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I swore off impact wrenches on lug nuts until I saw a torque test sheet from a tire shop in Dayton
I always hand threaded every lug nut and finished with a torque wrench because my old lead guy said impacts warp rotors and stretch studs. Last month a tire tech in Dayton showed me his shop's test sheet where they ran 50 lug nuts with a torque limiting stick on an impact and every single one landed between 78 and 82 ft lbs. He said the trick is the torque stick flexes and absorbs the hit so you never spike past spec. I tried it on a Camry and a Silverado and checked every nut after with my wrench, nothing moved. Now I use the stick for the first pass and my wrench just confirms it. Has anyone here had a stick go bad on them, because I want to know what to watch for.
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riley5174h ago
Wait, did the shop actually explain why the stick works that way? Because a torque stick doesn't "absorb the hit" in the way you're describing. It's a spring steel bar that twists at a set rate, so once it reaches its rated torque it stops turning the socket any further. The impact keeps hammering but the stick can't transfer more twist past its limit. That's the whole reason it lands in a range and not a single number like 80. The flex is what limits it, not what soaks up the shock. Also worth knowing, sticks are only good for the size and rating stamped on them, so a 100 ft lb stick on a truck with 140 spec lugs will leave you under torqued and you won't feel it by hand. Check them by marking a line down the side and seeing if it snaps back straight after a few uses. If it stays twisted or the paint cracks at the square drive, toss it.
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