The Most wonderful time of the year

[trickiekid]

So, the weather guys are calling for a lot of nasty winter weather tonight and tomorrow. I figured that I would finally stop BS'ing about putting on my winter tires so last night I pulled the car into the garage. I went around to loosen up the bolts before jacking it up, but damn those bolts were TIGHT. I started with the passenger rear wheel and it took me over and HOUR to pull a tire and put on the winter tires. So, my hands were a little sore after that, but I kept pressing on. I went to the front passenger wheel, and tried. I got one bolt to break free, I went on to the second bolt, but it wasn't budging. The jack was not even touching the car. So i say to myself, "I need to get this bolt off or my wife is going to give me some major ****" So I give it all I got and I actually got the tire to rotate 360 deg. I was able to spin the tire freely before the damn bolt broke free. So now, I have two bruised palms, a bruised ego (my wife thinks that I can't change a tire) and only one snow tire on. Any suggestions anyone?

[DustenT]

Get the right tool for the job! Buy a cordless impact driver. $100 and it makes changing tires a breeze. I'm guessing the last person to tighten your lugs was probably some tire shop with their impacts set to 200 ft/lbs. FWIW - they should not be that tight.

Originally Posted by trickiekid

So, the weather guys are calling for a lot of nasty winter weather tonight and tomorrow. I figured that I would finally stop BS'ing about putting on my winter tires so last night I pulled the car into the garage. I went around to loosen up the bolts before jacking it up, but damn those bolts were TIGHT. I started with the passenger rear wheel and it took me over and HOUR to pull a tire and put on the winter tires. So, my hands were a little sore after that, but I kept pressing on. I went to the front passenger wheel, and tried. I got one bolt to break free, I went on to the second bolt, but it wasn't budging. The jack was not even touching the car. So i say to myself, "I need to get this bolt off or my wife is going to give me some major ****" So I give it all I got and I actually got the tire to rotate 360 deg. I was able to spin the tire freely before the damn bolt broke free. So now, I have two bruised palms, a bruised ego (my wife thinks that I can't change a tire) and only one snow tire on. Any suggestions anyone?

[trickiekid]

I am going to be making a trip today to Sears to pick out an Impact gun. I used to have to torque some bolts on aircraft to 250# and those broke easier then my lugs. Thanks for the info.

[cali-ti]

so the full weight of the car was still on the tire and you couldn't break the lug bolt free? do you have an impact gun or know anyone with one? great for taking them off, but i would use a manual torque wrench to reinstall. you might try spraying some penetrating oil in there as well (liquid wrench, kroil, etc) and tapping them lightly (to assist the oil in penetrating the threads).

[trickiekid]

Originally Posted by cali-ti

so the full weight of the car was still on the tire and you couldn't break the lug bolt free? do you have an impact gun or know anyone with one? great for taking them off, but i would use a manual torque wrench to reinstall. you might try spraying some penetrating oil in there as well (liquid wrench, kroil, etc) and tapping them lightly (to assist the oil in penetrating the threads).

LOL, I tried. Yeah, the full weight was on the tire, and I was spinning the wheel. I am going to get the gun today, but man i tired. I sprayed wd40 on the lugs and let it sit for a while (3 hours or so, spraying every half hour). When that didn't work, i broke out the hammer to assist. So, i have a party to go to this afternoon, i will be picking up an impact gun along the way back. Someone used some crazy gorilla strength to torque the bolts down i think.

[cali-ti]

as dusten said, some tool probably used an impact gun to install them and they're way too tight. you must be pretty damn strong to be turning the wheel with the full weight on the tire! impact guns provide a fast hit to break them free. trying to do that by hand with a breaker bar isn't easy. i usually stomp on it with my foot

[1996 328ti]

And when you swap your wheels again, use antiseize.
I found the wheel would weld itself to the hub.
Antiseize took care of that.

My Snapon impact wrench doesn't allows break lugs. I use a 1/2 breaker bar and sometimes the handle fo the jack for more torque.

