Ducati_John

You don't need a torque stick with any of the 3/8" electric impact wrenches. Just run it down until the gun just starts to actually hammer. It shouldn't start hammering until the wheel bolt contacts the tire. I start all the bolts by hand, run them all in with the wrench, then go around one more time to make sure the wheel is actually seated on the hub before I set the car back down. Then switch to your torque wrench to do a final tighten after you've set the car down so the wheels won't spin while you're applying torque.

rodH

This is the way I do it. Fairly simple. Although I will admit that sometimes I am too lazy to even get out the impact gun and just do it all by hand because I don't want to walk across the garage.

tritonic

I use a hybrid technique. I break the bolts loose by hand when the car is on the ground. After it's up I use my little 12V Makita impact driver to remove bolts and tighten again. After it's down I go back over them by hand. Almost no chance of cross threading, tons faster than all hand tools, and the 12V is really easy to handle while managing the wheel. Full disclosure this is only on my VW since the 911 hibernates all winter.

harlyalice

Helpful thread.

swoardrider

Agreed. I just wish I could use mine on my Centerlocks

cool flash

I just bought a Ryobi One+ R18IW3 18 Volt impact driver and it worked great. Good price too.

CF

alexb76

Good thread, I have some Bosch cordless impact driver with 450 lbs power. Is that enough to loosen/tighten to a certain torque before using Torque wrench? Is that adapter all I need?

alexb76

Here's a round-up by Car and Driver

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...tested-gearbox

Ben Z

I have an air-impact wrench and a small compressor. Together cost less than an electric, has much more torque, and is a lot lighter and more comfortable to handle, especially compared to the rechargeable ones.
That said, for tires I always just used a breaker bar then my fingers. It's not like they're hard to reach or have that many threads, and I'm not doing it all day long on a time schedule.

Quadcammer

Im a bit surprised because most air impacts require a lot of cfm at fairly high pressure, so its strange that such a small compressor would get the job done

Bruce In Philly

I agree.... my buddy purchased one of those highly rated, Amazon jobs that was small enough to get inbetween control arms..... wouldnt work with my Porter Cable 6 gal, 2.6 CFM compressor. Just blew out of air fast..... I would have needed a much bigger tank.

I like my Porter Cable impact because it can do double duty around the house and yard.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

Hula

AvE just reviewed the Harbor Freight Earthquake XT.


He tears tools apart and evaluates the components.

Spoiler: First EVER good review on Harbor Freight.

cgfen

I typically break the Tq with a socket / breaker bar, then switch to a DeWalt 18V impact gun.
Been using this tool for > 5 years with good success.