Impact driver for taking off lug nuts question....

[ajmarton]

I want to get for Christmas a portable (battery) impact driver that is strong enough to remove / install lug nuts. Sears Craftsman has a nice 19.2 battery model that has 900 in/lbs of torque. The driver size is 1/4" so I know that I need an adapter. Any ideas on whether this will work and its usefulness in general? TIA Andrew Here is the link:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00911550000Psid=I0084400010000100600&aff=Y

[stormmaster]

I answered your post on the other board as well....I suggest you dont do it if you have any concern for the longevity of your aluminum lug nuts.

[ajmarton]

It does have a variable torque. I am not using it at the track just wanted to get the rear wheels off easily when I work under the 911 and I have a shoulder injury. But I can probably handle the rachet torque wrench to play it safe. Any suggestions the socket to use - one of those protective ones? What do you guys tighten it down to? 80 ft pounds?

[rick-l]

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Is that 900 inch pounds? As in 75 foot pounds? Don't you tighten your lug nuts to about 90 foot pounds?

[gsmith660]

DON'T do it it will ruin your lug nuts only manually torque and loosen those precious babies I dont even use impact drivers on my blazer lug nuts

[dimeified]

i zing 'em down on low setting with the impact driver, then torque wrench 'em to 90, nice and slowly.

edit: why not impact gun the lugs? people i know have been doing this for years...

[ajmarton]

Yes, the impact driver is 900 inch pounds - what ever that means.

[gsmith660]

It beats the he!! out of them and when I used to do it on my old mags on the blazer with tight clearances it beat up the wheels too.

[vreference]

To me, this is an impact wrench.



And this is an impact driver.

Originally Posted by ajmarton

Yes, the impact driver is 900 inch pounds - what ever that means.

And Inch pounds can be converted to Foot Pounds by dividing by 12.
900in-lb = 75ft-lb
Wheel to Hub Spec is 96ft-lb I believe so technically the thing won't be too much use removing lugnuts anyway.

[msteele]

Craftsman probably will not be able to break free the nuts. I think most people get the Goodyear one sold at Pepboys. Do a search.

I have been using impacts on steel and alloy lugs for the past 15 years on track, street cars and never had an issue. I do what others suggested when putting the nuts on, use low setting then torque to final spec.

YMMV,
Mark

[GrantG]

Originally Posted by ajmarton

Yes, the impact driver is 900 inch pounds - what ever that means.

Divide by 12 and you'll know the torque in Foot-Pounds (75) - not enough. A good air impact wrench has several hundred foot pounds.

Torque your lug nuts to 96ft-lbs, btw...

Vreference beat me by one minute with that edit - at least we agree :-)

[SteveinTO]

900 ft. lbs. = 2x new Porsche Turbo at full blatt. Guaranteed to loosen the most stubborn aluminum lug nut.

[Hugh R]

Impact wrench on aluminum lug nuts? Are you nuts??? You'll shear/round them off in a New York minute. It sits there and pounds the edges of your lug nuts until they round off. I'm not a total porschiphile, but even I wouldn't do that.

[911pcars]

IMHO, the ideal lug wrench is a cross-bar type with a 1/2" square dr. on one of the bars for a soft socket and with longish arms that provide enough torque to loosen stubborn lug nuts.

Here's the tool or equivalent:


The drive end could even be shorter for more control and less flex.

Anyone know where to source this Chinese-made tool?

Sherwood

[2.70Racer]

My '76 911 race car uses steel lug nuts. Required by the racing group.
Been using an impact wrench, electric or air for over ten years.
Torque to 90/95 lbs. No issues.
I swap the wheels back and forth during the racing season probably twice a month or more.
Same for my street 1985 Carrera. Stock aluminum lug nuts. 95 lbs.
I buff and repaint the black aluminum lug nuts about once a year, or as necessary.
Use a six point soft socket. No issues.
I do not pound hell out of the lugs. I do set my impact for less than 95 lbs and finish with a torque wrench.
Now if I only swapped tires once a year on my spit and polish garage queen, maybe I'd do it different.
I run two sets of Aluminum lug nuts, one set all nice and pretty on the car.
The spare set buffed up, with fresh black paint, ready to go.

