Has anyone tried a cordless impact wrench...

[drpepper]

...for changing wheel lugs at the track? I've been looking at this one (http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/tool_detail.asp?productID=6344) in particular and it seems to be cool. Anyone had any experience with them?

[glh]

I have a Snap On 1 and I really like it you still have to do your final by hand most only teighten to about 45-50 ft lbs

[max attack]

As a carpenter I have used a dewalt 18 volt drill nearly every day for the last 5 years-0 problem's(ok 1 battery and the chuck finally wore out).
I priced the one your looking at last year,ouch!I'll think I'll just keep cracking the nuts loose by hand and then using my drill with an adapter to remove them quickly.

[haniforama]

I do what Tom does - loosen with a wrecker bar, do the easy stuff with a cordless 18V, tighten with a torque wrench.

Shortens the tire change time by a few seconds every corner - not to mention you feel like your own pit crew :D

Hanif

[GR8 Ride]

I've got a Milwaukee 18V cordless impact wrench that I've been using for the past 2 years at the track.

I seem to recall it was about $350-400 (tax in) for the unit, which included the large case, two batteries, rapid charger etc.

It's a 1/2 inch drive unit, and is good for 240 lb-ft tightening. No problems spinning wheel bolts or nuts off at the track EVER, and we used it both on the Vintage car last year, and on my car for the past two years.

Merely jack up one side of the car, and change the wheels easily.

A full charge on the battery would last 2 or 3 weekends, depending on weather (ie, how many wheel changes were required!). Those rainy/sunny/rainy/sunny type weekends like Celebration tended to use up a fair chunk of battery, but it would easily still last a full weekend.


Pat

[slucas]

But how much faster does that $350-400 gun make your car go?

[GR8 Ride]

Quite a bit when I had to swap wheels from the Sprints to the RA1s for the Touring car.... When you don't have a pit crew, the less time I have to spend on changing wheels, the better. Call me lazy.... :)

Hey, if it makes my life easier, I'm all for it.

My cordless impact gun is one of those tools that somebody will have to pry from my cold, dead fingers.



Pat

[drpepper]

Wow 2-3 weekends eh? I was thinking 2 changes tops per battery. I think I might go the Milwaukee route. 240 ft/lbs is a lot more attractive than the DeWalt's ~135. Thanks for the good info!

[finboy]

most already cary a torque wrench

if you have a cheap cordless drill,
the socket adapter is cheap

bang for lazy ass buck

it works great

[Suzie]

Originally posted by finboy
most already cary a torque wrench

if you have a cheap cordless drill,
the socket adapter is cheap

bang for lazy ass buck

it works great

That's what we do. When I can stop chatting long enough to actually work on CHANGING the tires instead of talking, the changes go really fast.

Suzie

[Cheers!]

Originally posted by finboy
most already cary a torque wrench

if you have a cheap cordless drill,
the socket adapter is cheap

bang for lazy ass buck

it works great

where do u get the adapter from? canadian tire? sears? pricess auto? i've never seen one

[Keith-02Accord]

I got mine at Candian Tire, it was less than $10 if I recall.

[finboy]

Originally posted by Cheers!
where do u get the adapter from? canadian tire? sears? pricess auto? i've never seen one

canadian tire has em
princess auto too

basically
-loosen with torque wrench
-jack
-cordless drill with 3/8 adaptor & socket
wirrrrrr
wirrrrrr
wirrrrrr
wirrrrrr

-remove wheel
-install new wheel
-finger start the nuts (avoid cross threading)
click (tighten setting on drill)
wirrrrrr
wirrrrrr
wirrrrrr
wirrrrrr

the wheel will sinch up against the hub
lower car a bit
- torque
click
click
click
click

click
click
lower car

(of course you can do both sides at once with your new
canadian tire low profile jack 3.5 inches for 60 bucks)

[AcidGord]

Originally posted by finboy
(of course you can do both sides at once with your new
canadian tire low profile jack 3.5 inches for 60 bucks) [/B]

Assuming you don't have a completely mushy suspension. With my old 10 year old OEM suspension I couldn't quite get both wheels off the ground. Annoying. Swapping tires is definitely the worst part of an event day. :)

Princess Auto sells a 3-pack of drill-socket adaptors for like $1.99 even. (When its on sale, which seems to be always)

[GR8 Ride]

I'd generally recommend AGAINST using a torque wrench to loosen your lug nuts / wheel bolts.

Even some of the better made torque wrenches will lose their accuracy over time given such duty, and a breaker bar is a $50 item at Home Depot, vs a $99+ torque wrench from HD, or CT etc.

I survived for a number of years with a breaker bar and cordless drill, but once I used the impact wrench at the track for the first time, I was sold on it. So nice just to jack up one side of the car, buzz all 5 wheel nuts off each wheel, and swap wheels. It made changing from wets to dry's 10 minutes before a race an easy process, all by myself.

Like I said....my impact wrench will be one of the tools that somebody will have to pry out of my cold, dead hands. I'll give up a lot of things before I give up that.


Pat

[Champ98]

Our team of three cars have been using a 24V Makita Cordless impact for the last three seasons, with one charge at -20 it will last all weekend. It is definitly the tool that we can't do without now that we have tried it.

[ScotcH]

How are these electric ones for cracking other nuts on the car? I changed my steering wheel this weekend, I could not get the center nut off ... too it to a garage, and it too them 3 secs with an air gun. Would the cordless do same job, or what? How about suspension bolts, etc?

[finboy]

Originally posted by Champ98
Our team of three cars have been using a 24V Makita Cordless impact for the last three seasons, with one charge at -20 it will last all weekend. It is definitly the tool that we can't do without now that we have tried it.

fair enough... working in minus 20 degree weather you'd want something that you don't have to take your mittens off for, and want to change them as quick as possible so you can go warm up and snuggle with your honeybunny.

but for the weekend solo tirechanger, the torque wrench combined with a cordless drill works fantastic.

i've tired a bunch of methods (cause i'm a lazyazz) and bang for the buck.. if you already have a cordless drill

a socket adaptor, and socket works great

all depends on how much you want to spend, and how often you use it.