The Winter's Coming Winter Tires Thread

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Burninator

Any reason not to use the jack that comes with the vehicle besides it being slow?

Also mechanics gloves are totally worth the $15 dollars.

It will work but take more effort and time. If you plan on doing this a couple of times a year and maybe even the odd oil change it's so much easier and safer to go with a decent hydraulic jack. If you have your own garage you should really own one IMO.

[worth]

The jack that comes with a vehicle is more or less an emergency jack. It isn't designed for repeated use year after year. It is designed to change a flat tire on the road. It is much safer to purchase a real jack to change tires every season.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

You can even skip the impact wrench and just go with the torque wrench.

Noooooooooo!

If you hate your torque wrench maybe.

You never want to use a torque wrench as a breaker. Especially a good quality one. Unless you don't mind sending it in for recalibration. I have a MAC torque wrench which I am embarrassed to say what it cost, but they are definitely not designed to break off lug nuts. Torque wrenches should on be used one direction, and that is left to right.

[Jackpot_Smooth]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

On other tip, if you have a good jack, just jack it to the moon one one of the factor jack points so the whole side of the car is up. You only have to jack twice this way.

With air tools and this method I've got it down to under 30min a change with everything included but shuffling the cars around in the garage.

Or just find some mid point on the frame along either side and you don't have to jack it up so high. I've also used frame points to lift the front completely as well as the rear.

[Bill Bumface]

^If I do front/rear I have to leave the garage door open, and it's cold

If heard some bad stories of using stock jacks, and had one car fall off of a stock jack before.

Especially if it's a car where the wheels sieze to the hubs at all, and you have to kick the crap out of them... don't use the stock jack. Those things can be scary, not to mention super slow and annoying.

[GreatWhiteEbola]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

^If I do front/rear I have to leave the garage door open, and it's cold

If heard some bad stories of using stock jacks, and had one car fall off of a stock jack before.

Especially if it's a car where the wheels sieze to the hubs at all, and you have to kick the crap out of them... don't use the stock jack. Those things can be scary, not to mention super slow and annoying.

Crushed my ankle in with this exact scenario... won't be using a scissor jack to prop up a car anymore...

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by pylon

Noooooooooo!

If you hate your torque wrench maybe.

You never want to use a torque wrench as a breaker. Especially a good quality one. Unless you don't mind sending it in for recalibration. I have a MAC torque wrench which I am embarrassed to say what it cost, but they are definitely not designed to break off lug nuts. Torque wrenches should on be used one direction, and that is left to right.

Well damn. Don't I feel silly now. I thought that torque wrenches were a little more versatile / a little less sensitive. Luckily, Canadian Tire has a breaker bar on sale for $20. Hopefully I haven't buggered mine up too badly, although none of the nuts I have removed with it were ever particularly tight.

Thanks for the advice. Rookie mistake on my part. I'm changing my dad's wheels over this weekend, so I'll make sure I'm better equipped by then.

[Bill Bumface]

Crushed my ankle in with this exact scenario... won't be using a scissor jack to prop up a car anymore...

Ouch! I can't even imagine. To think there are people sticking their heads under cars that are just up on those things...

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

Well damn. Don't I feel silly now. I thought that torque wrenches were a little more versatile / a little less sensitive. Luckily, Canadian Tire has a breaker bar on sale for $20. Hopefully I haven't buggered mine up too badly, although none of the nuts I have removed with it were ever particularly tight.

Thanks for the advice. Rookie mistake on my part. I'm changing my dad's wheels over this weekend, so I'll make sure I'm better equipped by then.

LOL, it's ok.

I made the exact mistake myself when I was changing a set of tires when I was like 18. And my dad came running out of the garage screaming "NOOOOOOOOOooooooo!" as I am jumping on his torque wrench to loosen a seized lug nut on my car.

He. Was. PISSED.

[pylon]

Also it is really easy to make your own breaker bar. Just get a nice length of aluminum pipe, and slip it over your spare tire wrench.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by pylon

Also it is really easy to make your own breaker bar. Just get a nice length of aluminum pipe, and slip it over your spare tire wrench.

In the construction trades, it's referred to as a snipe.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

In the construction trades, it's referred to as a snipe.