[elchicano]

I had to rotate my tires and at first it wouldn't budge so i gave it a good spray of WD40 those bolts came right off. I guess being able to bench 210lbs doesn't hurt haha

[aceyx]

If I'm using the factory lug wrench, I have to jump while my foot is on it a few times to break the bolt free.

After that, anti-seize on the first 5 threads helped, as well as on the ring of the wheel that touches the hub (only the inner surface, not the flat part that touches the rotor).

I now use a 14" breaker bar, and it comes free quite easily.


Be sure to re-check your torque after 50 miles, as it will tend to shift. This also lengthens the life of your brake rotors.

[cooljess76]

I weigh 250 and the other day when I was taking my lugs off, the front passenger was stuck on. All 5 bolts were overtorqued. I had a flat tire about a month before and the shop who replaced the faulty valve stem used an impact to tighten the bolts. I watched the guy do it, but didn't think anything of it. First I tried standing on the 4 way lug wrench and bouncing. Then I tried using a floor jack under the factory lug wrench and it lifted the whole car without breaking it loose. I finally said screw it and changed the other three wheels, then I drove down to the shop that replaced my valve stem and made the guy who tightened it take it off. He couldn't get it off with the impact so he broke out this GIGANTIC breaker bar(about 3 feet long) and did the stand and bounce technique while holding onto my shoulder for balance. Broke all 5 loose and swapped the wheel, then he tried to tighten the lugs with the impact again! I quickly grabbed the tool and traded him my 4 way. We both laughed a little. PITA!

[cali-ti]

and if you were stranded alongside the road trying to change a flat after someone uses an impact gun to tighten them, you'd be completely screwed! makes me want to throw an extra breaker with impact socket and extension tube into the car just in case.

[CirrusSR22]

I hate shops that use impact guns. Impact tools are lame period IMO. "Give me a big enough lever and I'll move the world". I had a shop fix a flat and I couldn't get two bolts off. I had to take it back and have them loosen them. I asked them to use a torque wrench, and they used a stupid torque "stick" on the gun. Still too tight I could get them off, but still way over the 82ft-lbs. (or so) that's required.

If you torque them precisely to spec., the bolts shouldn't be very hard to get off at all. I tighten my bolts with a 1/2" drive Craftsman torque wrench, and take them off with a 1/2" drive, 16" long rachet. I only weigh 165 lbs, and it doesn't take much effort with that rachet to loosen 80-90 ft-lbs.

Cali's right. If you get a flat on the road, you're screwed. Man do I hate repair shops. Lazy crooks; all of them!

[thesk8nmidget]

i worked at walmart tire and lube a few years back and you would get written up if you used an impact to tighten up the lugs. you could use the impact to get the snug but you better not tighten them up a bunch with it.


we had to use the torque wrench on each lug then drive around the parking lot in a few circles and then drive back in and have someone else check every lug with the torque wrench. you would sign in on the computer to say you tightened the lugs and also the other person would log on to show they checked the lugs.
if any tire ever fell off both the employees would lose their job no questions asked.

[trickiekid]

Wow, thanks for all of the responses. Well, I haven't had time to do much of anything to the wheels yet. I have been in school and still working too, 14 hour days barely leaves time for family, let alone me. Well, I didn't buy the impact gun. I changed my mind, I now have a 26" breaker bar. I figure that if that doesn't work, I can take a section of DOM tubing and break those SOB's free.

Originally Posted by cali-ti

and if you were stranded alongside the road trying to change a flat after someone uses an impact gun to tighten them, you'd be completely screwed! makes me want to throw an extra breaker with impact socket and extension tube into the car just in case.

This was my biggest fear. After a cold beer, I did some reflecting after some cursing and said I would have seriously screwed if I had to do this on the side of a busy highway.

[cali-ti]

btw, i mention an impact socket because my friend just broke a regular socket trying to get the wheels off his e30 325is the other day.

trickie, eat your spinach and i'm sure you'll be fine with your new tools