Update: Saw a guy torque lug nuts with an impact at a shop in Dayton last month and it split the whole bay in two

Charles Coleman · 2026-10-15T15:05:05.524082+00:00

I was at a tire shop in Dayton helping a buddy pick up his truck last month when I watched one of their guys run every lug nut down with a half inch impact on the highest setting. He never once grabbed a torque wrench, just zipped them all tight and moved on. Two days later my buddy called me because three studs had snapped off on the highway and the wheel was wobbling bad. Now here is where I want to hear from you guys, because I have gone back and forth on this for weeks. One side says the impact gets it close enough and the road vibration evens it out, plus shops do not have time to hand torque every car. The other side says that is how you stretch studs, warp rotors, and send somebody off with a death trap. I used to be lazy about it too until I saw those broken studs in person. So where do you land on it, is a torque wrench on every wheel just not realistic in a busy shop, or is skipping it the kind of shortcut that should get somebody written up?

Vivisector

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Update: Saw a guy torque lug nuts with an impact at a shop in Dayton last month and it split the whole bay in two | Auto Mechanics - Vivisector