Torque sticks?

[Jono.ful]

for those that do their own wrenching, do you use spring steel torque sticks and an impact, or a good ol' fashion torque wrench?

I'm looking at a fancy new impact gun, and I'm wondering if these torque sticks work more effectively within a certain range of torque/psi/speed/etc. would these variables affect accuracy? obviously it pays to do a final check with a torque wrench, but do you find that using a torque stick on your wheel lugs gets close to your desired torque spec without going over?

 

[tristero]

Usually I use an impact and then manually check with a good ol' fashioned torque wrench. I've never used a torque stick. I'd be interested in hearing some opinions as well.

 

[Ducmonsta]

My main concern with torque sticks is fitting them into aftermarket wheels. I don't think it's a great investment unless you plan on working on a lot of factory vehicles. I definitely wouldn't invest in a set if it was just for my personal use. And ultimately, every torque measuring device needs to be calibrated or at least checked routinely to be effective.

 

[Jono.ful]

fair points. the set I'm looking at actually have an additional detent pin and 1/2" drive (see below) rather than being the socket style as pictured above, so then can be used with any 1/2" socket. should be less of an issue with aftermarket wheels

 

[Griz]

For wheels: 4-way lug wrench, then torque wrench + SK deep socket. I've never had a need for an impact wrench when changing wheels. For suspension, brakes, etc.: a breaker bar and occasional light encouragement from a sledge have done the trick.

 

[nevada]

for those that do their own wrenching, do you use spring steel torque sticks and an impact, or a good ol' fashion torque wrench?

I'm looking at a fancy new impact gun, and I'm wondering if these torque sticks work more effectively within a certain range of torque/psi/speed/etc. would these variables affect accuracy? obviously it pays to do a final check with a torque wrench, but do you find that using a torque stick on your wheel lugs gets close to your desired torque spec without going over?

fair points. the set I'm looking at actually have an additional detent pin and 1/2" drive (see below) rather than being the socket style as pictured above, so then can be used with any 1/2" socket. should be less of an issue with aftermarket wheels

I have been using these for years, at work. they seem to work well.

I think for personal use though, im not sure I would do it. how often will you be pulling the tires?

I use my stick up to 10x a day. it saves a hell of a lot of time.

 

[Jono.ful]

For wheels: 4-way lug wrench, then torque wrench + SK deep socket. I've never had a need for an impact wrench when changing wheels. For suspension, brakes, etc.: a breaker bar and occasional light encouragement from a sledge have done the trick.

I have all kinds of breaker bars and a substantial tool box already (I'm a tradesman). so its speed thing really, and I'm kinda lazy. I have winter rubber for two trucks on separate wheels, and bead locks eventually coming for the weekend fun tires. point is, wheels go on and off pretty regularly with the changing of the seasons, plus whatever other work I need to do

 

[Jono.ful]

its not really a matter of need, more so a matter of utility/accuracy/variability of a torque stick within a particular range, given a certain impact gun of a particular psi/speed/torque

 

[Griz]

I have all kinds of breaker bars...

Volume might make it worthwhile for me as well. My primary concern would be over torquing and compromising the bolt/component integrity. I've seen the results from a shop screwing up with an impact wrench, but I have no experience with one to tell anyone how easy kit is to make those mistakes.

 

[Jono.ful]

Volume might make it worthwhile for me as well. My primary concern would be over torquing and compromising the bolt/component integrity. I've seen the results from a shop screwing up with an impact wrench, but I have no experience with one to tell anyone how easy kit is to make those mistakes.

precisely. I've suffered through losing a wheel at highway speeds due to broken wheel studs resulting from too much torque

 

[Jetboy]

Many years ago I worked in a tire shop. We had them and found that they are inconsistent and with regular use usually need to be replaced about once a year. There's a reason many if not most tire shops quit using them 10 years ago. They aren't reliable enough and lead to excess liability. I suspect for a typical homeowner, you'd never wear them out, and if you spot check the breakaway torque value once in a while and compare to a quality torque wrench to ensure it's within a small margin of being accurate, it's probably just fine.

I always torque with a proper torque wrench - and learn to use it correctly - namely release the spring tension when you're storing it. Even the Snap-On torque wrenches will go out of calibration in just a few months if you leave them stored at 100 ft lbs. Unwind the handle when you're done!

 

[Jono.ful]

Many years ago I worked in a tire shop. We had them and found that they are inconsistent and with regular use usually need to be replaced about once a year. There's a reason many if not most tire shops quit using them 10 years ago. They aren't reliable enough and lead to excess liability.

