How do I get wheel nuts off?

[worm]

Just trying to undo some wheel nuts that were obviously put on way too tight by the ********* at Tyres Now...

Tried... wd-40, silicon spray, bar with my weight (broke the socket), impact gun... whats left?

[pcman]

bigger breaker bar and better socket , or bigger impact gun

[svo supporter]

A breaker bar, with a decent branded socket and 1 big piece of pipe. Works a treat for me and I weight 90 kg ringing wet.

[Legit290]

breaker bar , impact socket, plenty of weetbix

[BPXR6T]

Garage jack handle on breaker bar. The real trouble starts when the studs start spinning.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Wheel brace with a 6 foot length of pipe threaded on the end for leverage. A 4 way brace is much better as you can support the other end with a chassis stand to keep all the angles correct. At the end of a 6 foot pole a 6 year old will get those nuts off.

[Franco Cozzo]

1/2" impact gun lol.

Always made me wonder when working at a dealership, you'd get taught as an apprentice to only use the impact gun to take wheels off, when doing them up set it on its lowest setting to hold the wheel there.

Lower the car, then use a torque wrench and tighten to 110nm and she's good to go.

But you see mechanics there with their 1/2" impact guns on its highest setting going BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG on every wheel nut, tightening them up to like 300nm+.

Good luck for the poor person on the side of the road trying to change a wheel with that ****y little wheel wrench they give you.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Take the car back to where they tightened them and tell the peanut that put them on to undo them, if they break wheel studs or strip threads or damage wheel nuts you can get them to replace them then and there at their expense.

If you start leaning on it and break wheel studs, damage threads (which are probably damaged now anyway from over tightening the nuts) then it becomes your problem to repair at your own expense.

Wheel nuts do not have to be that tight, and as a matter of fact should not be too tight.

[The Yeti]

Originally Posted by XB GS 351 Coupe

Take the car back to where they tightened them and tell the peanut that put them on to undo them, if they break wheel studs or strip threads or damage wheel nuts you can get them to replace them then and there at their expense.

If you start leaning on it and break wheel studs, damage threads (which are probably damaged now anyway from over tightening the nuts) then it becomes your problem to repair at your own expense.

Wheel nuts do not have to be that tight, and as a matter of fact should not be too tight.

As **** as this sounds this is probably the best way to go

There's a better than average chance the thread on the studs are now stretched and will give you trouble down the track (coming loose or
Possibly breaking etc)

So go down tell them you can't get them off since they fitted them

[ratter]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

1/2" impact gun lol.

Always made me wonder when working at a dealership, you'd get taught as an apprentice to only use the impact gun to take wheels off, when doing them up set it on its lowest setting to hold the wheel there.

Lower the car, then use a torque wrench and tighten to 110nm and she's good to go.

this does happen in some places and is the best way, but to those that think a rattle gun is never acceptable, there are torque bars available that when fitted to the impact gun and adjusted correctly will only do the nuts to a certain preset (the the choice of bar) tension

[Kevaclone]

Originally Posted by ratter

this does happen in some places and is the best way, but to those that think a rattle gun is never acceptable, there are torque bars available that when fitted to the impact gun and adjusted correctly will only do the nuts to a certain preset (the the choice of bar) tension

Yes there are rattle guns that can do this, if they are kept in good condition, I have seen the way some tyre fitters throw them around, I wouldn't trust the torque setting to be right

[svo supporter]

Originally Posted by ratter

this does happen in some places and is the best way, but to those that think a rattle gun is never acceptable, there are torque bars available that when fitted to the impact gun and adjusted correctly will only do the nuts to a certain preset (the the choice of bar) tension

I use these where I work at the moment....Top stuff.

other places, the most common thing used is a tension wrench.

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

1/2" impact gun lol.

Always made me wonder when working at a dealership, you'd get taught as an apprentice to only use the impact gun to take wheels off, when doing them up set it on its lowest setting to hold the wheel there.

Lower the car, then use a torque wrench and tighten to 110nm and she's good to go.

But you see mechanics there with their 1/2" impact guns on its highest setting going BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG on every wheel nut, tightening them up to like 300nm+.

Good luck for the poor person on the side of the road trying to change a wheel with that ****y little wheel wrench they give you.

Yep...when we had our XC Fairmont an apprentice at a big tyre dealership broke off four wheel studs. They replaced them for free, and gave him a short sharp lesson in not using fricking rattle guns to blast the hell out of wheel nuts...

[flooded one]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

Yep...when we had our XC Fairmont an apprentice at a big tyre dealership broke off four wheel studs. They replaced them for free, and gave him a short sharp lesson in not using fricking rattle guns to blast the hell out of wheel nuts...

I havent had that happen too me yet but with a good mate of mine one of the tyre places here managed too break one of his wheel studs!!! he wasnt impressed!! dont blame him. I always worry when getting tyres fitted thats whats going too happen to me. i think a big problem is theres some people that dont really care too much when working

[xr gr8]

Originally Posted by wildrider

i think a big problem is theres some people that dont really care too much when working

Understatement of the century, and can be applied to life in general in 2012 unfortunately. on topic, imo ALL wheel nuts should be torqued in sequence to the particular vehicles specs, and most tyre retailers do do this...side topic, did anyone see Larko on the V8's coverage today with the Torque wrench on the rear wheel of a V8 Supercar? Must have been 5 foot long and is set at 1050Nm!

[mik]

another vote for impact socket, breaker bar and bit of pipe.

[Kevaclone]

even worse when the imbeciles do it to alloy wheels, I don't care how much longer it takes to do them up they are not using rattle guns on any alloys on my cars, and tension wrench to finish it off

[Linkachu]

I use a rattle gun to do them back up but not to a tightness, just to save time on putting the bastards back on there!

[worm]

got bigger piece of pipe... sore wrists... and they're off! thanks for all advice!!!

[EB#]

Originally Posted by worm

got bigger piece of pipe... sore wrists... and they're off! thanks for all advice!!!

Good to hear....
For what it's worth, my tyre blokes use a rattle gun to fit all wheels and
then do the actual tighten by hand with a standard wheel brace.

[Yaw]

Originally Posted by worm

How do I get wheel nuts off?

Gently stroke them perhaps

[OzJavelin]

Should try early Mopars .. LH threaded, LH side wheel nuts. Morons with rattle guns can do some real damage with those as they just keep pushing up the gun torque trying to undo them ...

[blackf6]

Getting new rims again Worm?

[STINKY NINJA]

Put anti seize on the studs when you fit new ones,wont happen again.

[cool65]

The boys at Beaurepaires in Dandenong South use rattle gun till just tight then torque wrench.

[Lazy Peac*ck EB]

Lefty loosey mate....lefty loosey

[OzJavelin]

Originally Posted by Lazy Peac*ck EB

Lefty loosey mate....lefty loosey

See my post above ... not for early Mopars ... but only on one side.

[Cam]

Worm... This is your cars way of saying "Stop bloody changing wheels"

[aussie muscle]

"What's that wheel doing on your crotch?"
"Argh, it's drivin' me nuts!"

[tex]

If they were that tight, think id be replacing the studs.