Originally Posted by
HillRider
Because if you don't tighten it enough and it comes loose the shifting goes to hell. Also some freehub bodies are vulnerable to "notching" from individual cogs and the high torque compresses the cog stack into a solid unit that protects the freehub splines.
Ah, I can buy that. I have to admit that I've never used a torque wrench to install my cassettes, but I'd be surprised if I'm using more than 20-25 ft-lbs. Never had a cassette come loose on the road, and my steel freehub bodies are happy.
