Torque Sticks go way over Spec. Feedback ?

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i_hate_autofraud

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Hi all!

Last fall the wife got her flat tire serviced while I was away. When I got back I thought I'd put the winter tires on. Surprise! I couldn't get the lug nuts off!

I had to pull out a 3 foot breaker bar and lean on it til they loosened! The Shop said they always use color coded Torque Sticks with their impact guns.

After reading the PDF below I asked the shop to use a manual 'click' torque wrench to undo the rest of the lugs, turned out it took 300 Ft/Lbs on average! The mechanic was surprised and mad the torque sticks he just bought don't work as claimed. Mechanics use impact guns to undo lug nuts so they'd never know how much force is needed if a car is stuck on the side of the road!

Check this PDF and try the at-home torque test and see if you agree:

Are there any Torque Sticks that truly works?


"BAD NEWS: TORQUE STICKS n’ IMPACT GUNS"

Link: https://app.box.com/s/g8s47dm0woyz65ybundz
 
The torque sticks are calibrated to a certain strength impact wrench. Also if you keep hammering down it will tighten more.. slowly.

For example my torque sticks are calibrated for a 350lb-ft impact wrench.

When you have a 700lb-ft impact wrench it will not be accurate as marked.

You should still final torque with a torque wrench.
 
Without a torque stick you'd have to learn how to use a torque wrench. Just remember, too tight and faster is better than having a wheel fall off if you're the company owner.
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Without a torque stick you'd have to learn how to use a torque wrench. Just remember, too tight and faster is better than having a wheel fall off if you're the company owner.


Yeah, wouldn't want anybody to learn how to do their job correctly to begin with.....but then again we're talking about the scummiest industry in the USA with the exception of a few others, the auto repair and service industry...
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So far I've borrowed 3 sets of Torque Sticks and all were 100 Ft/Lbs or more over Spec when measured by untorquing via a click torque wrench in steps.

None of the sets said they were made for a specific impact gun rating.

If you over-tighten, the risk is the wheel lugs will snap, they're made cheap by the lowest bidder!

Turns out GM Techlink Nov 2010 said dealers had to stop using impact guns (torque sticks implied as well).

https://www.box.com/s/loa0tl5pdu3obgtej86y
 
I'm glad I trusted my gut and didn't invest in torque sticks. I'll stick to a torque wrench when I remove and reinstall wheels. I knew there was a problem with them when it came time for the first tire rotation on a new set of tires and removing the lug nuts was a PITA. Now I know why. Thanks.
 
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
I'm glad I trusted my gut and didn't invest in torque sticks.


I don't like the whole principle they operate under. Metal bars twisting........doesn't seem natural.
 
I agree with rand. Torque sticks are calibrated for a certain input from an impact wrench. If you don't have your impact wrench set right, your torque stick won't be right.

Point #23 in the link is thus wrong. It says you should use maximum shop air and your impact wrench as you normally do. That's wrong. You need to dial down the power of the impact wrench to the proper level to make the torque stick work correctly.
 
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Or do it the right way and only use the impact with a light trigger as a nut runner then use a torque wrench.
A split beam torque wrench is ideal for this job, you never have to set it to zero to store it just leave it set.
 
Originally Posted By: Trav
Or do it the right way and only use the impact with a light trigger as a nut runner then use a torque wrench.
A split beam torque wrench is ideal for this job, you never have to set it to zero to store it just leave it set.


I agree I don't use torque sticks often since I got my battery impact.

Occasionally they are useful. They can be reasonably accurate if the operator uses them correctly.

For example with my old IR 8049 impact they would be 10-15% under marked torque. I would just tighten with an appropriate stick then finish with the torque wrench.

The major reason I kept them is my set has very squared off corners.. not at all tapered/rounded. Fits amazing with stupid 13mm Square drain plugs (subaru) where regular 1/2" drive is sloppy.
 
Originally Posted By: Trav
Or do it the right way and only use the impact with a light trigger as a nut runner then use a torque wrench.
A split beam torque wrench is ideal for this job, you never have to set it to zero to store it just leave it set.


I'm glad I found this thread the other day. That's how I've been doing it. As an added bonus I saved quite a bit of cash by not buying torque sticks.
 
They're a torsion spring, how tight they go depends on how much the gun twists them with each hit.
 
I've never seen a Tech at a garage use a 'light trigger' on an impact wrench with Torque Sticks, he just jams it and stands on the trigger, so I know those wheels are way over torqued!!!

Those wheel studs are just waiting to snap!!

Nowhere in the torque stick kits did I see instructions to match to a certain size impact gun or to turn the air setting down.
 
Problem was you had a dumb person working on your car

I have a set and they included instructions that also mentioned they were calibrated to 350lb-ft impact.
 
Minority report here....used torque sticks (the FoMoCo "Rotunda" set) for 10 years in the shop. Never had a problem, never had a recheck for a warped rotor caused by improper torque. Best time saver ever. Use them on my cars now.
 
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