Whats up guys.....I am a novice mechanic, that can do many "simpler things" on a car.....such as change a clutch, install supercharger, etc....not like changing a crank, installing diff. gears etc. So I am looking to purchase an ELECTRIC (not air) Impact wrench. I was looking at this one...

Click to check it out

This thing produced 240ft/lbs of Tq. Its decently priced at $179

My question is....what kind of Tq numbers are needed to work on my car.....(lugnuts, coilover towers, supercharger install <I know some of these need to be torqued to proper numbers> , subframe bolts, etc) Is 240ft/lbs enough, or do you need WAY more???

Also, if anyone can recommend other impact wrenches or a better deal somewhere, please dont hesitate to post. Thanks in advance.

 

Perfect! This should only be used to loosen bolts however. Anytime your installing and tightening always use a torque wrench! Good luck, working on your car is very rewarding!

Kevin

 

You may also want to look at cordless types that may be cheaper, and with higher torque ratings (18V)

 

To add to this topic....can someone with an electro-engineering knowledge explain to me how can something running on a battery have MORE power than something that has a constant flow of juice?

 

motor rating, gear ratio, a multitude of possible reasons.

 

Kart racers use cordless ones all the time at the track. I use a Makita cordless all the time for my kart racing work. I only need up to about 80 ft-lbs but Makita makes larger models if needed. I have never had a problem with mine and I abuse the crap out of it, recommend them highly.

 

Makita = JDM

 

My brother found this out after having a new set of tires put on his car by the local tire shop. When we tried to remove the wheels to swap brake pads, 4 wheel studs broke because the tire "technician" used an impact wrench to tighten the lugs and tightened the poop out of them.

 

he most likely cross threaded them

thats why if you use an impact to tighten lug nuts you have to use something like this:

http://www.torquestick.com/


Hand torquing is still preferred

 

The problem with cordless impact guns is that they only get their maximum torque with a fresh battery. With a corded or air impact gun, you always get maximum torque.