Trouble with knock off spinners

[Widows Son]

Originally Posted by DanEC

I think the main shortcoming with most of these socket-type knockoff tools designed for use with a breakover bar, is achieving anywhere near enough torque on the spinner. Some of the older Chevrolet design/production guys over on the Corvette Forum who are familiar with the Corvette knock off wheels, have said that the targeted torque value on the spinner is in the area of 450 ft-lbs. Practically speaking - no one is going to reach that value with a 1/2 inch breakover bar except maybe for a gorilla - and then I'm not sure the typical 1/2 break over bar will take that much stress. It would take a long 3/4 inch or 1 inch breakover bar to get close.

Well said...therein lies the basis of why impact drivers work so well...its not speed but torque and impact. The lead hammer is the original impact driver...not quick, but each wack provides a heck of a lot of torque.

That said, the drawback is that each of the lead impact driver's wack does not simultaneously and uniformly distributed across the spinner but only on one ear at a time for each hit. The "good" thing about the spinner tools is that it allows for uniform distribution across all ears but has no means to apply torque...unless used with just brute force on a long break bar and pipe combination to provide said torque.

A smart engineer would try to design something the combines the both at low cost: similar to I think NASCAR and F1 where they use a massive impact driver and cobalt hardened single socket to remove the one wheel nut. The problem is that most normal folks don't have access to sophisticated tools and cash. So, I will stick to the manual lead impact driver.