Okay. Having had the RX-7 parked for two years, at least one of the tires is dryrotted to the point of not holding air... So I go to change it out... And Damn... I can't... Damn POS 6 inch *grumble* *grumble*

So yeah... WallyMart sells a 12 volt impact... Anyone use it, Like it, Break it the first time you used it???

I'd probably keep one in the car just for changing tires... Not for main pulleys and flywheels and **** like that... That is, if they're not pieces of crap.

Harbor Freight also sells a 12 Volt Impact made by Chicago Electric Tools or something... Anyone use that?

 

I dont have any experience with electric impact tools, but was wondering how much #'s of force they put out?

 

Well, OF COURSE the stock lug wrench sucks, when was the last time you saw a stock lug wrench OR jack that didn't? We're lucky the RX7 came with a full-size spare tire, those are a high-priced option on most cars these days :^(

While I have no direct experience with the 12V impact wrenches mentioned, I CAN say that most everything Wal-Mart or Harbor Freight sells is crapola.
Cheap tools are a false economy.

 

does your lug wrench even fit the nuts?? mine dosent

 

Full size spare? Where'd they hide that? Is it under the doughnut?

I don't think they sell a Craftsman 12 Volt impact... And I'd have to drain my bank account to get a Snap-On one... So Wal*Mart or Harbor Freight is all I can think of...

Yeah... My lug wrench slips off the nuts.

 

I've heard there marginal at best.

 

Only the first couple years have full size spares... later cars sacrificed the tire for a bigger gastank... *Sigh*

 

Hey, if it were up to me, I would eliminate the spare tire area altogether so I can fit my brand new free 17 gal gas tank from a Chevy tracker. My old one needs fixing, my dad got this tank for free. It almost fits, but needs to go up about 1.5". Oh well, I have access to a 600 ton press. I can just make it fit.

 

Ah, another reason to love the SA...

 

Besides the small lug wrench is there an extension bar for the jack hidden on the car somewhere?

How about this:

But at around the $200 price kinda spendy...

 

well
its sucks, but its good to have

and its nice so many bolts on the suspension use the same size nut as the lugs

 

**** it. I've just resorted in carrying around a 1/2 inch drive, extendable breaker bar and a flippable socket... It's 19mm on one side, and 21mm on the other. Makes a good road rage weapon too.

 

See, I like that, but yeah.. cost and the fact that you've gotta make sure the battery is charged... I want some clips or a cigarette lighter plug so that I can run it offa the car battery.

I also hate the stock Scissor jacks that come with most cars... Hydraulic all the way... Too bad they're so damn heavy and big.

 

RE: "**** it. I've just resorted in carrying around a 1/2 inch drive, extendable breaker bar and a flippable socket... It's 19mm on one side, and 21mm on the other. Makes a good road rage weapon too."

Alrite, me too! Let's hear it for the quick breaker-bar access in times of instant judicial necessity!!!

 

My 3/4 ton pickup had a crummy 2 piece wrench. Made me late for night shift once because I couldn't change the tire and ended up walking to work. The money I lost that night outweighs the 36 inch breaker I bought the next day to remove that flat, in five minutes even without breaking a sweat or my knuckles.

Some of those impact guns are powerful enough to twist your arm into a pretzel.

 

I had a series 2 1983 that came with a full size spare. It had a deeper tire well to fit level in the back.

 

Why not just keep a good 4 way lug wrench in the spare tire well? I have never had a problem breaking loose lug-bolts or nuts with mine.

 

That picture is a DeWalt DW052 impact driver, which I use for driving screws in just about everything. Lightweight and effective: great for building decks. I also take it to the junkyard for rattling loose rusted and reluctant nuts and bolts. Never tried it on lug nuts, haven't needed to. I suggest it's best to use an impact before using a breaker bar because there's less chance of breaking something.

I kept my Auction Sentry alert on Ebay and got it for $90, less battery and charger (since I already got a bunch). Incidentally, I've got a source for DW 12 and 18 volt batteries NiMH, which last 3 times as long and cost $30.

Cheap tools are a waste of money. They'll send you to the nuthouse if you actually try to use 'em.

If you tighten lug nuts with an impact, you oughta check 'em afterward with a standard wrench to make sure they're tight.

B

 

I've bummed my Dad's Harbor Freight special occassionally...

They're fine for light weight stuff, but if you REALLY need to break something free - they just don't have enough juice. I'd consider them more handy for speed, then strength.

NOTHING has withstood the torque of my 1/2" breakover handle and 4 ft. lead pipe.

 

Ya I ust used a 4' pice of 3/4" Iron Pipe as an extension on my '85 GSL worked like a top.

Slide the pip over the lug wrench handel and then go nuts. I cleaned all four rims (one at a time - changing them out with the spare) that way and then just borowed the Torque wrench from work to put them back on.

 

I use a Pep Boys 1/2" drive Torque Wrench, a 1/2"x4" impact drive extension, and a standard socket which fits the lugs to both remove and tighten the lugs.

In the end, you're going to want to use a torque wrench, anyway to be sure that you have them tightened equally, and to the correct spec. Overtightening one or two lugs will lead to brake rotor runout and can cause brake 'shimmy' under load.

Overtighten them all and you could be risking broken studs and subsequent wheel loss.

 

I got one of these.

http://www.stylinconcepts.com/part.c...=31&lc=pfparti

I picked it up at pepboys. It was not the gorilla brand name but it does the job. colaposies to a small size takes 1/2 drive sockets (i think) and comes in a carry case with 4 sizes. $10.

 

I have the walmart 12V impact gun. It's like $20 or $30.

It's really slow and cheaply made, but it does work.

If you want it for anything serious, I would get something better, but it you want it "just in case" it should be allright.

 

i wentto the auto parts store and bought a nice lug wrench that fit under the passenger seat. long enough to get some torque on it when cranking it.

don't go cheap. long ago i bought a cheap lug wrench and broke the weld in the middle. POS.

 

the stock one sucks. i know from experience when i tried to use it to rotate my tires. i ended up having to take it to a shop, like i didn't want to do. all because i didn't have a torque. i think i might as well throw away the stock one because its pointless to be there.