If they are using an impact wrench they should be using torque sticks. I've never bothered to get a set so I use a torque wrench.
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There seems to be debate about putting lube or anti-seize on wheel studs. My Ranger manual says not to apply anything to the studs. Apparently the torque values are based on dry, clean, bare metal. The lube or anti seize reduces friction and results in over-tightening. Others out there disagree. Personally, I wire brush the studs and leave them dry, but I do put anti-seize on the area of the wheel that bears on the hub. Probably best advice is to follow manufacturers recommendation.
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The places I go for service use an air impact wrench to get them off and a hand torque wrench to put them on. At my normal garage they use the torque wrench on everything as far as I've noticed. They work mostly on vintage European vehicles with repair work like mine to fill in/pay the bills. Always fun to go there to see what's being refurbished.
I only buy my tires at Costco. One price for installation, balance, and nitrogen fill. They always use a torque wrench for final tightening. My last purchase in February had a reminder to return 6,000 miles later for rotation and torque. The price also includes puncture repair for the life of the tires. What a deal!
Having worked as a mechanic for many years (heavy trucks primarily) there is a place for every tool.
I used impact guns quite a lot but they have their place and attaching wheels is one of them but you don't just blast until it stops turning. They have regulators on them.
You can run up the wheel nuts and/or studs and then torque if you feel it necessary for the particular piece of equipment. Over tightening can do lots of damage to the studs, by stretching them, damaging threads, fatiguing the metal or even breaking them clean off, not to mention what it does to the rim.
The wheels I worked on were, for the most part steel and could tolerate an occasional over tightening by a lower skilled mechanic without too much damage to the wheel.
Today's cars and trucks use many light weight alloys and are very easily damaged by a monkey with an impact gun.
It''s simply not that hard, use the right tool for the job and everything will work out fine.
I would never apply any anti seize type product to a lug nut/stud. Any introduction of friction modifying chemical will skew the measured amount of applied torque. With the addition of lubrication you will inadvertently over torque the nuts/studs. It is not necessary
Any tire shop worth their salt will use the proper torque stick on the rattle gun to limit the torque, then will finish with a torque wrench. I set my rattle gun at the lowest setting to just run them up enough to drop the tire to the ground and finish up with a torque wrench. Which torque wrench is best? Unless you are tightening super critical parts like head bolts or aircraft parts, any will do the job and likely be within 10% or less of the correct torque. Much more accurate than the two ugga tuggas method. Difficult to read a beam or digital style while at the hard pull range unless there is an audible when you reach the desired torque, therefore I prefer the click style.
And if you lube the lug bolts, given the same torque, you will stretch the bolt more lubed than not lubed if I recall correctly. But compared to what the shade tree tire shops do with a rattle gun, you are still going to be ok.
And the HF torque adaptor can be used as a relatively accurate benchmark for calibrating your torque wrench, I have seen a few reviews that checked calibration and it is within 2-3%. https://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-...ter-63917.html Good luck reading a beam style to less than 5%.
Last edited by Ole Anderson; 06-05-2022 at 5:53 PM.
NOW you tell me...
Good torque charts have two sets of measurements. One for dry threads, and one for lubed. The lubed part of the chart usually states it's for 30W oil, so I keep that in a squirt bottle for when I want to lube threads. Always torqued to the chart though.
edited to add one such chart:
http://www.repairengineering.com/bolt-torque-chart.html
Last edited by Tom M King; 06-05-2022 at 6:14 PM.
If you set your torque wrench for say 50lbs on dry threads, the torque will be 50 lbs.
If you do the same with lubed threads you will still read 50lbs but the actual torque on the stud or nut will be higher, since you have reduced the friction in the connection.
This is just a scientific fact, not my personal opinion.
I don't buy into the whole "don't use anti-seize" argument. Often when it's applied the studs and nuts are rusty. Not applying it does just the opposite, under torqueing the nut. The proper thing to do would be to run a tap through the nut and a die on the stud to clean the threads up but most people don't have either. Running the nut on and off the stud wears both down and leaves the dusty rust in the threads which will also impact the torque.
If the threads are in good shape I do nothing. I do put anti-seize on the hub where the alloy wheel come in contact. If the hub rusts it'll make getting the wheel off much harder.