crockey

It seems that I am taking my wheels off more and more to change brake pads, do other installs, and so on. I would like to invest in an air compressor and pneumantic impact wrench. I would like a wrench that has an adjustable torque setting so I can torque my lugs to 80ft/lbs. I know that you must have a large enough air compressor to handle and impact wrench with at least 5-6 CFM at 90psi. What do you guys have that can handle the job and where did you get it? I think this would be a good long term investment.

xviper

First off, I wouldn't trust an impact wrench to put on lugnuts. Always use a torque wrench for that. It's fine to take them off with impact.
As for the compressor, find out the air tool you have that needs the highest air requriement, increase that for good measure, then get a compressor/air tank that will handle it.

hondamanwill

1/2 cordeless impact will take them off. there about 200bucks at a hardware store

KLN

I just received a Craftsman 150psi 30 gallon air compressor from Sears. It came with a impact wrench, gun, and air hammer and it cost about $280-$300.

I used it for the first time last weekend to uninstall/inflate my tires on my car. It has a air gauge on the compressor where you can set the psi output .

It's also very useful when you wash your car and you need to get water out of every single crack so it doesn't run down when you finish wiping down the car with a towel.

jackalope

i vote the craftsman as well

150psi 6hp 33 gallon tank

comes with: 25ft hose, 3/8" air ratchet, airchisel/hammer, and 1/2" impact wrench, plus all the fittings

right now till the 26th its 299.88 in vertical or horizontal. plus you can save w/ the craftsman club whuich is going on till next week (save ya 10% online or 10 dollars in store) its free to join and they get great discounts www.craftsman.com for more details.)

also dont forget that sears "services what they sell", so with a protection agreement, you are set at one fo the hundreds of service centers across the country for parts, labor, and service. plus a once a year check up. also, with the protection agreement, if they cant fix it, then they will replace it. its renewable, and will cover everything in the box (hose, tank, motor, even the tools) and its renewable.

*coughworksforsearschough*

anyway, its yer best bet, for price, performance, features, and reliability

CoralDoc

For general automotive work, I recommend a good quality 3/8" air impact wrench with a good selection of sockets, extensions and swivels. Make sure that the accessories are rated for impact tools. Excellent wrenches can be purchased for under $100 (AirCat, Ingersoll-Rand, Craftsman and Snap-On make nice ones). They should be able to deliver around 150 lb-ft of torque (or more) which is plenty for the majority of automotive work. The accessories will cost another $100 or so depending on how resourceful you are.

Also, I've found decent products at Harbor Freight. They sell a particularly powerful 1/2" air impact wrench that can deliver up to 600 lb-ft of torque for abouut $90. That's way more than enough for most applications.

crockey

Very helpful info Its nice to have a resource like this before I invest on long term tools

CoralDoc

One more important point - the 3/8" drive air tools are much smaller than the 1/2" ones. That allows their use in cramped quarters as are often found when working on cars.

The battery powered units are certainly more convenient. Compressed air is not available in most locations. Their downside is that they cost more, deliver less toarque, and are larger than their air tool equivalents. Also, you'll need to replace their batteries every few years or so at $50-100 each.

Here's an amusing video that would suggest that Milwaukee battery-powered impact drivers deliver ample torque .

mikegarrison

I use a "torque extension" with my impact wrench. This allows me to use the impact wrench to tighten the lugs without worry. I bought it from http://www.torquestick.com/

The idea is that it acts as a simple torsion spring. This mechanically limits the torque that is transmitted to the socket, so no worries about the accuracy of the clutch on the impact wrench (if it even has one -- mine does not).

I bought a 75 ft-lb "torque stick", and I just zip the lugs on in the star pattern. Then I go back and use a torque wrench set to 80 ft-lb -- I almost always just have to turn the wrench about 1/8 of a revolution before it "clicks". It is very repeatable.

This makes putting the lugs on almost as quick and easy as taking them off.

Slows2k

Caution with a Torquestick, If you use one daily (in a shop) you will be replacing the drive motor in a impact wrench. The torsion bar effect has a nasty tendancy to rip the splines of the drive motor.