Impact drivers are majorly used in carpentry and DIY projects. Moreover, impact drivers are used in the automobile industry to pop out fast or fasten the bolts and nuts in vehicles without tiring out the technicians. The most used automotive task is changing car tires. So let’s see, whether an impact driver can be used for automotive works
Normally, impact drivers can be used for automotive to a certain extent because an impact driver has 500 in-lbs – 1200 in-lbs of torque which is equal to 57Nm – 136Nm. A car tire lug nut requires 95Nm – 160Nm of torque for fasting or removing. So most impact drivers are not able to produce that much torque for lug nut works.
Remember, impact drivers are not the ideal tool for the automotive industry, yet the portable and compact structure of impact drivers along with impressive torque makes them appropriate for a range of automotive-related work particularly in repairing.
How Much Torque Does A Car Tire Have?

Car wheel torque is considered the tightness of the lug nuts calculated in foot-pounds (ft-lbs). foot-pounds are associated with the amount of weight necessary to move an object to a particular expanse. The following chart presents the torque setting of widely used car models.
When we consider the torque for the nut, there are mainly both.
- Break away torque – Required torque to remove the nut
- Fastening torque – Torque needs to tighten the nut
Always, the breakaway torque is higher than the fastening torque. Because a nut can rust or be mechanically tightened with the nut. So it needs higher torque rather than tight it.
Car | Model | Torque (Steel) | Torque (Alloy) |
Audi | All current types | 120NM | 120NM |
RS 2 | 130NM | 130NM | |
RS4 (8D), A6/A8/S8 (4E) | 140NM | 140NM | |
Q3, Q5 | 140NM | 140NM | |
Q7 | 160NM | 160NM | |
Aston Martin | Vanquish | – | 130NM |
Other | – | 100NM | |
Bentley | All current types | 130NM | 130NM |
BMW | All current types | 140NM | 140NM |
1.3Coupe/Cabrio (E92/93) Z4, X1 | 120NM | 120NM | |
Ferrari | 348 & Testarossa | – | 100NM |
360 Modena | – | 110NM | |
456 & All other models | – | 120NM | |
550, 575 | – | 135NM | |
Honda | All current types | 108NM | 108NM |
Hyundai | All current types | 100NM | 100NM |
Hummer | – | 180NM | |
Isuzu | All current types | 118NM | 118NM |
Jaguar | X-Type | 80NM | 103NM |
S-Type | – | 128NM | |
All current types | 125NM | 125NM | |
Jeep | Commander, Grand Cherokee | 136NM | – |
All current types | 135NM | – | |
Kia | Carnival, Carens, Sorento | 100NM | 100NM |
All current types | 98NM | 98NM | |
Lamborghini | – | 110NM | |
Lancia | Y, Delta, Musa | 86NM | 98/100/120 |
Kappa, Thesis | 98NM | 98NM | |
Phedra, Zeta | 100NM | 100NM | |
Thema | 150NM | – | |
Voyager | 160NM | – | |
Land Rover | All current types | 140NM | 140NM |
Defender | 105NM | – | |
Freelander 2006 -> | 133NM | – | |
Range Rover Evoque | 133NM | – | |
Maserati | – | 120NM | |
Mazda | CX-5, 6, 2013 -> | 128NM | 128NM |
MX-5 | 98NM | 98NM | |
Mercedes | A, B, C, CLA, CLS, E, SL, SLS, G | 130 | 130 |
Benz | S, CL, R, M, GL, GLK | 150 | 150 |
CLC, SLK | 110 | 110 | |
Mini | all current types | 140 | 140 |
Mitsubishi | Pajero, Pajero Sport | 120 | 120 |
L 200 | 135 | – | |
all current types | 108 | 108 | |
Nissan | Pixo, Cube | 85 | – |
Micra, Tiida, Juke, 370 Z, Murano, X-Trail | 108 | – | |
Note | 105 | – | |
Leaf | 112 | – | |
Qashqai, Pathfinder | 113 | – | |
Patrol | 133 | – | |
Vauxhall | Agila | 100 | 100 |
Mokka, Zafira | 140 | 140 | |
Peugeot | 206, 307 / CC, 407, 607 | 90 | 90 |
4008, 807, Expert | 110 | 110 | |
508 | 120 | 120 | |
all current types | 100 | 100 | |
Porsche | Cayenne , Macan, Panamera | – | 160 |
all current types | – | 130 | |
Renault | Clio, Twingo | 105 | 105 |
Fluence, Grand Scénic | 130 | 130 | |
Laguna, Latitude | 160 | 160 | |
all current types | 110 | 110 | |
Suzuki | Ignis, Swift, SX 4 | 95 | 95 |
Jimny, Grand Vitara | 110 | 110 | |
all current types | 90 | 90 | |
Toyota | Avenis 2009 | 135 | 135 |
GT 86, Hilux | 120 | 120 | |
Land Cruiser | 130 | 130 | |
all current types | 110 | 110 | |
Volvo | C 30, S 40, V 40, V 50, C 70 | 110 | 110 |
S 60, V 70, S 80, XC 60, XC 70, XC 90 | 140 | 140 | |
VW | Up | 110 | – |
Tiguan, Sharan 2010 | 140 | 140 | |
Sharan, T 4 | 170 | 170 | |
Touareg, T 5, Amarok | 180 | 180 |
Impact Driver Vs Impact Wrench For Automotive
Impact drivers and impact wrenches are two prominent power tools that are utilized for driving screws and nuts/bolts. Even though these tools look the same, they perform very differently, particularly in terms of their chuck style, speed, and torque.
