Pro tip: stop using impact guns on lug nuts, I learned the hard way

For years I zipped every lug nut on with my impact gun, figured torque sticks were for rookies. Then last Tuesday in Austin, a customer's wheel sheared two studs clean off on the highway after a rotation. Now I hand-start every lug, torque to spec with a click wrench, and do a final recheck after 50 miles. Has anyone else seen studs fail from over-torquing, or was this just bad luck with cheap steel?

1 comments

1 Comment

hugos6710d ago

You ever wonder why some shops still use those four-way tire irons like it's 1985? Had a buddy who snapped a stud on a Ford F-250 just hand-tightening with a breaker bar, so sometimes it's the metal that's the problem, not the tool. That being said, torque sticks have saved my knuckles more than once, but I still check every lug with a manual wrench after a few miles cause cheap steel acts like it's got a personal grudge against you.