[Chromander]

For all of you enthusiasts out there, what type of air wrench / compressor setup do you use on your e90? Or do most of you use a manual torque wrench to remove wheels etc...??

I've been tinkering with the idea to get a new air compressor + wrench (but have no idea how much power I will need to support removal of lugnuts)....

Thanks all and your feedback is greatly appreciated!

[35past3]

Originally Posted by packetstorm88

For all of you enthusiasts out there, what type of air wrench / compressor setup do you use on your e90? Or do most of you use a manual torque wrench to remove wheels etc...??

I've been tinkering with the idea to get a new air compressor + wrench (but have no idea how much power I will need to support removal of lugnuts)....

Thanks all and your feedback is greatly appreciated!

I have a 6 gallon compressor and I have to wait for it to catch up when doing the lugs nuts. I bought the Craftsman wrenches for 50 each..3/8" and 1/4".

[garyhgaryh]

i have a 20 or 25 gallon compressor and I can take off lug nuts all day long if I wanted to .

[rje]

I have an 8 Gallon, should be good enough (maybe 6 gallon is oK). I used the impact wrench (air tool) for removal and initial installation, and then use teh torque wrench for final adjustment.

[tintivilus]

Originally Posted by packetstorm88

Or do most of you use a manual torque wrench to remove wheels etc...??

I have a Milwaukee 18V impact wrench but I've never needed it for wheels. I just use a breaker bar and non-marring socket for removal and a torque wrench for re-installation. Torquing down your lugbolts with an impact wrench is just begging to wreck your hubs (ask me how i know )

I just use the impact for freeing rusty bolts, like when taking off brake calipers. I went cordless for mobility's sake, but you could get air if you only ever plan on using it in the garage.

I'm pretty sure this is the model I have:

http://www.milwaukeetool.com/webapp/..._192145_192137

[Chromander]

Thanks for all of your input. I have no idea about costs...

What's a typical torque wrench cost?

Sounds like a 6 Gallon compressor is not enough, but anything more might be optimal. What's that run?

The impact wrench, that sounds quite expensive with additional parts to support different size bolts and etc...price?

Would $500 cover a good setup, I plan on swapping wheels quite a bit this summer and doing some tracking.

[tintivilus]

You don't need power tools to swap wheels -- go to Sears and get the biggest 1/2" breaker bar they have and a 1/2" torque wrench. Get a deep 17mm non-marring socket or a 17mm socket and a 4" extension. Spend the money you saved on a decent floor jack -- that's way more useful than a pneumatic or electric impact wrench. You can pick up the Craftsman race jack at any Sears, or a roughly-equivalent model from Harbor Freight for half the price.

You won't want to horse an air compressor to the track and find someplace to plug it in, so you'll either need to get a decent cordless wrench or a POS cigarette-lighter one. Don't use a non-marring socket with power tools; you'll probably bend it.

[GMWNashville]

id recommend a cordless snap on impact wrench...but they are pricey...

[Chromander]

Originally Posted by tintivilus

You don't need power tools to swap wheels -- go to Sears and get the biggest 1/2" breaker bar they have and a 1/2" torque wrench. Get a deep 17mm non-marring socket or a 17mm socket and a 4" extension. Spend the money you saved on a decent floor jack -- that's way more useful than a pneumatic or electric impact wrench. You can pick up the Craftsman race jack at any Sears, or a roughly-equivalent model from Harbor Freight for half the price.

You won't want to horse an air compressor to the track and find someplace to plug it in, so you'll either need to get a decent cordless wrench or a POS cigarette-lighter one. Don't use a non-marring socket with power tools; you'll probably bend it.

Good idea....I'll definitely look into this...

[335iheLLraiseR]

what setting for the torque wrench?

[BK]

Originally Posted by 335iheLLraiseR

what setting for the torque wrench?

88.5 ft-lb or 120 Nm

[ages944]

I use a breaker bar to get the lugs loose. Then follow up with a 17mm socket attached to my power drill. Putting the wheels back on is the same process in reverse, but with the addition of a torque wrench at the end to make sure that the bolts are tightened to spec.

