How to loosen wheel nuts?

indigo353

I've had a couple of punctures in the last year or two and on each occasion I haven't been able to unscrew the wheel nuts so I've had to rely on the kindness of (male) strangers - is there any gadget I can buy that can loosen them automatically?

feylya

A long metal tube would be perfect. Law of the lever and all that...

jetsonx

Halfords and Homebase sell a gizmo to get them off easily.

Its basically like a normal jack that comes with a car but its longer and
has a handle. Defintely gives more leverage as the ones supplied with most cars
would be unable to unscrew a set of wheels of a Meccanno-set car.

(Aldi were selling them a while back too)

jetsonx

feylya wrote:

A long metal tube would be perfect. Law of the lever and all that...

yeah...this is infact what the pros themselves use!

indigo353

Thanks for those suggestions - I'll check them out tomorrow .. maybe somebody could invent an a power tool for us girls - once the garage replace a repaired wheel using professional equipment it's extraordinarly difficult to get those nuts to move...

greglo23

they're not supposed to tighten the wheel nuts with the equipment they use to remove them ! any professional outfit should only use a standard wheelbrace to tighten them and you should insist on them doing so. the tool you need is like an ordinary brace except it extends to double the length for loosening the nuts. they should be available in most motor-factors.

indigo353

mmm I never knew that greglo23 - last time I watched them put a wheel back on they used the same equipment, I'll know better next time (i.e. Monday when or if I get the current wheel off and down to the garage!)

Cucullan

greglo23 wrote:

they're not supposed to tighten the wheel nuts with the equipment they use to remove them ! any professional outfit should only use a standard wheelbrace to tighten them and you should insist on them doing so. the tool you need is like an ordinary brace except it extends to double the length for loosening the nuts. they should be available in most motor-factors.

Not totally correct Greglo, where I work we loosen the nut with whatever size socket but tighten the nut using torque bars which only tighten the nut to a certain point using the air gun, so we're using a power gun but not over tightening the nut. To the OP check that they're using torque bars when putting back on the wheel. They're easy to spot the bar should be about 5 to 6 inches long and probably coloured red, yellow or some other colour

indigo353

Thanks Cucullan, at least I know what to ask for now

CJhaughey

You can buy electric impact wrenches now that run off the cars 12v supply.
I haven't used one to comment on their power or efficiency but they should be able to loosen a wheel nut unless king kong has been tightening the nuts.

indigo353

CJ any idea where to get one of those - are they widely available?

maidhc

Unladylike perhaps, but can you not just jump on the wheel brace?

indigo353

Lol - believe me, I'm not averse to unladylike behaviour - I tried that last time - but the nuts wouldn't budge that's why I don't want to find myself in that situation again - perhaps on a dark road at night etc. and I'd be mortified calling out the AA for a wheel change!

indigo353

Thanks for all the advice on this - I did a search (now that I know what the gizmo is called) for Impact Wrenches and came up with this - so I'll check them out and maybe this will be helpful for someone else also.

http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/07032006/45/impact-wrenches-0.html

maidhc

indigo353 wrote:

I'd be mortified calling out the AA for a wheel change!

You shouldn't be. I think that and flat batteries is their bread and butter work!

This is what jetsonx was referring to (I assume):

DublinWriter

indigo353 wrote:

Thanks for those suggestions - I'll check them out tomorrow .. maybe somebody could invent an a power tool for us girls - once the garage replace a repaired wheel using professional equipment it's extraordinarly difficult to get those nuts to move...

A proper wrench and the application of your petite size 4 high-heel should be enough to get the most stiffest of nuts to budge.

Me being all of a bruising 14-stone has previously had to River-Dance on wrenches to get wheel-nuts previously put in place with professional air-compressing devices to budge. Not pleasent when you're stuck on the hard shoulder of the M50 with a captive audience.

BrianD3

As others have mentioned the extendable wheel brace is the thing to get. These go out to about 1.5 - 2 feet. The extra leverage makes a huge difference, using this you may be able to open even very tight nuts with one hand. If you buy the extendable brace make sure to put it in the "non extended" position when tightening the nuts up again as otherwise you will almost certainly over tighten them which can damage them.

