Thread: What Impact socket for D4 wheel nuts?

My own personal and professional opinion I would NEVER use inpact tools for wheel nuts...EVER!!!!
To spin them on or off, no problem but then use a torque wrench set at the proper setting to finally torque them, else there is a considerable risk of breaking studs.
I too have a second set of wheels and take the time to use proper stands to safety, and then as each wheel is changed over have a good look around and check visually the brake wear. I also clean the area as necessary.
An ordinary single hex 22mm socket is what I use.

X 2

If a tyre fitter ever used an impact socket / air impact gun to do up the wheel nuts on a vehicle of mine, he'd likely get a smack under the ear.

I always crack and again final tighten wheel nuts by hand. I find rattle guns damage / dent the stainless caps on the wheel nuts.





Erich

Impact Air Gun and 12 point sockets for LR wheels nuts is inviting the swollen nuts syndrome.

The stainless steel sheaf over the nut is easily deformed to the point where a socket cannot be placed over the wheel nut.

I've had to replace at least half of my nuts after one unsupervised event where a set of new tyres was installed. I had to tap the socket onto the most of the wheel nuts and use an extension bar to crack the wheel nut.

Buy a good 3/4" bar and a couple 3/4" drive 22mm sockets AND get a good torque wrench to tighten the nuts. Body weight is not a good measure.

Good luck

Thanks for comments so far. All good advice.

I am interested to know what the dealer and LR specialists workshops do for their procedures, no that I'm questioning any of your opinions, just interested.

Matt.

Originally Posted by Datt

Thanks for comments so far. All good advice.

I am interested to know what the dealer and LR specialists workshops do for their procedures, no that I'm questioning any of your opinions, just interested.

Matt.

The dealers and LR specialists will have different priorities to you, the owner. They will be much more interested in speed and the here and now, than minimising damage than may not be evident until some time in the future.

Hi Matt,

Seems I am the odd one out, but here is what I do. I find that taking wheel nuts off without a bar a meter long, is bloody hard work. On the side of the road, even more inconvenient. I use a battery powered impact wrench with a deep 22mm socket and a torque bar. Even the cheap electric wrenches with a new battery, will develop too much torque for wheel nuts. Some as much as the air operated stuff. Most are not adjustable, unlike the air operated options.
I think commonsense prevails. Impact wrenches are used universally by race , rally teams, and workshops. It's the nut on the other end that's the issue, and that's not the wheel nut.
You will see air impact wrenches used in top end workshops, but they don't use them for the final nut tension. A torque wrench is used for that.
Give yourself a break, just do it sensibly

I swap out my wheels at least monthly.
To save my wheel nuts from impact driver damage I swapped them out for solid ones I bought on eBay. Now I use a 6 sided 22mm impact socket to undo and tighten them. I tighten using a lower setting and use a torque wrench for the final tighten to spec. The Landrover nuts are easily damaged and can become swollen or have the caps come of. After seeing the damage done by previous owners (and workshops) to both my D2 and D3 nuts I decided to buy the solid replacements for the D3 and kept them when I got the D4.
On a side note I had the car serviced the other day and found on it's return that the wheel nuts where way overtight (my torque wrench goes up to 175nm and some were above that).