Anyone use a breaker bar for lug nuts?

[Badgerstate]

So, long story short, I recently picked up a Craftsman corded electric impact wrench for removing lug nuts. It works great but its heavy and the cord can be kind of annoying. So, the other day, I asked myself, "why dont I just use a breaker bar?" I recently picked up a Husky 1/2" extendable breaker bar that I plan to use for lug nuts.
Does anyone else use a breaker bar for removing lug nuts?

 

[Ralf11]

I use a big-azz Snappie 1/2" drive bent-handle ratchet mostly. Breaker bar if I need it (truck).

 

[lardy1]

Sometimes my Bosch won't break a lug nut loose on one of my Silverado's and I get out the 24" breaker bar and a six point chrome socket and they break.

 

[unslow1]

I use the HF extendable 1/2 ratchets in both of my drivers.

 

[65ranchero]

Only when the tire monkeys reinstall the wheels after a tire repair or swap.
There is no need to hit the 1200 ft/lb gun for the count of 6 to make sure "it's tight"
then check it with a torque wrench .
I have had the 2 piece lug nuts ( chrome cap over steel) fail a short time later

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

I use a piece of pipe. Actually a sturdy leg off a table. Of course I have 4 of these so all are strategically findable most of the time.

 

[Neggy]

before I got rid of my truck, I had a breaker bar and a set of flip sockets behind the seat.... because the breaker bar beats a factory lug wrench, and because the summer wheels had a different (smaller) sized lug than the OEM ones.

 

[Wrench97]

That's like manual labor................my impact always takes them off.

 

[rancherbill]

My truck was a challenge to use the factory wrench. Age Rust etc made them a ******.

I bought a long handle ratchet, a 6 point socket and found a chunk of pipe to use as a cheater. I have had to jump on the end of the pipe to get them broken free, then the ratchet makes them a breeze.

The monkey that put them on had no idea of how tight they were making them With my weight etc I was exerting 600+ ft pounds on the end of the cheater to get them loose I subsequently loosened all the nuts, put antiseize on them and retorqued.

 

[P0234]

I use anti-seize on my bolts/lugs and even my wimpy Ryobi impact gun gets them off. Anytime someone else takes the wheels off, they get re-torqued as soon as I get home.

 

[four.cycle]

I found a nice 18" Martin breaker bar and got a 19mm Tekton 6-point deep well to deal with lug nuts after hassling with a lug nut some kid at a tire shop had torqued down to 9 billion foot pounds.
Problem solved.

 

[Neggy]

I use anti-seize on my bolts/lugs and even my wimpy Ryobi impact gun gets them off. Anytime someone else takes the wheels off, they get re-torqued as soon as I get home.

What are you using for a torque spec.

any lubricant or anti seize on the threads is going to need a different approach as the specifications for lug nut torques are for dry threads.

 

[P0234]

What are you using for a torque spec.

any lubricant or anti seize on the threads is going to need a different approach as the specifications for lug nut torques are for dry threads.

High end of factory. 40+ cars and haven't had a wheel fall off yet. Amazingly the bolts are still tight, they don't hop off like everyone says they should.

 

[Tools4Me]

I pretty much only use a breaker bar for lug nuts. I pop them with a breaker bar and then spin them off the rest of the way with a short spinner handle (I don't like the long shafted ones that are a lot more common). I value peace and quiet over speed if I'm not in a hurry.

I use anti-seize on all my lug threads, but I account for it properly. The anti-seize I use has a listed "K factor" of 0.18, so I reduce my torque values by 10% compared to dry torque specs.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I keep one in the truck with a 1/2" drive socket set for tire changed when not at home. I put them in last year or so when I bought my dump trailer and have used them twice so far.

 

[joel63]

I have a 24" 1/2 inch breaker and socket in each one of the family cars.
One of them is a 1/2" drive flex head spinner.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

High end of factory. 40+ cars and haven't had a wheel fall off yet. Amazingly the bolts are still tight, they don't hop off like everyone says they should.

Exactly. I use anti seize on mine usually too. Also use it where the wheel mates to the rotor and where the rotor mates to the hub. Never had an issue doing that and don’t know anyone that has.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

I use a breaker bar at home to break them loose since I had to take all my power and air tools to work and still haven’t gotten around to getting more yet. At work I zip them off with a gun. And I’m the only one in the shop who uses a torque stick to put them back on after hand tightening them all the way. Then use a torque wrench at the end.

 

[seber]

Breaker bar is fine for me. Finish with a torque wrench. I don't reduce for antiseize. It may be a little tighter, but nothing like the apes at the tire shop give it.

 

[ericm]

I've had to use a breaker bar when the air impact would not loosen nuts over tightened by the tire shop. Yep, they crank it down with their impact gun then "check" with a torque wrench. I'm glad I found out in my garage and not on the side of the road with a flat.

 

[Qualitytools]

I use a 1/2" Harbor Freight 25" long breaker bar for my lug nuts and lug bolts.

