Can air impact wrenches be used for small car tire bolts?
3 Answers
Air impact wrenches can be used for small car tire bolts, but it's advisable to use fewer impacts and finish tightening by hand to ensure more balanced force distribution on the bolts. Here are relevant details: 1. About air impact wrenches: Also known as pneumatic wrenches, they are tools for installing and removing bolts, typically used for larger bolts. Air impact wrenches offer fast bolt removal and require less effort. They are commonly used in automotive repair for removing car tire bolts. 2. Tire functions: Tires bear the weight of the car and its load, known as load-bearing capacity. They transmit driving, traction, acceleration, steering, and braking forces to the ground, including driving force, traction force, braking force, and steering force. This is referred to as meeting the dynamic performance requirements of the car, enabling its operation. Tires allow the car to drive smoothly, maintain stable handling, and ensure high-speed safety under various weather, road, and speed conditions, known as safety performance. They also cushion vibrations, reduce noise, and provide riding comfort, known as comfort performance.
Actually, I've repaired car tires quite a few times and used an impact wrench to tighten or loosen bolts, but I've encountered quite a few issues. Car tire bolts are generally designed to be quite delicate, and the impact force of the wrench is too strong, making it easy to overtighten or loosen them instantly, causing the bolts to stretch and deform, or even get stuck or break. I once saw a friend overtighten a bolt with an impact wrench, causing it to snap off and damage the wheel hub surface, costing over a thousand yuan to fix. Later, I switched to using a socket wrench to manually loosen the bolts and then a torque wrench to precisely set the torque to the manufacturer's recommended Newton-meters, usually between 80-120 Nm depending on the car model. This slow and steady approach ensures the tires are securely fitted and safer for high-speed driving. For daily car maintenance, don't cut corners—manual tools can get the job done, saving you the hassle of rework at the repair shop.
When doing DIY car repairs, I often change tires. While impact wrenches seem to instantly loosen bolts, they're actually quite harsh on passenger car bolts. These bolts typically have fine threads and are made of alloy material - the impact from the wrench can damage the bolt's metal structure, and over time it will wear out the wheel hub's threaded holes. I recommend not rushing the process: first loosen bolts manually to prevent sudden breakage, then use a torque wrench to tighten to the specified value (for example, compact cars usually require about 90Nm). Passenger car bolts aren't as heavy-duty as truck bolts - using an impact wrench can easily cause them to loosen or fall off, which is dangerous at high speeds and affects braking performance. Regularly check your bolts and maintain them with manual tools - this saves money while ensuring driving stability, easily lasting 100,000 kilometers.