I always torque with a proper torque wrench - and learn to use it correctly - namely release the spring tension when you're storing it. Even the Snap-On torque wrenches will go out of calibration in just a few months if you leave them stored at 100 ft lbs. Unwind the handle when you're done!

great tip, and one that I always follow. my father-in-law owns a tire business as well. I know they don't use torque sticks, just an impact and then a torque wrench, but when you're taking wheels on and off 100 vehicles a day, you develop a certain familiarity with your impact. I'm sure they would tighten lugs to with in a few foot-pounds with an impact just based on feel. my thought is that a torque stick would make a nice safety net for a relative amateur

 

[nevada]

great tip, and one that I always follow. my father-in-law owns a tire business as well. I know they don't use torque sticks, just an impact and then a torque wrench, but when you're taking wheels on and off 100 vehicles a day, you develop a certain familiarity with your impact. I'm sure they would tighten lugs to with in a few foot-pounds with an impact just based on feel. my thought is that a torque stick would make a nice safety net for a relative amateur

you would be surprised.

my impact, even on the lowest setting will over torque lug nuts. it doesn't take much.

the torque stick is nice, you can hammer on it, and just keep hammering. the nut wont keep moving.

 

[Jetboy]

Here's a pretty good review. Astro Pneumatic Tools 10 Piece Torque Limiting Extension Set Accuracy Test & Review | 78810 | ToolAudits.comToolAudits.com

The conclusion is that even with the impact maxed out, it still under torques by a small amount. Probably better than over torquing. And I think the other conclusion was to crank up your impact and hammer away.

 

[Jono.ful]

Here's a pretty good review. Astro Pneumatic Tools 10 Piece Torque Limiting Extension Set Accuracy Test & Review | 78810 | ToolAudits.comToolAudits.com

The conclusion is that even with the impact maxed out, it still under torques by a small amount. Probably better than over torquing. And I think the other conclusion was to crank up your impact and hammer away.

this review seems to suggest that this relatively cheap set produced desirable results: results were often dead on, and when they weren't, they were slightly under rated torque spec, independent of the setting on the impact gun used.
I think I'm going to pull the trigger on these. the cost is fairly insignificant, and they seem to work well enough

 

[Scott@Hightech]

Many years ago I worked in a tire shop. We had them and found that they are inconsistent and with regular use usually need to be replaced about once a year. There's a reason many if not most tire shops quit using them 10 years ago. They aren't reliable enough and lead to excess liability. I suspect for a typical homeowner, you'd never wear them out, and if you spot check the breakaway torque value once in a while and compare to a quality torque wrench to ensure it's within a small margin of being accurate, it's probably just fine.

Breakaway torque is an extremely inaccurate way of measuring what something is torqued to. And the quality and maintenance of an impact greatly varies the ability of the torque stick. mine is close to 8 years old since I replaced it last(accutorque 1/2 drive type) And I would say its still about the same performance. the impact needs to be able to over torque it inorder for the spring steel to function correctly. the impact guns/compressors most homeowners use aren't strong enough to effectively use a torque stick.

Also the biggest thing is that torque sticks while they may list a specific value they are designed to be within a range. IE; my 100ft lb stick(grey) is actually a 90-100 ft-lb rating.

My impact if I just zip the wheels down and not let it hammer will over torque the wheels.

Here's a pretty good review. Astro Pneumatic Tools 10 Piece Torque Limiting Extension Set Accuracy Test & Review | 78810 | ToolAudits.comToolAudits.com

The conclusion is that even with the impact maxed out, it still under torques by a small amount. Probably better than over torquing. And I think the other conclusion was to crank up your impact and hammer away.

^^ that's a pretty shitty set of torq sticks IMO. not a huge astropnu fan personally.

 

[Jono.ful]

the impact needs to be able to over torque it inorder for the spring steel to function correctly. the impact guns/compressors most homeowners use aren't strong enough to effectively use a torque stick.

so, given that Toyota torque spec is 85ftlb, wouldn't anything in excess of this be good enough? most of the guns I'm looking at are 300ftlb plus...

 

[Jetboy]

so, given that Toyota torque spec is 85ftlb, wouldn't anything in excess of this be good enough? most of the guns I'm looking at are 300ftlb plus...

It doesn't quite work like that.

It's a torsion spring, so the final torque value is always a function of the input torque from your impact. But there's likely a range where the spring rate approaches a plateau of transferred force, so as long as you are in the range, it'll be pretty close. Two impacts will never end up with the same torque, but they should work OK with a range of impacts. Even the first to last lugnut on a wheel are likely to be different if you're using a compressor that isn't able to keep the pressure up to the regulator setting. If it had some type of clutched mechanism that would work, but with these, you need an impact within the range they spec. I think it's usually 3-400? but I'm not sure.

 

[Jono.ful]

ok, good info. I can't seem to find anything about a specified torque range that these are supposed to be used within though. even the snap on ones don't say anything...

 

[Jetboy]

ok, good info. I can't seem to find anything about a specified torque range that these are supposed to be used within though. even the snap on ones don't say anything...

My guess is that the range of torque it will absorb and the initial twisting force is such that a wide range of tools will work. Probably just about every typical impact would do the trick, but I don't know. I would probably give it a try and see how it compares to a regular torque wrench to test it.