Shoutout to the mechanic in Tulsa who told me to stop using impact wrenches on lug nuts

Andrew Hill · 2026-10-08T05:20:03.217879+00:00

Stopped at a tire shop off I-44 in Tulsa two weeks ago for a slow leak and watched the owner torque a set of wheels by hand with a $40 beam style torque wrench. He told me he replaces about 15 studs a month from cars where quick lube places and DIY guys gun the nuts on with an impact and never check them. I have been doing that exact thing in my own garage for a good while, just hammering them on until they sound tight. He showed me a stretched stud on a Civic in bay two and said that is what 200 foot pounds on a 80 foot pound spec looks like. I grabbed a torque wrench on the way home and did all four wheels on my truck at 100 foot pounds like the manual says. Anybody else have a shop story that made them change a bad habit?

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Shoutout to the mechanic in Tulsa who told me to stop using impact wrenches on lug nuts | Ask A Trade Worker - Talk Freely