 

[Pontiac787]

21 replies that could have been summed up with “yes”.

 

[joel63]

21 replies that could have been summed up with “yes”.

I was thinking about doing that,.......but.

 

[McGR]

I've got a few impacts, but I feel the breaker bar is easier on the crappy capped lug nuts on my vehicles. I usually break them free with the breaker bar and finish removal with an impact. Installation is the opposite. I snug them with the impact and torque them on with the breaker bar (no I don't use a torque wrench to torque to factory spec... sorry).

 

[M6erfan]

Yes

 

[speed88]

I keep a harbor freight 25” breaker bar and a correct size socket in the trunk of my car for an emergency flat tire. Also makes a good club if needed lol. Hopefully I never have to use it that way .

 

[chris142]

All our cars have a nice long breaker bar and appropriate socket to fit the lug nuts. Stored with the spare tire.

 

[unslow1]

21 replies that could have been summed up with “yes”.

Except a few of us including myself said use a large ratchet not a breaker bar.

 

[Lucid Moments]

I've got a few impacts, but I feel the breaker bar is easier on the crappy capped lug nuts on my vehicles. I usually break them free with the breaker bar and finish removal with an impact. Installation is the opposite. I snug them with the impact and torque them on with the breaker bar (no I don't use a torque wrench to torque to factory spec... sorry).

Get rid of the crappy capped lug nuts? I don't live in the rust belt where those are a much bigger issue and I don't have any left on any of my vehicles, or any other in my family that I am aware of.

I use an impact almost exclusively unless I am on the road somewhere in which case I keep a cheap Pittsburgh 1/2" ratchet and sockets in the truck.

 

[Wrench97]

Or a 4 way lug wrench.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Normally I just use an impact, but if I have to be quiet, this works really well.

 

[McGR]

Get rid of the crappy capped lug nuts? I don't live in the rust belt where those are a much bigger issue and I don't have any left on any of my vehicles, or any other in my family that I am aware of.

I use an impact almost exclusively unless I am on the road somewhere in which case I keep a cheap Pittsburgh 1/2" ratchet and sockets in the truck.

We've had several Jeeps and Mopars over the last 20+ years and corrosion really hasn't been the issue. The problem is just that the caps get beat up and deformed from using impacts. Part of my solution is using the breaker bar, the other part is using a 19.5mm deep socket. This combination works for me.

 

[ambenz]

It is a terrible shame we all have to use a breaker bar.
If you torque those lugs to speck, you wouldn't have a problem using the car manufactures wrench to loosen the lugs when you are on the side of the road with a flat.
Of course, those times you find skilled shop mechanics messing with your vehicle, they use high impacts to tighten those lugs or the lugs swell from crossion.
Best to re-torque your lugs before any long road trip and after any shop has your vehicle in for service.
NO ONE wants to be stuck on the side of the road and you cannot remove your flat tire with your vehicles wrench!
Better question would be, how many people know the correct torque pounds to use on your lugs or do you even know how how to use a torque wrench??? One of the first tools my wife learned to use was a torque wrench.
Get yourself a torque wrench and END all this nonsense of using a breaker bar to loosen passenger vehicle lugnuts!

 

[McGR]

Normally I just use an impact, but if I have to be quiet, this works really well.

That's a nice tool! All speed wrenches should have that flex head. Who makes that?

 

[M6erfan]

That's a nice tool! All speed wrenches should have that flex head. Who makes that?

Looks like a Snap-on SN4B

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Yes, only because I haven't found a Plomb one yet. Ive also found it handy on serpentine tensioners where some other pulley would get in the way of a straight bar.

 

[Meursault74]

No, I just used a 4 ft piece of gas pipe slipped over the factory lug wrench the other day.

 

[Lucid Moments]

We've had several Jeeps and Mopars over the last 20+ years and corrosion really hasn't been the issue. The problem is just that the caps get beat up and deformed from using impacts. Part of my solution is using the breaker bar, the other part is using a 19.5mm deep socket. This combination works for me.

Your life, your cars. I just want to be able to get the wheels off with whatever set of tools I happen to have handy and not have to rely on the "special" socket. Same reason I won't have locking lug nuts on any vehicle I have anything to do with either. Granted that you can probably just use a 20mm if you need to so not quite the same thing but not far from it either.

 

[dnschmidt]

I don't have a collection of air and cordless impacts to resort to grunt work. That stated the torque spec for my Camry is 75 ft-lb. My M12 stubby and small M18 impacts are more than enough to handle that. If **** gets real I've got the high torque Milwaukee but frankly I've never needed to use it on any car. Maybe you guys with F350's need to but I don't.

 

[M6erfan]

My Bosch 18v 1/2 Impact struggles with my Grand Cherokee lug nuts (130 lb/ft)so I break them loose with my 600mm Ko-ken bar then spin them off with the impact. The Bosch does fine on my BIL's Camry lugs though.