Was dead set against torque sticks until I saw the proof

I've been wrenching for about 8 years now and always thought torque sticks were a gimmick. Figured if you couldn't feel it by hand, you shouldn't be using an impact on lugs at all. Last month I had a buddy at a shop in Denver show me his setup with a old Snap-On digital torque wrench to check. We tested 10 different lugs and the sticks were consistently within 3 ft-lbs every time. I grabbed a set of Sunex sticks the next day and honestly my wrist has been thanking me ever since. Anyone else change their mind on a tool after seeing real numbers?

2 comments

2 Comments

andrew64642m ago

My 2015 Mustang GT came from the factory with lug nuts torqued to 150 ft-lbs instead of the spec'd 100. Had to stand on a breaker bar to get them off the first time and that pretty much killed my trust in torque sticks. I get the numbers you're seeing, but those tests are usually on clean dry threads with fresh hardware. Try using one on a rusty F-250 lug that's been through a few winters and see if that 3 ft-lb consistency holds up. Isn't there a lot of variation based on how fast your impact gun is running too?

anthony4262m ago

Nah you're right about the impact gun speed thing, that's a huge variable nobody talks about. Most guys just mash the trigger and expect the stick to do all the work, but your gun's clutch settings matter more than the stick itself. The rusty lug example is spot on too, a torque stick on corroded threads is basically a guessing game. You gotta factor in dirt, grease, and how many times that lug has been impacted before. Those test bench numbers look clean but they don't tell you squat about real world conditions.