Most cars and trucks on the road rely on a number of lug nuts to hold the wheels securely to the vehicle’s hub. The rare exceptions are high-end, exotic street cars that use a center nut to hold the wheels. Removing lug nuts is a straightforward process that involves placing the lug nut tool over the lug nut and loosening it. However, some tools can make the job much easier.
Though these are not tools that are intended specifically for the removal of lug nuts, they allow you to lift the vehicle while the lug nut is being removed. A floor jack is used to lift the corner of the vehicle. Jack stands support the jack while the work is being performed. A lug nut can be removed from a wheel without lifting the vehicle if the other lug nuts are not removed, but proper removal of the lug nut should include raising the vehicle.
A tire iron is one of the most basic lug nut removal tools. All new cars are equipped with a tire iron and jack for emergencies. The tools often are missing on used cars. A tire iron is a long wrench that has a bend in it. One end fits over the lug bolt. The wrench is turned counterclockwise to loosen and remove the lug bolt. Some aftermarket tire irons have four points; each end is a different size to allow the tire iron to be used on a variety of vehicles.
A socket and ratcheting wrench also can be used to loosen and remove a lug nut. In some cases, this method can be far easier than using a conventional tire iron. Rather than having to spin the tool around and around to loosen and remove the lug nut, a ratcheting wrench allows you to loosen the lug nut far easier thanks to the ratcheting action. Depending on the type of wheel, the space around the lug nut in the recess may be limited. In this case, you need to use a thin-walled socket, which has a narrower outside diameter. You also may need to use a deep socket and a short three-inch extension on the end of the socket to fit all the way onto the lug nut.
Lug nuts usually are tightened to about 90 foot pounds or more, depending on the make and model. Sometimes lug nuts are overtightened by someone with an air-powered impact wrench, making them difficult to loosen by hand. A breaker bar is a metal extension (usually two-inch diameter pipe) that you can place over the end of the ratchet or whatever tool you are using to loosen the lug nut. The bar provides the extra leverage needed to loosen the lug nut.
An air-driven impact wrench can be one of the most useful tools to loosen and remove a lug nut. An impact wrench uses an impact driver (basically a socket), which is placed over the lug nuts. The wrench is driven by a compressor that spins quickly, removing the lug nuts in a second or two if the tool is running at full speed. However, an impact wrench is a cumbersome setup, because it requires an air line and an electric-powered air compressor.
