5% of their required preload on the first “pull,” virtually eliminating “preload scatter,” and ensures exacting fastener-to-fastener preload consistency.
Because of frictional inconsistencies with oil, moly, and other lubricants it takes multiple cycles of torquing the bolt, loosening it, and tightening it again to obtain the required preload or stretch. Typically, when a fastener is first tightened, friction is at its highest point and the preload value or stretch is low. As the fastener is cycled numerous times the friction decreases and the preload increases. This phenomenon is called “preload scatter.” Extensive testing has shown preload scatter to be as much as 20-40% on a new fastener, depending on the lubricant used. With ARP Ultra-Torque®, a fastener need only be torqued once to get within 5% of ideal preload—and remains consistent through all subsequent cycles (from race-prep machining through final assembly and subsequent rebuilds).
Moreover, given the inconsistencies of ordinary lubes, it is quite possible for adjacent head bolts or studs to have vastly different preloads. This “scatter” causes bore distortion, hampers piston ring seal, and leads to poor head gasket sealing. Preload differences in connecting rods and main caps can cause uneven bearing loading. It’s easy to see how ARP Ultra-Torque® can actually help you build a more powerful, reliable engine!
ARP Ultra-Torque® is packaged in various sizes. For additional details call ARP® toll-free at 800-826-3045 or visit the firm’s info-packed website at www.arp-bolts.com. A free catalog is available by writing to ARP®, 1863 Eastman Ave., Ventura, CA 93003 or sending a fax to 805-650-0742.
