Impact Wrench Gun Suggestions

chrisfern23

2017 CX-5 Touring
Morning everyone -

Anyone have any impact wrench gun suggestions? Going to be getting my new wheels soon and rather than pay $100 to get them put on I'd rather just put that investment towards a impact wrench gun that way I can rotate my own wheels, etc. in the future.
 
I rotate tires on my 3 vehicles and have never owned or used an impact wrench, just a six point socket that fits the lug nuts and a 30" breaker bar. Most important is to use a torque wrench when tightening the lug nuts. The last time I had tires rotated at a tire shop the monkey used an impact wrench on the lugs and some were on so tight that I couldn't loosen them with the breaker bar, had to take the car back to the shop to break them free. You can use something called a torque stick with impact wrenches to ensure correct torque, highly suggested if you decide to use an impact wrench.
 
Do you have any other cordless tools in your collection? I suggest one in a brand line that you already have chosen like Dewalt / Ryobi / Rigid

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Mostly Dewalt in our collection over here. I appreciate it- I'll take a look!
 
The deal of the moment on a Dewalt cordless impact gun is the high torque with battery, charger and bag at Northern Tool. It really is a $70 savings. I don't know how long the deal will last, but check out this link.
 
I bought a plug in electric impact wrench at Harbor Freight for $50. I don't like the trigger and it's pretty heavy but it works fine. I don't need one very often.
 
I bought a plug in electric impact wrench at Harbor Freight for $50. I don't like the trigger and it's pretty heavy but it works fine. I don't need one very often.

Bought something similar (plug in electric impact wrench) at Princess Auto. I used it to get the screws out of a pair of 145 lb dumbbells. Haven't used it to remove lug nuts yet, but I figure it'll be fine for the 2 or 3 times I might use it throughout the year.

Edited to clarify that impact guns are best used for removing lug nuts, not tightening them.
 
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To be honest I never need to use mine even to loosen them, but it might save some time.

I bought mine for a certain job.
 
Just a note here... By all means use an impact wrench to UNDO the lug nuts, but NEVER use one to put them back on and/or tighten them!

Right! I edited my post to reflect that, thanks.
 
It might be because it's harder to evenly torque them. They say to install the nuts in a crossover pattern, gradually tightening them so there is no bias on one side or the other.

With the impact wrench if you install the first nut too tight you end up with a wheel that's a little off.
 
Gotcha makes sense. I appreciate the heads up. Thought I was about to be a pit crew member for NASCAR with my tires.. the jobs still relatively easy though right? I’m starting to prefer to do as much maintenance work as I can on my car
 
This is one of the better threads. Good information. Thanks guys. Beats the threads of the century...
should I buy a warranty?
 
CHRIS_TOP_HER...I notice you show a '15 CX-5 Miata AWD. Is that a special model only available to a Moderator or do you own both a CX-5 and Miata?
 
I rotate tires on my 3 vehicles and have never owned or used an impact wrench, just a six point socket that fits the lug nuts and a 30" breaker bar. Most important is to use a torque wrench when tightening the lug nuts. The last time I had tires rotated at a tire shop the monkey used an impact wrench on the lugs and some were on so tight that I couldn't loosen them with the breaker bar, had to take the car back to the shop to break them free. You can use something called a torque stick with impact wrenches to ensure correct torque, highly suggested if you decide to use an impact wrench.
I bought torque sticks, but never use them. The impact wrench makes taking off the lug nuts much faster, and you don't have to remember to crack them loose before jacking up the car. I thread then nuts on several turns, and then gently and quickly snug them with the impact wrench. Once back on the ground I torque them to 100 lbf⋅ft . If any of them don't turn before reaching 100, I back them off and retorque in a star pattern. That rarely happens since I'm used to my impact wrench.

I think the only use for a torque stick would be to make that process more fool-proof. They aren't consistent and accurate enough to be an all in one step deal, and they aren't good for breaking loose nuts.

I use the Milwaukee 18volt medium with the release pin. I think I'd prefer a friction ring, but otherwise its great for my needs.
 
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Here's the one I bought several years ago...has been very reliable with no problems/issues whenever I needed to use it. Of course, I put a few drops of pneumatic tool oil after each use. I bought it on sale and stacked a 20% off coupon...IIRC was about $59.99.

 
I got the milwaukee m18 high torque impact gun. I use it for more than just removing lugnuts, I also used it for changing my suspension, etc.

Whatever you invest, check to see how much torque it has. Never to tighten, no issue with loosen.
 
I use a Ryobi. I use the highest setting to losen the nuts and the lightest setting to put them back on then use a torque wrench for the final tightening.
 
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