Putting wheels on a vehicle requires you to tighten the lug nuts to keep each wheel securely on the vehicle while you drive. You have two options for tightening lug nuts on a vehicle: put them on and tighten them with a socket wrench, or start them by hand and torque them on with an impact wrench. Both ways are acceptable in most automotive shops, but some people prefer using an impact wrench because it's faster and can get the lug nuts tighter.
Turn the wheel you plan to work on so one bolt sits at the top with two below it on either side. This configuration will help you install the lug nuts properly.
Place the first lug nut on the top bolt, and hand tighten it. Repeat this step with the remainder of the lug nuts for that wheel.
Look up the recommended wheel lug torque for your vehicle; you can find this information in most shop manuals. Use only this recommended wheel lug torque to prevent overtightening the lug nuts.
Switch the impact wrench so that it will tighten the lug nuts rather than loosen them. The impact should turn clockwise to tighten the lug nuts.
Place the impact wrench over the lug nut you placed on the top bolt. Press the lever on the impact wrench to start the rotation. Tighten the lug nut until it becomes snug on your wheel.
Pull the impact wrench off the first lug nut and place it on one of the bottom two lug nuts. Tighten this lug nut until snug. Repeat this step for all the lug nuts on your wheel, working in a star-shaped pattern to guarantee the wheel goes on evenly.
Go back over the lug nuts a second time in a star-shaped pattern to ensure that you have fastened them securely.
