Old timer at NAPA told me to stop using impact guns on lugnuts

He said hand torque only or you'll stretch the studs. Blew it off for 2 years until I snapped a stud on a 2015 F-150 last month. Now I hand torque everything. Anyone else ditch their impact for lug nuts?

3 comments

3 Comments

karen_hart2mo ago

Yeah, I hear you on that. "Hand torque only or you'll stretch the studs" is exactly what my buddy told me when I started working on my own truck. I laughed it off for a couple years too, figured impacts were fine. Then I had a stud snap on a Toyota Tundra, right in the middle of a trip. It was a huge hassle to fix on the side of the road. Now I use a torque wrench every time, no exceptions. It takes a little longer, but I'd rather do that than replace studs or risk a wheel coming off. That old timer knew what he was talking about.

jamienguyen25d ago

Ok hold up, I gotta push back a little on this one. @karen_hart I get why you'd be careful after that experience, but I think people blow this way out of proportion. I've been wrenching on cars for like 15 years and I've never snapped a stud using an impact gun. The trick is to just know your tool and not go full send on the trigger. You can feel when it's snug. A torque wrench is great and all but honestly, most backyard guys don't even own a good one, they use some cheap thing thats probably more off than their hand. I'm not saying torque to spec is bad, but acting like an impact will kill you every time is just fear mongering.

smith.ray2mo ago

That Tundra stud issue is common on the 2007-2013 models because Toyota used a 12mm thread instead of the standard 14mm on the front hubs. I had a 2012 and found out the hard way that even a cheap Harbor Freight torque wrench is more accurate than guessing with an impact. The real kicker is that overtightening actually makes the stud weaker over time because of metal fatigue. So you're not just risking a snap right then, you're setting yourself up for failure 20,000 miles down the road.