Wheel nuts and air impact wrenches – strictly speaking an impact wrench is designed to loosen fixings rather than tighten them but with wheel nuts it is very tempting to speed things up by using the impact wrench to refit them, and of course this can lead to over-tightening.

Wheel nuts are safety critical items and should always be tightened with a torque wrench, and aside from the obvious problem that over-tightened nuts (ooer-missus) may be difficult (or impossible) to undo, there is always the danger of stripped threads, or wheel studs and bolts stretching and becoming brittle.

These wheel nut torsion sockets from Laser Tools (part number 6679) solve this problem. They are ½in drive, designed to be used with an impact wrench and limit the torque applied to 80 lb/ft (108Nm). This prevents over-tightening and then a torque wrench is used for the final tightening to the manufacturer’s specified figure

The set of three includes 17, 19 and 21mm sockets, the most common wheel nut sizes. The thin-walled design and soft plastic covers protect the alloy wheel and the sockets are manufactured from chrome molybdenum steel for excellent strength and wear resistance.

Available now from your Laser Tools stockist at a typical price of £57.60 inc VAT although remember to check for the best price and special offers.

More details from www.lasertools.co.uk ENDS.