iwannadie
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Gilbert, Az
Yah - and replacing lug studs gets irritating. Which is why I have forbidden the use of air tools on my wheels - it's too damned easy to screw it up.
Then, either I've got work to do replacing the studs, or I have to go to the time and trouble of making them do it.
I don't care about the "torque sticks" they've got - you don't have the feel for something going wrong when you use air tools that you have when working by hand!
I had a friends cousin mount/balance some tires for me and when I got the XJ back I was loosening and re-torquing the lugs just to check. Everyone of them felt like they were on at a majorly different torque spec. I got to one tire and they all were on so tight I had to stand on a breaker bar and bounce to break them loose. My IR thunder gun wouldn't budge them, I was lucky to not snap the studs.
I asked my friends cousin what he did, he used an impact and his torque stick that he uses all the time and never had problems with.... I was mad because I mad a very specific point to tell him to use a torque wrench when putting my wheels back on. He argued the torque sticks are fine and he uses them on everyones vehicles. Of course he then had no answer why some where impossible to get off while others came off with little effort the same day I got it back from him.
Now I haul rims and tires to a shop to get them mounted, I don't trust people to put on my wheels anymore. I use my impact to put lugs on but I set it to a lower setting and I then hand torque in increments the rest of the way. It is handy to zip the lugs on and snug them but taking the extra time to hand torque only takes a few minutes.