chenxingha

I am considering to purchase a impact wrench, primarily to help with the wheel lug nuts. There are so many choices - air impact with 3-gal. tank up to 28-gal. tank from 100 max PSI up to 150 PSI, electric, cordless and even 12-volt models; and they range from deliverying 75 foot-lb torgue to up to 500 foot-lb.

In normal conditions, just how much torgue do we typically need to loose a wheel nut? For those of you who own impact tools, what specific tools/models do you find sufficient and most useful in a household garage?

carguy07

I have a craftsman corded electric impact that is supposed to be good for something like 175 ft/lbs. It definitely does not have that kind of power. Probably more like 125. It does a great job on lug nuts if they are not over tightened and rusted on (our cars are supposed to be at 76 ft/lbs). If you are trying to break loose one that is way overtightened it will not just zip it off. If you sit there for a while and hammer away at it, it will probably eventually bust it loose, but no nascar tire changes if they are that tight. I got mine mostly for doing winter/summer wheel/tire changes. After using it a few times I found it's not worth the hassle of lugging it and a heavy gauge power cord around. Since I torque my lug nuts at about 80 ft/lbs and take them off at least 2x a year they come off very easy by hand. It is just a very heavy bulky tool to use for things that are not that tight. That being said, I love it for lots of other jobs. Works awesome for rusty exhaust bolts that would normally break if you pulled on them hard. Gets into places that you don't have room to turn a wrench when you use extensions. Breaks loose those big nuts on the end of an axle with no fuss. It's forte is big bolts like suspension bolts and rusty bolts.

I think you will have to invest some real $ to get a compressor larger enough to really power air tools. Most of the smaller ones will not keep up with air tools for more than one burst if you are lucky.

I have seen guys using professional cordless ones that that look like they kick a$$, but again, you are talking real money for one of those.

Don't know if that helps at all, but my 2 cents.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

I would recommend getting an air compressor. It's just a lot more flexible when you need other air tools for the job. 3 gallon will definitely be worthless unless you are okay with the compressor charging up every 2 lug removal.

There are so many options out there, but it just depends on your budget.

salimshah

There are 3 types:

1. Overtightened.
2. Rusted/heat-bonded.
3. Factory set [with sealant] (remember the first time you undid the oil filter, which is supposed to be hand tightened)

All other are very much within the capacity of an able bodied person [given adequate room]. One can produce upto 200 lb-ft with a 18" - 24" beam. I have yet to see a spec more than 200 lb-ft.

Once the fascination wears off, most probably you will reach for regular socket/wrench for quick use and ease in putting it away. <= This is from a person who does not own a impact wrench.

Check them out, but due to confined spaces, you may not be able to use them.

Salim

artbuc

Deleted. Sorry about that.

BMBLBEE

I have a 25 gal air compressor and lots of air tools for automotive and woodworking. When I'm changing wheels none of that stuff gets used and I use a 1/2 inch drive torque wrench to take the nuts off and put them back on. My advice would be to spend your money and a good tourque wrench and 1/2 inch drive tool set. Craftsman is frequently on sale at Sears for 50% or more off and I have tested their lifetime warranty many times and it works great.

Bob

chenxingha

Thank you all for the inputs. A related question came up after doing some purchase research: there are impact wrench socket sets. Are they that much different from normal socket sets? Would a impact wrench work with normal hand wrench sockets?

carguy07

It depends on what you are doing with them. Normal sockets tend to split when used with an impact on higher torque jobs. Low torque is normally not an issue. I tend to cheat and use regular sockets and then curse when they split and take them back to sears for free replacements and tell them I don't know what happened. I have only split a few sockets thought the years but I don't use them that much on heavy duty stuff. Cheap regular sockets will split fast though, good ones not so much.

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

The impact socket sets you see are most often specific for air tools. A cordless impact gun will take normal sockets and extensions (you'll want to notice if the gun is 1/4 or 1/2 inch drive, just like you would a normal socket wrench).

Unless you're going to be at a track or car shows taking wheels off/on all the time, you'll do just fine on your street car with a decent torque wrench. Perhaps a breaker bar if you have trouble getting the lugs loose. It's much cheaper than a good impact gun and you'll have a lot more uses for them.

I'm not certain on RX specs, but my wife's BMW (which is a track car and we take wheels on/off all the time and use this impact gun which would be severe overkill for you) they get torqued to 90 ft lbs. I've seen some OEM at 80 lbs and others at 110.

chenxingha

In investigating the many electric impact wrench models, e.g. DeWalt DW290 (1/2 inch, 7.5Amps) and Kobalt 003012 (1/2 inch, 8.5Amps, max. torque 420 ft-lbs), a question came up. The tools' introductions don't seem to mention if the torque is adjustable or not. (My Craftsman 19.2v cordless drill/drive has this ring adjusting drive torque.) Wouldn't the Kobalt impact wrench with max torque of 420 ft-lbs break or weaken the wheel lug bolts that only need about 100 ft-lbs torque in normal conditions?

Having 4 vehicles in the house to take care of and lower back injury (when I was young) catching up on me, I could use some help with a impact wrench with tough jobs. I have been using 2-ft and 3-ft gas pipes as wrench extensions for many years. But in the last couple of year I often feel some impact on my lower back the next day after some tough wheel changes (eventhoguh I have been using anti-freez gels with the bolts and nust).

I am inclined towards having a small air compressor (5 gal. tank) and an electric impact wrench - the small air compressor is for pumping tire presures, cleaning air filters, operating air blow gun and brad nail gun (some light remodeling work is coming soon); the electric impact wrench is primarily for wheel change jobs and perhaps also for some exhaust and suspenssion DIYs. But if a typical electric impact wrench is not torque adjustable, then I have to rethink about the tools combination.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

Impact wrenches should be used for loosening only. The only time I would ever tighten bolts with an impact is if I have a dedicated torque stick to go along with it, but even then I turn to a torque wrench for the final turn. Sometimes I cheat and use the impact to spin on the lugs, but again, I use a torque wrench afterward.

It's cheaper to get an air compressor that will pump up tires while being capable enough to use an impact gun, than it is to get a small one in addition to an electric impact. The cost of a capable electric impact can cost as much as a 10gal tank plus and air gun.

I have an electric impact (Ingersoll Rand) that I use when I'm on the go, but it will never replace my air guns whenever I need to remove those bigger 19mm suspension bolts.

salimshah

Are you sure the back issue has to do with doing/undoing the nuts and not due to the weight of the wheel.
[No i am not trying to talk you out of purchasing an impact driver]

Salim

lexina

If you want a portable impact gun, get dewalt dw-059, 300 lbs/ft. plenty of power for wheel lugs. I am very happy with mine. if we have a long trip, bring it along, thats the beauty of cordless. it's not designed with elec brake nor the torque adjustable, but i do it with hand-feel. Practice and find out from the torque wrench.

OakTwnPnoy

This is what most of us use in the shop. I work at a Lexus shop.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

^^ I love that gun. I have a bunch of 2135Ti along with the 2135QTiMax for those stubborn bolts. Can't live without them. lol