How much with Air Impact Wrench to tighten lug nuts

[fnkngrv]

When I went to college for Automotive Tech my Instructor had a motto:

"Air tools are for removal, not for installation on ANYTHING that needs to be torqued"

That is all I am gonna say about that.

[MUSKOKA800]

Originally Posted by fnkngrv

When I went to college for Automotive Tech my Instructor had a motto:

"Air tools are for removal, not for installation on ANYTHING that needs to be torqued"

That is all I am gonna say about that.

I firmly agree. Now who's going to tell the grease monkeys at all those tire shops???

[Shroomster]

Originally Posted by MUSKOKA800

I firmly agree. Now who's going to tell the grease monkeys at all those tire shops???

who's going to tell them? how about you tell them that....seeing as they're getting paid (most likely) LESS than the 16 year old working a grease fryer at mcdonalds down the street. most of the lube/tire guys at the shops people are talking about are either at the end of their work career or are just starting out. They don't give a rat's ass about the car. If you're flagging hours or on hourly but still under the gun for a quota, and not on salary, then you really think you're going to take the time to pull out a torque stick or wrench drop the car to the floor and check all four wheels? hell no, get the car out quick as you can. When oil changes and tire rotations bring in more than ".3" then there might be a little change. the only reason it is done at tire shops is because it's a specialty shop. Discount tire, for example on a good day has 2-5 people per vehicle.

if you're making 8-10/hour and have a rent or mortgage and other expenses, a q.c. tool is one of the last things you think about buying.

you can buy a cheap set if you want, but I prefer to use quality tools, I know that you can get reliability out of knock offs and no names but seriously, there's a reason most of the tool trucks are still on rotation in cities.

/rant

[severous01]

Originally Posted by MUSKOKA800

I firmly agree. Now who's going to tell the grease monkeys at all those tire shops???

if you got paid 3 tenths of an hour to change a tire, you'd definitely start using a gun. you're already losing money on 3 tenths....because it generally takes longer with the more common lower profile tires....so, you're losing to begin with and now you're taking more time....not profitable.

as long as you're not 'hammering' them and keeping on the trigger you should be fine. run all the lugs, tap the trigger a time or two and be done with it. you could also turn down the power on some of the higher end. experiment and see how much torque setting 2 vs setting 3 makes vs full power. get into the range and start being smart with your air tools. if you dont have a level switch on it you can always get a pressure regulator.

i'm a mechanic for BMW. i have a small chest about 4 feet wide and 2 feet deep, and about 3 foot tall. its loaded with tools in just about every drawer. any way, i've got about 20k in tools. and i dont have enough. my impact gun alone was almost 500 bux. i agree that you can get stuff done with craftsman and harbor freight....i even use their stuff my self. but higher quality tools make for easier jobs. they dont round, they dont break, they dont split, and there's no question that if something does happen that it'll be replaced no questions asked. that's why i buy snapon and matco.