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by 2.70Racer

My '76 911 race car uses steel lug nuts. Required by the racing group.
Been using an impact wrench, electric or air for over ten years.
Torque to 90/95 lbs. No issues.
I swap the wheels back and forth during the racing season probably twice a month or more.
Same for my street 1985 Carrera. Stock aluminum lug nuts. 95 lbs.
I buff and repaint the black aluminum lug nuts about once a year, or as necessary.
Use a six point soft socket. No issues.
I do not pound hell out of the lugs. I do set my impact for less than 95 lbs and finish with a torque wrench.
Now if I only swapped tires once a year on my spit and polish garage queen, maybe I'd do it different.
I run two sets of Aluminum lug nuts, one set all nice and pretty on the car.
The spare set buffed up, with fresh black paint, ready to go.

You use an air impact gun to loosen your al. nuts and no lug nut deformity?

Sherwood

[gsmith660]

There you go Sherwood you had to use the c word we all know its out there lurking but really!

[dimeified]

4 years on my carrera's lugs with the IR impact "wrench", same lugs, no issues.

For loosening, i give the gun a quick blip to loosen the lug, then a longer blip to spin it off the shaft.

For tightening, i always pull the socket off the wrench and start the lug by hand and thread it down a couple times, then zing it down with the gun and torque to 90. No problems yet.

Other than that, my car never see's an air tool.

Well, there was one other time, I know this is unorthodox and i'll probably get flamed for this, but when i changed out my steering wheel for a luisi, i bolted down the luisi hub to the spline with the impact wrench, this way i wouldnt have to worry about damaging the steering lock, because the quick torque of the wrench is resisted by the friction of the tires on the ground instead of the steering lock. No i didn't let it "impact" the nut/washer and smash the crap out of the steering rack...

[Rot 911]

Originally Posted by dimeified

i zing 'em down on low setting with the impact driver, then torque wrench 'em to 90, nice and slowly.

edit: why not impact gun the lugs? people i know have been doing this for years...

I've been doing it for 8 years and I haven't had any problems at all.

[Grady Clay]

Guys,

It seems we have apples, oranges and grapes here – a real fruit salid.

There are two types of lug nuts under consideration – aluminum and steel.
There are two types of sockets – steel and soft.
There are two methods of tightening/loosening - impact and hand torque wrench.
Add a ‘torque limiting’ device to the mix.

Steel lugnuts are almost indestructible. They need a high quality (SnapOn Flank Drive) 6-point socket. It is perfectly appropriate to use a high powered impact wrench for loostening. I use mine to tighten also because I have a ‘feel’ to run it up below the 96 ft-lb spec. I ALWAYS do the final tightening (where the nut moves) with a calibrated torque wrench.

The aluminum nuts require a bit more care.

If you have and intend to keep your aluminum nuts in great condition, there are ‘soft’ sockets available from our host. These sockets have a plastic insert that is softer than the aluminum nut. With care, you can off-on your nuts many times without damage. It is very important that there isn’t any dirt between the socket and the nut.

It is perfectly OK to use an air/electric ‘nut runner’. The above 75 ft-lb unit is just fine for that purpose. To break and final torque the nuts should always be done by hand. The nuts should be properly lubricated and always torque to 96 ft-lbs with a calibrated torque wrench.

Part of normal maintenance is removing the wheels, cleaning and re-lubricating the stud threads and the ball surfaces of the wheel and lug nut. It is unreasonable to expect to get a nut off cleanly (without damage or worse) one that has been undisturbed for many years.

There are ‘torque limiting’ devices. These are extensions that have a shaft that acts like a torsion spring. This limits the amount of torque that an impact wrench applies to the socket. These are designed tor the tire shop monkeys who insist on hammering away on a lug nut with a powerful impact wrench.

There are situations where an aluminum lug nut is not willing to come loose at, say, 130 ft-lbs by hand. This is where a deep 6-point steel socket and a powerful impact wrench is necessary. Usually you will need to replace the lug nut.

Lug nuts that are used very often need periodic replacement. Each year the race car gets 20 new steel lug nuts. I regularly clean and lube the stud threads and the entire set of nuts. If a lug nut is ever difficult to spin on with fingers, I replace the nut with new. If it is still difficult, I have a 14x1.5 mm thread die to run on the stud. If that doesn’t fix it, I replace the stud.

There have been many threads discussing various lubricants, etc.

Lug nuts are a VERY important part of our cars and deserve careful attention – not just for athletics.

Best,
Grady