Should you use an impact wrench to tighten lug nuts or not?
I’ve heard a lot of answers to this question, and they’re surprisingly mixed. A lot of people say yes, and a lot of people say no.
I wanted to come up with a definitive answer to this question for myself, so I used my impact wrench to figure out why or why not this isn’t a good idea. Let me tell you more!
Should You Use An Impact Wrench To Tighten Lug Nuts?
Why You Should Use Them
- Speed and Efficiency
When I used an impact wrench to tighten lug nuts I think the best thing about it was how quick it went.
It’s much faster than using a regular wrench, and requires a fraction of the time.
Also, it is “impacting” and make the whole process more smooth.
Related: What to do if the impact wrench is not impacting
Because of it being so fast, it took me a lot less time to deal with lug nuts than it usually does, which helped get the whole job get done much quicker.
If you end up using an impact wrench on lug nuts, you’ll see just how much faster it is for yourself. It’s especially rapid with lug nuts on tires.
- Good and Powerful Torque Accuracy
A lot of newer impact wrenches come with specific torque controls that let you find the exact strength you need to tighten or loosen your lug nuts.
This helps prevent overtightening, which is an issue lots of people, including me, have with these kinds of nuts.
My own DeWalt impact wrench comes with 3 torque levels, as you can see below. Usually, the second level is just perfect for me to tighten or loosen lug nuts.
I noticed that using the right torque setting stopped any threads from getting damaged, and made things even easier than they already were.
Read: Troubleshoot Impact Wrench Torque and Speed Settings Not Working
- User-Friendly Operation and Versatility
Something that really added to my convenience during this little trial was that I could use the impact wrench easily with one hand to get the lug nut off.
It didn’t take too much strength, or any expert execution. Just some care and focus.
Because of that, it was so much easier for me than doing things the regular way.
Instead of spending several minutes, I got the job done much quicker and without as much effort, which was a lot easier on my body.
Plus, instead of having to change between different tools, I could just use the different attachments for my DeWalt impact wrench.
These helped compensate for different types of lug nuts, and their sizes.
Sometimes you might experience that the impact wrench failed to remove lug nuts, read this post to understand why.
As you can see from the image blow, I bought the socket sets from Bosch and the quality are pretty durable.
- Compact and Portable
Despite it’s convenience, it’s not some massive thing that’s too hard to transport.
Impact Wrenches are small enough to take around with you.
Plus, yours likely came with a portable box.
Look at my DeWalt’s travel box in the image below, for example.
It easily fits the wrench and all I need with it.
If you do house calls or just move around with your tools often, it isn’t something that takes too much effort.
Plus, if you’re impact wrench is wireless like mine, you don’t have to worry about cable management or other small details.
- Safety Features
Can you see that gear inside my impact wrench?
It’s responsible for a lot of safety mechanisms on devices like these, which is another thing I like about them.
For example, they prevent kickback.
This helps with stability and stops you from hurting yourself because of the force of the tool. It also reduces the risk of something bad happening to the tool itself.
This switch I highlighted below also acts as a locking mechanism for the direction of the tool. Most impact wrenches have it.
When the forward/reverse button is set at the middle, the impact wrench won’t spin and not turning, safer for kids.
It makes it so that the tool only spins in one direction, preventing sudden changes in direction.
- LED Work Light and Rubberized Grip
Something I really appreciated was the LED light on my DeWalt impact wrench.
It made working in darker environments much easier, because I didn’t need to hold a flashlight just to get an idea of where the lug nut is all the time.
It’s perfect for nighttime work.
If your impact wrench LED light is not working, read this post to troubleshoot.
Also, here’s another post talking about impact wrench LED light won’t automatic turning off issue.
Plus, your grip is super important when trying to get stubborn lug nuts out.
These tools make that easier too thanks to their rubber grips that you can wrap your hand around.
If the impact wrench is getting too hot, the rubber grips helps you to hold it comfortably.
I could perfectly hold my impact wrench without it every slipping while I was loosening or tightening nuts.
Why You Shouldn’t Use Them
Here are some of the most common problems of impact wrench.
- Risk of Over-Tightening
Just because my impact wrench has torque levels doesn’t mean all of them do.
Some impact wrenches can be unpredictable and too strong.
Because of this, they have a risk of overtightening lug nuts and damaging the area around them.
- Stripped Threads
Without proper care and the right settings, excessive force from the impact wrench can cause the threads on the lug nut to strip off.
This wasn’t a problem I had because of my wrench’s settings and experience working with tools, but other people might encounter it.
If the threads get damaged, the whole nut does. It also isn’t safe anymore to use, because it isn’t reliably tight.
I highly recommend you don’t use a lug nut with damaged threats because of this.
- Need Bigger Spaces
Impact wrenches are pretty compact, but they’re still bigger than regular wrenches and some other tools you’d use for tightening or loosening lug nuts.
If you’re ever in a tight spot and don’t have much room to work in, the impact wrench will be too big to fit.
This is one of the only big issues I had during my testing, as I couldn’t comfortably use the tool under cars or other tight places. At least not in a way that was suitable.
- Dependency on Power Source or Battery
Unlike wrenches and non-powered tools, impact wrenches are dependent on power sources. Whether this is a wire or a battery, that can be very limiting.
If you have a corded impact wrench, you cannot use it in some places because there might not be a place to plug it in.
Plus, the size of the wire might get in the way of proper use.
Cordless impact wrenches like mine don’t have this problem, but they do run out of battery sooner or later, or the impact wrench is not strong enough for your use.
You can’t use them endlessly, and after a few hours they will run out of power. Plus, after every few years, you have to get the battery replaced as it stops working.
- Weight and Size
Lastly, one thing I want to mention is that impact wrenches are noticeably heavier than normal wrenches.
You might not think too much of it at the start, but as I used it to loosen nuts for a few hours, the weight of my DeWalt impact wrench really started to tire me out.
As you can see from the image below, my DeWALT impact wrench weight 3.28kg/7.23lbs with the battery attached.