[Sliver]

I finally bought a second set of rims this year instead of swapping my tires back and forth on one set. I was just going to buy painted black steel rims, but ended up finding a deal on a really nice set of aluminum wheels for only $20 more per wheel. Something to keep in mind if you're looking at steelies...they're not that cheap and they look way crappier than aluminum.

[ranchlandsselling]

So I bought a brand new pair of all seasons (bf goodridge) in early October out of necessity. Now I'm wondering about Winter tires and winter rims. That said, my current rims aren't in great shape (not bad either), so I could put winter's on them and buy new rims in the spring for the all seasons. Use the current rims as the winters. Also dropped $1,000 last month on tires, doing it again in 5 weeks seems - annoying?

SUV with 2wd / awd / 4x4, 265/70/17

Thoughts?

[Jimmy Stang]

Because I'm going to stop using my torque wrench for breaking nuts (thanks Pylon!), I'm thinking that I might pick up a cheap breaker bar (on sale for $20 : Link) or an electric impact wrench. There was a cheap one on sale for $40 until yesterday, but that sale is over unfortunately. Now there is a better one on sale for $80 : Link.

Does anyone have any experience with these electric ones? It'll probably only ever be used for loosening nuts during tire changeovers (usually three cars, twice a year). I could jerry-rig a "snipe", but I'd prefer a separate solution from my emergency spare tire one that I can keep in my garage.

Is it worth the 4x price difference over a manual breaker bar? The benefit is a little more efficiency, obviously. The $60 difference isn't going to put me in the poor house, but I am just curious to hear if others like their electric impact wrenches for this sort of thing.

[Shawnski]

I watch the mechanic next door many times find the lugs too tight whereby his impact gun won't begin to loosen them. That is what a breaker bar is for. And yes, sometimes even a snipe is needed as well.

If lugs are too tight, a cheap breaker bar will probably do just that... break. I have seen even the toughest of them break (at the socket insert). Remember too there are different socket sizes. There are 3/8" and 1/2" drives. Bigger is usually stronger for handling the torque.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

Because I'm going to stop using my torque wrench for breaking nuts (thanks Pylon!), I'm thinking that I might pick up a cheap breaker bar (on sale for $20 : Link) or an electric impact wrench. There was a cheap one on sale for $40 until yesterday, but that sale is over unfortunately. Now there is a better one on sale for $80 : Link.

Does anyone have any experience with these electric ones? It'll probably only ever be used for loosening nuts during tire changeovers (usually three cars, twice a year). I could jerry-rig a "snipe", but I'd prefer a separate solution from my emergency spare tire one that I can keep in my garage.

Is it worth the 4x price difference over a manual breaker bar? The benefit is a little more efficiency, obviously. The $60 difference isn't going to put me in the poor house, but I am just curious to hear if others like their electric impact wrenches for this sort of thing.

Just get both. Problem solved.

And thanks for the heads up on the impact gun. Mine is starting to get a little tired, time for a replacement, and that one is corded! From what I understand. Regular Mastercraft stuff uses nylon gears, Maximum uses metal.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Shawnski

There are 3/8" and 1/2" drives. Bigger is usually stronger for handling the torque.

The breaker bars that can handle 500 ft-lbs are 3/4" drive. I use one of those with an adapter to take 1/2" sockets for most things auto. Things like axle nuts can be around 250ft-lbs and a total pain with anything that isn't a massively long, strong breaker bar.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

Because I'm going to stop using my torque wrench for breaking nuts (thanks Pylon!), I'm thinking that I might pick up a cheap breaker bar (on sale for $20 : Link) or an electric impact wrench. There was a cheap one on sale for $40 until yesterday, but that sale is over unfortunately. Now there is a better one on sale for $80 : Link

I have this one: link

It works just fine for removing lug nuts. It might take a few more hits compared to a good air impact gun, but it saves me firing up the compresser.

Another pro-tip for Canadian Tire- they can easily be talked into giving you "last sale price." Just be nice, take the item to customer service and say you were talking to one of the managers about getting it for the last sale price.

[worth]

Drove to work at 8am with no snow to put the winters on. Came out of the shop to a few inches on the ground Just in the nick of time!