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Hey Gang, Obviously I have a five lug car. I'm wondering what is the best lug nut wrench you all carry in your cars or at home for removing lug nuts. I have one of those four way things with three useless sockets. I'd like a singular wrench or ratchet preferably with a soft type socket that won't destroy my lugs. I feel like a moron for not knowing what to purchase but I cant seem to figure it out. Please let me know what's the best option in terms of size, weight, socket, strength, material, aesthetics, etc. Thanks in advance and apologies if this has been discussed. I did a search but didn't come up with anything consistent.
I would suggest you get an electric impact wrench to loosen the nuts. Milwaukee / DeWalt are good brands. For sockets I have a set of Gorilla thin wall socket that I use (I think I got them at Tirerack when there was clearance on them).
Also buy a torque wrench to tighten the bolts to 100 ft lbs.
I always used the trq wrench for removal and tightening of the lug nuts. I bought a set of plastic covered sockets from harbor freight. You can also buy the trq wrench as well. Do u plan to carry a jack and jack stands. Is this for trackdays? If so impact gun wrench too. I also would throwaway the special key lugnut of the 5 and put a regular one or buy more of the male key lugnut from the dealer. Many a time I couldn't find the male key or put it somewhere else. Mike
If you plan on changing your wheels and tires a lot, I would not recommend using an impact wrench or a torque wrench for loosening the lugs. The impact wrench could wear the lugs and the socket if used to loosen or tighten all the way. The torque wrench will lose its calibration if used to loosen.
Most of the autox crowd does the following
Loosen lugs with standard 1/2 in wrench and breaker bar in a star pattern.
Use impact wrench to remove lugs completely in a star pattern.
Use Porsche guide bolt to maintain position of wheel to hub
Remove and apply new wheel.
Use impact wrench to apply lugs in star pattern until one or two clicks. Not all the way.
use torque wrench to tighten lugs to appropriate torque setting in a star pattern
I have done the above for more than 15 years and still use my cheap harbor freight set without issue.
Josh,
This is the stuff to get. Believe me.
Bosch HTH181B 18V Cordless .
Nothing will ever be the same.
That w/ correct socket and a tq wrench to double check. This impact gun i have tested up to 500 ft/lbs HA!
Thanks guys. This is fantastic data. I really appreciate everyone who took the time to respond. I am well on my way to solving this question. Thanks you board and thank you posters! Awesome stuff.
Kind Regards, Josh
PS my lug nuts say GT on the end. I thought that meant they are the longer bolts. However I don't have wheel spacers. Does it matter whether I run the long or short lug nuts?
So the harbor freight sockets and torque wrench will do the trick? I don't plan on doing as much tracking as I used to I just don't want to damage the finish on my wheels. The Bosch impact wrench looks great. Thanks again!! JBO
So the harbor freight sockets and torque wrench will do the trick? I don't plan on doing as much tracking as I used to I just don't want to damage the finish on my wheels. The Bosch impact wrench looks great. Thanks again!! JBO
Been doing with those two items mentioned when I did a lot of de's with jackstands and a low clearance race jack. It has plastic covering the sockets so won't incur damage to the rim. Mike
If you plan on changing your wheels and tires a lot, I would not recommend using an impact wrench or a torque wrench for loosening the lugs. The impact wrench could wear the lugs and the socket if used to loosen or tighten all the way. The torque wrench will lose its calibration if used to loosen.
Most of the autox crowd does the following
Loosen lugs with standard 1/2 in wrench and breaker bar in a star pattern.
Use impact wrench to remove lugs completely in a star pattern.
Use Porsche guide bolt to maintain position of wheel to hub
Remove and apply new wheel.
Use impact wrench to apply lugs in star pattern until one or two clicks. Not all the way.
use torque wrench to tighten lugs to appropriate torque setting in a star pattern
I have done the above for more than 15 years and still use my cheap harbor freight set without issue.
1/2 inch impact gun of your choice
1/2 inch impact socket of your choice with a wrap or two of duct tape to protect wheels
1/2 inch torque wrench of your choice for tightening
Buy right, buy once
I have the above in snap on brand because the snap on warranty and the snap on guy comes to my office weekly
If budget limited spend the bulk of your money on a good torque wrench
You can skip the impact gun and use a 1/2 inch breaker bar and fingers
If you go impact gun - get an actual impact gun and not a drill
LOL! Thanks J and team. You guys are great. I was lost and now solved. Last question. J close your ears Does harbor freight have a good breaker bar? If so can someone provide a link. I've got the rest mapped out. Man what a great resource!
LOL! Thanks J and team. You guys are great. I was lost and now solved. Last question. J close your ears Does harbor freight have a good breaker bar? If so can someone provide a link. I've got the rest mapped out. Man what a great resource!
purchased all these harbor freight tools long ago when my finances were different.
I can afford snap tools now, but unless you are doing this for a living, the HF tools if used properly should last decades
Forgot to mention.
Try not to change wheels in a hurry or in the rain.
Take your time. Speed comes with practice.
i can change all 4 in less than 30 min.
But I prefer to go slow to prevent mistakes.
Your impact wrench has a trigger that can control speed. Start slow to prevent stripping the threads. Once you verify the bolt is well seated, go ahead to full speed.
Finally, if you are new to this, once the wheels are changed, it doesn't hurt to drive a couple miles and recheck the torque with your torque wrench.
11-17-2016, 10:47 AM
Lug Nut Wrench - Best Option for 997 GT3.1
Does harbor freight have a good breaker bar? If so can someone provide a link. I've got the rest mapped out. Man what a great resource!