Torque stuck WITH torque wrench??

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I just had tires put in at discount tire an saw something interesting....they used a torque stick (blue 80lbs probably) WITH a torque wrench which was a flat style body clicker.
Is this kosher?

Not that this is specific to the above question but I was pleased with the rest of their attaching process.
1. Start lugs with hands
2. Spin lugs on with low pressure air gun and yellow torque stick in 5 lug star pattern
3. Hit lug nuts in star pattern with air gun and yellow torque stick for about 4 ' pops' each. Spin wheel apparently to check or any 'catches or obvious wobbles.
4. Lower car until tires touch ground at perhaps 50 percent load. Then use torque wrench with blue torque stick on each nut in star pattern until click (resulted effort between primary tighten and this final torque step was about 3/4 turn of lug nut)
5. One final click check with torque wrench and blue bar in circular pattern
6. Lower car-done

You can comment on this also if you like.
 
I thought the "torque sticks" were supposed to be used with an air impact gun. Guess it would still work with a manual torque wrench if both are set to "pop" at the same torque value.
 
I didn't like the air gun at all either but the saving grace was that I could see and hear how under pressured they were and how the nuts still moved a healthy amount with the torque wrench. I suppose I could go through the trouble of jacking the car in the snow and backing off every lug but and re tightening in my personal process.
 
Based on how I understand torque sticks to work, I don't think it would cause any issues with accuracy. It's essentially an extension.

The torque stick relies on the impact action of the impact wrench to limit the transmitted torque.

Its possible that they use the blue torque stick as an easy identifier of the torque setting the torque wrench is set to, in this case, 80 ft lbs.
 
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
I suppose I could go through the trouble of jacking the car in the snow and backing off every lug but and re tightening in my personal process.


I had to go through more trouble than that. When I got home, I had to put the car up on four jack stands so that I could move the two new tires to the front. America's Tire Store refuses to put new tires on the front when you buy in pairs.
 
I torque using a 4 way lug wrench and muscle.The length of the 4 way limits my torque.Once you get the feel,you can duplicate it pretty much all the time.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
I suppose I could go through the trouble of jacking the car in the snow and backing off every lug but and re tightening in my personal process.


I had to go through more trouble than that. When I got home, I had to put the car up on four jack stands so that I could move the two new tires to the front. America's Tire Store refuses to put new tires on the front when you buy in pairs.
There is a reason for that.
 
The tire shop I use uses a 70lb torque stick to run them on and then finishes with a hand held snap on Torque wrench once. Then they call another employee to hit them all again with the hand held wrench.

I asked why and the Service Manager told me it is company policy that all wheels get torqued by two employees to be certain they are all refastened correctly.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
I suppose I could go through the trouble of jacking the car in the snow and backing off every lug but and re tightening in my personal process.


I had to go through more trouble than that. When I got home, I had to put the car up on four jack stands so that I could move the two new tires to the front. America's Tire Store refuses to put new tires on the front when you buy in pairs.


On a FWD vehicle the newer tires should be on the rear. Otherwise you will lose rear wheel traction in rain or snow and go into a spin.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
I suppose I could go through the trouble of jacking the car in the snow and backing off every lug but and re tightening in my personal process.


I had to go through more trouble than that. When I got home, I had to put the car up on four jack stands so that I could move the two new tires to the front. America's Tire Store refuses to put new tires on the front when you buy in pairs.
I'm on your side Merkava. If I have a pair with 3/4 tread and a brand new pair, the new pair is going on the front to even the tread wear. That way I have the most smooth-ness up front and makes it pleasant to drive.
 
Originally Posted By: sayjac
No idea what referenced "blue bar" is with torque wrench.

As linked thread states, local DTs here use torque stick for initial tighten, then finish lugs with torque wrench only.


The 'blue bar' was a blue torque stick on a torque wrench. I was baffled. But they must have reasoning behind it, which could be simply as an extension socket. But odd nonetheless. Thus my question if there is any concern about using a torque stick with a torque wrench.
 
Originally Posted By: RF Overlord
Originally Posted By: Doog
On a FWD vehicle the newer tires should be on the rear.
On a RWD vehicle, too...


This topic has been beaten to death...

Put your new tires wherever you want... and IF something happens, don't blame someone else. END.
 
A little research yields Hanco USA with a 65ftlb yellow and n 80ftlb blue torque stick. So it appears they use the 65 lb and relatively low air pressure to run the nuts on once hand started and then the torque wrench with 80ftlb blue stick as the final torque. At least I hope this is the company they use as other companies yellows are 90ftlb which wouldn't make sense as the nuts did indeed turn each 3/4 turn to final torque after spun in with the yellow and 4 pops.

Either way, I don't have further cause for concern of dangerously over torqued tightening values or procedure , just odd use of torque stick on too of the torque wrench itself as an extension of sorts.

They Also wired brushed the mating hub surface with a round air operated wire brush. Bit a horrible use but my car had just 25k. I didn't like how they lightly brushed the base it the studs threads as they did this thereby perhaps depositing some 'crud' or smoothing the threads a tad. But perhaps the studs are harder than I think and wouldn't be hurt by a glance from a wire brush.
 
It sound to me like they are doing it right enough. They are using the correct torque wrench for this kind of work and the torque stick as insurance in case the "click is not heard or felt in a noisy shop with multiple air guns possibly going at any given time.
As someone posted they may be using it as an extension also, which is no problem.

The split beam wrench is ideal because it doesn't benefit from being set to zero after use and can be left at a set torque infinitum without loosing accuracy, there is no spring to compress.
No offense but your method is way over the top. Run them down with the gun, ratchet or cross wrench until firm, drop the car tighten with the torque wrench.
 
A year or so ago I had ball joints put on my 96 Dodge and they used a 100 lb. torque stick on the wheels.
At 280 lbs I had to stand on an 20 inch long breaker bar to loosen them.
Couldn't budge them by hand.
New rotors and wheels since and no more power tools on my wheels.
A torque stick may be ok if the air gun is set properly.
If I'm not mistaken there is a procedure to go through, not setting the air gun at maximum.
 
The conventional wisdom IS that the good tires go on the back, even though the front ones transmit drive torque, steering loads, more of the breaking load, and are holding up more of the car's weight with Front drive
It has to do with today's driver losing control of digestive tract functions if the tail gets a little lose.
 
Torque sticks are just calibrated spring steel. They absorb the impacts when the setting it reached, they work well enough with double hammer style guns.
They don't work with ratchets, breaker bars and torque wrenches but you can feel some action if you hold on to it.

A high quality one will work with decent accuracy but i suppose cheap ones could be over powered by a powerful gun especially a pin and clutch type that make lots of torque from the get go.
I used them at one time but didn't like them.I just run the nuts up snug in a criss cross pattern and tighten with a torque wrench.
 
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