Anyone tried this? Everyone might/could use one.
 

http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/Search?catalogId=10101&storeId=10101&sku=tva815827

Anyone have any expierence with this product?

At forty bucks a copy, why not four? One for each wheel.
If that thing actually works, I for one would be shocked, and not just by the 12-volt converter.
Wheel bolt torque on a Box is also 90+ lb/ft, which is about 50% more than the 60 lbs most tin wheels run at.

Hi,

I doubt this thing has much staying power, looks like a cheaply made Asian tool. You'd still have to break the lug by hand @ 90ft.lbs., so I'm not sure how useful you'd find it and it's profile is so large that it doesn't look too useful for any other wrenching.

About 10 years ago I did buy a short-lived cordless tool from Black & Decker which has been great, it's a 3/8" Cordless Ratchet. Makes working on a car so much simpler, and there's no cord to run to an outlet or battery. You still need to break a nut or bolt by hand, but then switch the socket to this ratchet to spin it off (or on), faster and often easier, especially in areas where you cannot rotate a full turn with a wrench. It has a pretty low profile and fits into some pretty tight areas. It sits in it's own recharger base.

I noticed that shortly after I bought mine ($19.95), B&D seems to have discontinued it, why I don't know because I have had over a decade's use from mine and it's never skipped a beat. I'd think there would be a good market for this type of tool so I'm surprised I've never seen another from a competing brand.

But back to wheel lugs, be sure that you always hand-tighten them. Impact tools are not very precise in setting torque and you can very easily warp a Brake Rotor from over-torque using them.

If you have your car serviced, be sure to insist that the Mechanic NEVER use an impact tool to reinstall a wheel lug. Many promise not to, but I've seen several do it anyway.

I always stand and watch them to be sure. It's also a good idea to re-check wheel lugs after getting a service as a shop's torque wrenches see a lot of service and is rarely very accurate.

I was once able to hand-rotate a wheel lug on my wife's Jag after a Brake service where they removed the wheels. I raised bloody hell, telling them they didn't have enough liability insurance to cover the loss had my wife's wheel come off when she was driving. The Service Manager now calls me over to watch as he replaces and torques the wheel lugs himself...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

I have my own Craftsman torque wrench, bring it with me when I'm having wheels removed.
In all my trips to various small/chain tire shops, I don't think I have ever once been granted the no impact gun request. :confused: I always have to break out the wrench from my trunk. "see this is what it looks like"...
and They always look at me funny like I told them I'm a vegan.
Including this weekend when I had my rear tires mounted and balanced.

By the way what is the proper torque? 96?
There seems to be a disparity in the manual vs. what I've heard from Porshafiles

Hi,

Yes, it's 96 ft.lbs. And, with alloy wheels you should always check them again after 5-10 miles of driving as the wheels settle onto the hubs...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

This is kinda off topic, but I accualy witnessed a wheel come off of a jeep cherokee. He had his brakes replaced that day and when he went to make a corner, the front driver wheel came off and jacked his stuff up. On a side note, ahhh how I love doing my own work, lol.

i have a similar 12V impact wrench. It is no faster than using hand tools, BUT it is great for the misses. She is not strong enough to break the lug/bolts free, and this is perfect is I can't get there and she has no other options.

Someone bought me that exact set for a graduation present years ago...

I tried using it on the restoration of my 74 Vette... but it died after a few days of heavy use.

I wouldn't waste my money on it... spend a bit more and get some quality tools... they make your life SOOO much easier.

I've got mostly SnapOns and Craftsmen tools and would be hard pressed to ever part with them.


Get something that the manufacturer stands behind... ie, something with warranty

Good luck

A tire company I have used for many years here in WA state is Les Schwab. They hand tighten lug nuts and torque them with a torque wrench. I have yet to find a great disparity in torque when I go back a week or ten days later.

What I did find this last time when I had them change tires between a set of wheels was that the tire pressures were all over the map. They varied by 12 lbs between tires. This was the next day after they were changed and I had started with the set I was storing. Well, I called the store. They refunded $50 of the fee!

Good bunch of guys!!

As far as the electric wrench? Kinda like tits on a boar hog, just my opinion. I had one given to me a year or so ago. It was not able to break loose the lug nuts. This was on a light weight car (Subaru) and I doubt the nuts were more than 90 ft lbs. After carrying it around for months and it not doing the job I felt kinda stupid.