Been torquing lug nuts wrong for like 8 years

I was at a shop in Denver last month helping a buddy swap tires on his F-150. He watched me hit each lug nut with the impact gun and then just call it done. He asked if I ever used a torque wrench after that. I said no, never had issues. He pulled me over to his toolbox and showed me a bulletin from Ford about wheel studs snapping on these trucks. I had no idea that over-tightening with an impact could stretch the studs and make them fail later. I always thought tighter was better. Now I use a torque stick on the gun and finish with a click wrench. Has anyone else been skipping the torque check and got away with it for years?

2 comments

2 Comments

cameron_chen633d ago

Ha. I've been holding my coffee mug together with sheer ignorance for years.

the_vera3d ago

Funny how that works, right? I used to be all about "knowledge is power" and thought ignorance was just an excuse. But then I started noticing how much happier my coffee-drinking friends were who just enjoyed their cup without worrying about the perfect brewing temperature or the ethical sourcing of the beans. It kind of made me rethink my whole approach. Now I just drink whatever's in front of me and my mug's held together with pure vibes too. Honestly, there's something freeing about not overthinking the small stuff.