On Wed, Oct 05, 2005 at 11:11:53AM -0400, Sethracer@aol.com wrote:
> Rob - You will have a choice to make based on two factors. One - How much
> you want to spend and Two - Are you going to torque the lug nuts tight with a
>
> torque wrench, or rely on a mechanical tightening, like an impact wrench.
I don't recommend using an impact wrench for final torque in any
case. An impact wrench isn't designed to tighten to a precise level
of torque. You can buy "torque sticks" which go between the wrench
and the socket and are supposed to provide an exact level of torque,
but I've been told that they do not provide accurate or repeatable
results.
The main utility of an impact wrench lies in the ability to both
loosen the lug nuts and spin them off the studs. With a drill, you
have to loosen the nuts with a wrench first, before spinning them off
with the drill.
> People do either. If you want to rely on an impact wrench, you will
> have to spend well over $100 for an adequate one. The cheapies
> really don't do the job - that is they won't break loose the nuts
> and they don't provide adequate torque when tightening.
I have had the Harbor Freight 19.2V cordless impact wrench for about
three years, and it has no problem loosening lug nuts or tightening
them to beyond the torque spec. I have even used it to loosen
stubborn suspension bolts.
> I suggest using a 1/2" ratcheting click-type torque wrench.
Absolutely agreed.
If you buy a drill instead of an impact wrench, make sure it has a
torque-limiting clutch in the chuck. I used a Ryobi plug-in drill for
a few months, and eventually broke several teeth off the drive gears.
Lesson learned.
Impact wrench and torque wrench procedure:
remove nuts with impact wrench
change wheels
install nuts with impact wrench
torque nuts with torque wrench
Drill, torque wrench, and breaker bar procedure:
loosen nuts with breaker bar or cross wrench
spin off nuts with drill
change wheels
install nuts with drill
torque nuts with torque wrench.
"Armstrong" method:
Loosen and spin off nuts with cross wrench
change wheels
spin on and tighten nuts to proper torque by feel.
(optional: use a torque wrench)
--
john@idsfa.net John Stimson
http://www.idsfa.net/~john/ HMC Physics '94
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