Hey guys.. Sorry I know i have been MIA, but I had finals! :( Anyways I was sick of paying $30 everytime I got my tires changed, which I do a lot. snow, road trips etc. So I went out and bought a compressor, 8 gal oil comp, and I bought an air tool kit for $150 that came with an impact wrench and a bunch of other tools. I fired it up and tried to take off my tires that night and the impact wrench was useless! I had to loosen up the lugs by hand then use the wrench to take them off. It seemed like a waste of money. So I figured my wrench didnt have enough torque. I returned the air tool set and bought just an impact wrench for $150 with 550 lbs of torque. Still the same thing! It seems a little better but I have to loosen it up by hand. If im doing that, I might as well just take them off all the way by hand.. lol Is that normal? I was thinking maybe its the air hose it came with because its skinny and small?? Its a small plastic hose bunched in the shape of a spring. Any ideas?

Yeah, maybe not enough air flow, and probably not enough pressure. make sure your pressure is set to aleast 90 psi.

Yep, sounds like a pressure problem. Check your manual for the impact wrench and it will tell you the correct psi. Then just set the regular to that pressure, make sure the compressor has plenty of air in the tank and you should be good. Good luck!

You should have at least a 3/8" inside diameter air hose.

You need a compressor with a higher CFM rating. Mine does the same thing, and I have a 25 gallon tank.

You have to step up to the bigger 2-stage compressors to get the necessary CFM rating to break lugs loose. Of course, these are usually permanently mounted in your garage, and a lot use 220V power, and cost $$$$.

Other than that, small compressors are good tools to have.

yep, need a better compressor. my 19 gal does the same thing. i'm runnin the larger air hose, so thats not it. its just not enough power to zip em off.

:D Try this air Wrench, I use it everyday. It gets the job done.http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200051674_200051674:D

I have an electric impact wrench that plugs into the cigarette lighter. When you turn it on, it winds up for about five seconds, then hits the lug. After about four or five tries, the lug comes loose. I only use it to get the lugs off, I put the lugs back on by hand, then use a torque wrench to finish off. Best thing, it's small enough to fit into the truck, so I could use it if I had to change a tire on the side of the road. My dad gave it to me for Christmas a few years back, I think he bought it at Harbor Freight.

Keith

Try this air Wrench, I use it everyday. It gets the job done.http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...74_200051674:D

Thats funny... thats the exact impact wrench I have.. lol I bought it from lowes. One last question. When tightening the lugs I also use a torque wrench. How many lbs do I tighten the lugs to? Is it different for my 26" rims and stock rims??

If you have a Discount Tire location near you they change between sets of wheels free of charge.

I tighten my lugs using the max setting on the gun. you will be able to take off the lugs using the same gun with no problem. It has more reverse torque than forward.