No need for electric impact wrenches for loosening wheel nuts IMO. If you are too weak to use an extendable brace you probably won't be able to lift the spare out of the boot anyway.

armchairninja

I dont see how a sharp kick to the wheel brace cant open the stiffest of nuts, but if if it is a problem you mite be better off with the extendable one, however, working on a car recently and had to remove a wheel with one, the stiff nuts resulted in the brace breaking in the middle where it extends, needless to say that with the pressure i was applying now moving freely, i got a nice bang on the head from the wing!...basically, make sure and buy a good one!:D

Sandwich

Would also recommend the telescopic type very much - as said above - let the lever do the work. Cheap enough also. Shorten it back before tightening the nuts though - you will still tighten them plenty.

Blue850

I have a 12V impact gun that I got in Argos a couple of years ago, bloody brilliant, works of cig lighter or can be clamped to battery, 4 different size toughened impact sockets, used it loads of times without fail.

alias no.9

I would recommend that everyone take the time to loosen their nuts and tighten them up by hand using whatever wheel brace they carry in their car. Tight by your own hand is plenty tight and means you should be able to loosen it by your own hand. You can do this on a nice bright sunny day and it will save you a lot of hassle when you inevitably get a puncture on a cold wet dark winter evening. Another pointer that may help is to loosen the nut before jacking up the car.

fletch

I'll second that alias.....I loosen mine and tighten to the correct torque setting each time I let a garage near my wheels. Every single time, they way over tighten them, you'd be surprised just how loosely the nuts are meant to be tightened

Seth Brundle

...not forgetting to check them about 30 miles later. They should also be checked weekly (along with tyre pressures, etc.)

AMurphy

maidhc wrote:

Unladylike perhaps, but can you not just jump on the wheel brace?

Never jump on a wheelbrace, they usually jiggle loose and off the nut, drop you on the ground scraping your ankles against the rim and round the corners off the nut in the process.

AMurphy

indigo353 wrote:

Thanks for those suggestions - I'll check them out tomorrow .. maybe somebody could invent an a power tool for us girls - once the garage replace a repaired wheel using professional equipment it's extraordinarly difficult to get those nuts to move...

There is such a tool, but I'll have to look it up in greater depth. cannot google it right now.
Essentially it is a gearbox, so you turn the imput handly many times and the output, which is attached to the nut turns much slower, but with greater force.
You can get 18V battery Torque drivers, that will generate about 30Ft/Lbs torque, but they cost an arm & several legs.
The object that came with your car, if a simple shaped tube can split if the garage overtightened them, usually what happens if they use an air gun, will split if you simply add a length of pipe as a lever,

So the best surefire answer is to get a deep socket to fit your wheelnut and a "T" brace. Then get a length of steel pipe that will go over the handle of the "T" in order to make it longer, about 2 feet is good.
Insure the socket is fitted completely over the nut and secure, witht he handle in a horizontal position for max torque. Then stand on the end of the handle, do not jump, simply stand, bend your knees so as to lower your body, then abruptly straighten your legs and raise your body, Don't loose contact with the handle/lever repeat if necessary. By dong it this way, the socket is kept tight against the nut, does not jiggle and fall off.
On front wheels, you can turn the wheel slightly so as the end of the lever is outside the wing, makes it easier to balance on. Turn the wheels to the left when removing nuts and to the right when installing.
Also loosen the nuts about a 1/2 turn before you jack up the car. But do not remove them until the car is raised.
My daughter can remove the van tyres (100Ft/Lb Torque tightening spec.) with this arrangement. She is about 50Kg.

I'll look up those tools for you.

Here is one idea


Hre is another with an extendable handle which I have in the van.


Here is the geared one;


and an electric jack if needed.

Here is somethign else on their site, nothing to do with motering, unless you like to make yourself a pot of tea while waiting for the tow truck to arrive and change the tyre for you;
This was invented by a guy in Galway I believe, heard about it ont he Gay Byrne radio program a million years ago. I think they are called wither a Kelly Kettle or a Murphy Kettle.