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Guy at the parts counter in Reno told me to stop torquing lug nuts with a impact gun, and I think he saved a kid from a wheel flying off
I was standing in line at a parts store in Reno waiting on a water pump when the guy behind the counter started talking to a younger kid about his Civic. He asked the kid how he was putting his wheels back on, and the kid shrugged and said he just zipped them on with the impact gun until they stopped spinning. The guy went quiet for a second and then said he had seen three cars come in this month with stretched studs from doing exactly that. He told the kid to hand snug them in a star pattern first, then torque them to spec with a real wrench, and to recheck them after 50 miles. I have seen wheels come loose on the freeway before and it is not something you walk away from. I did not say anything but I went home and double checked my own torque wrench that night. What torque specs are you all running on a basic half ton, because I keep hearing different numbers from different guys.
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umaadams8d ago
The star pattern part is right but the whole thing about impact guns stretching studs is a bit off. What actually happens is the gun over torques them, and yeah it can stretch the stud, but the bigger issue is people zip them on uneven and warp the rotor or the wheel face. A torque wrench is the move, no question there. For a half ton most are 140 to 150 ft lbs, check your manual because it varies by year and axle. My 2016 is 150 and my buddy's older Chevy is 140.
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