How do these work?

"Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire" (arch-duke-maxyenko) 08/17/2017 at 15:51 • Filed to: None

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TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 15:55

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When you apply more than 90 ft lbs it stops applying more torque to the nut and starts twisting the stick.

Wacko > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 15:56

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i was wondering the same thing since they look like an average extension

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 08/17/2017 at 15:57

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Interesting - is it obvious enough when that happens that you know to stop?

Sam > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 15:57

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The stick twists when they hit proper torque. They only work with impact guns, however. A breaker bar will just keep on turning it.

My citroen won't start > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 15:57

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Wacko > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 15:57

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just had to google it

PartyPooper2012 > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 15:58

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When you apply more than 90 ft lbs it stops applying more torque to the nut and starts twisting the stick and the fake gold plating falls off. That’s how you are alerted to too much torque.

ateamfan42 > Wacko 08/17/2017 at 15:59

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When you look at a set of these sticks, you’ll notice each is a different thickness. The dimensions are chosen so the material flexes at the target torque.

Best practice is to select a size a bit below your desired torque, and finish off with a regular torque wrench.

tromoly > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 15:59

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It works like a torsion bar, stays rigid up to the desired torque spec then flexes after that which severely limits the torque transmission from the impact gun. Kinda neat actually.

Textured Soy Protein > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 16:00

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Apparently they’re designed to flex once the impact wrench reaches a certain amount of torque, and the flex prevents it from spinning any more.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/17/2017 at 16:00

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No idea as I have never used one. It appears to be designed so you can just go nuts with an impact gun.

Takuro Spirit > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 16:00

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They DON’T.

Torque all 20 lug nuts with one with the same amount of ugga duggas, and all 10 will have different torque readings when checked with a proper torque wrench.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > My citroen won't start 08/17/2017 at 16:01

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Do I want to know what a finger cot is?

notsomethingstructural > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 16:03

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Poorly.

Party-vi > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 08/17/2017 at 16:04

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CAN CONFIRM BALLS-OUT WITH IMPACT GUN IS ACCURATE INSTRUCTION FOR TORQUE STICKS

benjrblant > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 16:04

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As just about everyone else pointed out, they stop applying torque at a certain amount.

An impact gun does not deliver consistent torque, it delivers pulsed impacts of a certain force much like a hammer. Torque sticks behave like a spring and once the fastener gets tight, the stick is designed to soak up the impacts from the gun. This only works with a pneumatic or electric impact gun.

I’ve heard mixed things about them. I’ve never heard mixed things about a properly calibrated torque wrench.

Party-vi > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 16:05

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Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 08/17/2017 at 16:06

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Finger condom

benjrblant > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 08/17/2017 at 16:07

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It’s like a latex glove but only for one finger. Handy if you don’t need to cover your entire hand, are just using a finger and a thumb, or don’t like sweaty palms.

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 16:07

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It acts like a spring. When there is enough force the shaft absorbs the blow of an impact to a degree that no more than the rated amount gets transmitted, then flexes back before the next blow. If you used it with a standard torque wrench, you’d see a deflection between the wrench and socket as it goes tighter. But you’d be able to continue to keep going right past the torque listed on the part.

Cé hé sin > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 08/17/2017 at 16:07

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I’ve googled it.

It’s reasonably safe to investigate.

EL_ULY > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 16:09

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I have 2 different size ones depending on the cars we work on here if the air hose i’m using is not regulated. If they are, I just use the gun regularly then torque them down to spec. On my old and heavy af Matco impact, the torque sticks are pretty accurate

LongbowMkII > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 16:13

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And not feel the satisfying click of a torque wrench? No thanks!

Takuro Spirit > Takuro Spirit 08/17/2017 at 16:18

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omg I hate the fact that I can’t edit anymore. All *20 will have different readings.

Party-vi > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 16:19

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Seriously though, they’re made of spring steel (or some such metal) that flexes under load and absorbs the torque of the impact gun. They only work with impact wrenches - if you use a ratchet or breaker bar these will not torque to their displayed value. Always double-check your torqued fasteners after using a torque stick. For every person that likes these things there is another person that hates them. Personally I’ve used these on all my vehicles and they still have 4 wheels on them.

CobraJoe > Takuro Spirit 08/17/2017 at 16:22

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How far off are they?

wkiernan > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 16:22

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At first glance I thought that’s the thing you put at the base of a door so the doorknob doesn’t punch a hole in the drywall.

Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > Takuro Spirit 08/17/2017 at 16:22

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But they do get them nice and close without going over. As long as you double check with a real wrench they are nice.

ttyymmnn > Textured Soy Protein 08/17/2017 at 16:23

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I wish they had filmed that without gun guy in the way. I wanted to see how it actually works.

Takuro Spirit > CobraJoe 08/17/2017 at 16:23

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IIRC (this was long ago in school) about 10 pound/ft at the most.

CobraJoe > Takuro Spirit 08/17/2017 at 16:24

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That’s not too horrible... Probably as accurate as someone tightening lugs by hand.

Takuro Spirit > Little Black Coupe Turned Silver 08/17/2017 at 16:25

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I guess for the regular consumer they ain’t so bad... I was taught in ‘mechanic school’ never to use them.

My first dealer job had them mounted on the walls of every stall, which was funny to me.

Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 16:26

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They get it nice and close and won’t go over the desired torque, but you still need to do quick double check with a real wrench.

Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 16:27

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In a way similar to this:

Takuro Spirit > CobraJoe 08/17/2017 at 16:27

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Yeah but when you’re wrenching on customers cars for a business, its not very reliable.

HammerheadFistpunch > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 16:37

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Frankly I would see these as indespensible for the type of lube shops that constantly strip lugs. The shop where I get my tires (hey, they keep coming back as the cheapest plus there is some family history) has stripped 2 lugs and a stud. Last time they made sure to tell me they don’t use impact guns, ALWAYS by hand...as I look through the bay window and watch them using an impact gun on my wheels...

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 16:40

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They don’t. Use a torque wrench.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Takuro Spirit 08/17/2017 at 16:41

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That’s my understanding, but I don’t know what an ugga-dugga is and I am not sure I want to.

Takuro Spirit > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/17/2017 at 16:43

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Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > HammerheadFistpunch 08/17/2017 at 16:44

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I always use only my 18-inch breaker. I get them pretty uniform and pretty close to a reasonable spec. I used to always use a torque wrench.

Myth: lugnuts gotta be hella tight.

user314 > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 16:46

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Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Takuro Spirit 08/17/2017 at 16:51

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I always just use the breaker bar and make sure they’re even and not gorilla-tight.

HammerheadFistpunch > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/17/2017 at 17:01

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I’ve learned a lot about compression forces and strengths of fasteners in the last 5 years. Its amazing how little torque it takes to create a lot of compression strength. its like the flange bolts on my land cruiser, it can put out well over 3000 lbs-ft to a single wheel, but the flange that connects the axle to the hub is held on by 6 m12 bolts with only 36 lbs-ft. Blows my mind. I’ve also found out that critical engineering isn’t done with torque, its done with turns. its more accurate it turns out.

Cash Rewards > Party-vi 08/17/2017 at 17:43

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All caps seems like an appropriate font choice here

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 18:35

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I think the theory is that they work on resonant frequency, at a set torque the resonance takes over and the impact just “floats” as the torque stick kicks back at the same amount of force. they’re all different shank thicknesses.

Quarter turn past tight works too.

His Stigness > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/17/2017 at 23:43

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There’s a change in tone from the gun. I think the hits sound faster once it’s reached its limit, but either way, just listen for a change in tone.

But speaking from personal experience: use these, but ALWAYS follow up with a torque wrench. The reason I say to use these is they get close enough as to allow you to drive the car safely if you forget to go back and check them with a torque wrench.

The other reason I use them is that it will properly seat each lug bolt or nut before you lower the car and finish torquing them. I learned the hard way that if you don’t seat the bolts tightly enough before lowering, you haven’t reached the proper torque even after going over them with a torque wrench, and they will eventually work themselves loose.

So now I always use the proper torque stick for the vehicle, and I make a point of going back over with a torque wrench a few pounds over the spec so everything is uniform.

And believe it or not, you will find guys in the industry that think their trigger finger is so well tuned that they can torque wheels to the proper spec without a torque stick or a torque wrench. That is incredibly stupid for two reasons. One is that if the compressor is low on air when you do one wheel you are not getting the max torque from your gun, so eventually, those lugs can work themselves loose. The second reason and the one that actually affects me is over torquing the fuck out of them and making it a bitch and a half just to remove the damn wheels. One time, I had to actually use a breaker bar to crack some lug nuts loose. Sometimes an impact gun doesn’t always work and you need to apply a constant, linear force to a fastener, and it SUCKS!

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/17/2017 at 23:46

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Spring steal yo.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > His Stigness 08/17/2017 at 23:55

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I had a wheel refinished once, and they got clear in the holes. My lugs were basically fused to the wheels. I finally got them all off, but that was a shitty afternoon...

His Stigness > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/17/2017 at 23:57

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Wow, so they didn’t let the clear dry before they re-mounted them? Wow.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > His Stigness 08/18/2017 at 00:05

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No that’s not it. There was just enough clear that made it into the holes that it melted and fused everything over the months in between changing them.

His Stigness > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/18/2017 at 00:39

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Oh now that’s just annoying. I would say that’s an honest mistake, but if it had properly cured I don’t think that would have happened.

jmedarts > Party-vi 08/18/2017 at 07:14

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Doesn’t seem safe, could get caught on your zipper.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > His Stigness 08/18/2017 at 09:22

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Well, then it’s my fault, because I put the wheels back on. How many days for clear coat to cure completely? The guy did lay it on really thick.

jmedarts > jmedarts 08/18/2017 at 09:50

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Seems like an invitation for the beans to end up above the frank.

Be safe people, be safe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzRuKnb2uuY

His Stigness > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/18/2017 at 10:29

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On the car it takes up to a month for the clear to cure so that you can wax it, but some shops will bake it so it’s cured right away.

It was probably because he laid it on thick, didn’t cure it, and probably didn’t use enough hardener so it all added up to sort of bond with the lugs. I’ve had a wheel repaired and I mounted it the next day and it didn’t get stuck. But there are a lot of factors.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > His Stigness 08/18/2017 at 10:41

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It just seems to me like you really shouldn’t get clear in the lug holes at all.

His Stigness > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/18/2017 at 11:28

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Well you don’t want to spray directly into the holes, but you do kind of want the clear to make its way in there. I’ll have to look at both sets of my wheels (I had my Golf wheels painted too) to see how much clear is in the holes.