[Chromander]

Is this a breaker bar or a torque wrench?

[742]

Originally Posted by tintivilus

You don't need power tools to swap wheels -- go to Sears and get the biggest 1/2" breaker bar they have and a 1/2" torque wrench. Get a deep 17mm non-marring socket or a 17mm socket and a 4" extension. Spend the money you saved on a decent floor jack -- that's way more useful than a pneumatic or electric impact wrench. You can pick up the Craftsman race jack at any Sears, or a roughly-equivalent model from Harbor Freight for half the price.

You won't want to horse an air compressor to the track and find someplace to plug it in, so you'll either need to get a decent cordless wrench or a POS cigarette-lighter one. Don't use a non-marring socket with power tools; you'll probably bend it.

+1

I swap three sets of snows twice a year and have a substantial compressor. But the wheels go on and off by hand.

Super tight lug nuts and bolts should not happen and are a sign of sloppy work.

[742]

Originally Posted by packetstorm88

Is this a breaker bar or a torque wrench?

That is a breaker bar.

Torque wrenches come in various forms and sizes, but they all give some form of indication that the correct torque has been applied. You want one where 90 foot/pounds is in the middle of the range. The form it takes (beam, dial, click) does not matter for this application.

Tighten in a star pattern, going around twice. The first time to about half toque, the second time to 88.5 ft/lbs.

And the most important thing is this: Do not ever get under a car, or put any part of your body, under a car that is sitting on just a jack.

[tintivilus]

FWIW, my wheel-swapping setup includes:

Craftsman breaker bar (purchased locally)
Craftsman torque wrench (purchased locally)
Bavarian Autosport lug socket (part LUG17MM, not sure how to link to product pages there)
Harbor Freight "racing" jack (purchased locally)
Josh49's aluminum jack block

The first couple seasons I changed wheels with an E46 stock scissor-jack and it kinda sucked. The proper floor jack was a huge improvement, and Harbor Freight was a lot cheaper than Sears. The quality is perfectly acceptable for home use; HF isn't that junk that it used to be, that's for sure.

Now that I've tried the "non-marring" socket I wouldn't bother with it. A normal 17MM socket is fine, but you'll need a 4" extension to reach your lug bolts without bonking your knuckles on the fenders. The deep socket is just barely long enough to reach.

[Chromander]

Looks like I've got some shopping to do this weekend...

Thanks all, I'll post some pics once I get my setup.

[longtran]

you can get a torque wrench from harbor freight, if theres any out there in your area, they go for 15 bucks and a set of protected sockets for 25 bucks and you are set. you can use the torque wrench to remove the lugs as well.
i've been using them for over 2 years and no problem what so ever.

http://www.harborfreight.com/



http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...Itemnumber=239



and these

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=40035

[TRICKE90]

I use a 60 gallon air compressor, a SnapOn 1/2" impact wrench, and a torque wrench for tightening things back up. You don't need an impact wrench but you can sure do things a lot faster with one. I also have 2 floor jacks, so when rotating tires on my other vehicles it's a snap. I also think it's important to tighten your lug nuts with a torque wrench, that way they will all be the same and you know you won't be over or under spec. With aluminum wheels you have to be careful. I'm sorry, but I can't justify using cheap tools. Both of my floor jacks are from Mac Tools and all my sockets are from SnapOn, Yes, they are expensive but imho they are worth it and fun to use. I was tired of having to replace crap tools because either they didn't function properly or they broke. When working on a car such a BMW don't you want to use the best?

[ENINTY]

Sears also sells a nice 1/2" drive electric impact wrench; it's about $130. Remember to get a set of impact sockets. Regular sockets will eventually break if used with an impact wrench.

[LEDZEP]

I use a cordless rechargable Goodyear impact wrench. It's awesome - no need for a compressor and no dragging the air hose all around the car. I do have a small compressor, but use it only for tire inflation.

[Lucid4000]

Hey since where on the subject... what do you guys recommend on the torque lbs. I have been doing about 95lbs. Is this too much?