An impact driver is a significant tool that is used to drive screws effortlessly. They will assist users in driving tough bolts and lugging nuts in automobiles. Impact wrenches are oftentimes utilized in the automotive industry to discard and install lug nuts and rusty and seized bolts carrying the suspension or steering systems elements in place.
An impact driver would not be strong enough to fulfill the above tasks. Tasks such as unfastening lug nuts on a tire can be done except with an impact wrench as impact drivers are not sufficiently powerful.
Is Impact Driver Torque Enough For Lug Nuts?
Before trying to remove a lug nut using an impact driver, go through the following chart. This chart gives an idea about the amount of torque that can be added for a specific size of the lug nut.
Wheel stud size | Regular range of torque | Number of turns of hardware interaction |
7/16 inch | 70 to 80 | 9 |
½ inch | 75 to 85 | 8 |
9/16 inch | 135 to 145 | 8 |
12×1.5 mm | 70-80 | 6.5 |
12×1.25 mm | 70-80 | 8 |
14×1.5 mm | 85-90 | 7.5 |
14×1.25mm | 85-90 | 9 |
What Is The Best For Automotive? – Impact Driver Or Impact Wrench
Impact drivers also have applications in the automotive field; still, impact drivers are appropriate for household tasks like drilling holes and driving screws. In the automotive industry, they can be used for fast repetitive work such as removing various oil pan bolts or screws and fastening plastic covers when repairing vehicles.
The following table will guide you to identify some of the pros and cons of impact wrenches in contrast to impact drivers.
Pros | Cons |
High torque than impact drivers | Expensive than impact drivers |
Several models temporarily deliver “nut-busting torque” | Heavy and can cause wrist fatigue after prolonged use |
Ideal for unfastening seized nuts and bolts | High torque may lead to strip threads or broken bolts in careless situations. |
Provide alternatives for power basis |
As impact drivers are not that powerful enough, Do not purchase one to use them primarily to do automotive tasks such as removing lug nuts. There can be situations where you will need something more powerful to remove tough lug nuts other than impact drivers. A hybrid impact driver or impact wrench would be a better solution
Read More About – Why there is a Difference Between Impact Drivers and Drills?
Can Impact Wrench Sockets Be Used In Impact Drivers?

One of the fundamental disparities between these impact tools is their collet size. Impact drivers have a ¼-inch hex collet that accepts 1/4-inch hex shank bits.
Many impact wrenches generally use a 1/4″, 3/8″, or 1/2″ square drive to a socket will be connected to. Socket adapters and nut driver bits enable the use of impact wrench sockets in impact drivers. Further, some adapters let your impact wrench accept 1/4-inch driver bits.
Read More About – Impact Socket Vs Regular Socket – Engineering Aspect!
Can A 1/4” Inch Impact Driver Remove Lug Nuts?
This depends. Impact drivers with ¼-inch hex drivers are primarily used to strip off smaller nuts, trim screws, and bolts. For larger lug nuts, a ¼-inch square drive.
An impact driver or wrench is the most appropriate choice. The lug nuts of a car can be removed using an impact driver provided the nuts are tightened at the right amount of torque ( 80 to 100lb-ft ) and your impact driver’s output torque is higher than 100 lb-ft.
Is 300 Ft-Lbs Enough To Remove Lug Nuts?
When examining the above lug nut torque chart, it is obvious that most lug nuts are supposed to be torqued to about 100-120 ft-lbs. Some require less torque; others more.
If you tighten a lug nut to 300 ft-lbs, you should be able to immediately remove it using a tool that can deliver 300 ft-lbs of torque. 300 ft-lbs will be too much for lug nuts that have been tightened to less than 300 ft-lbs. As time and environmental conditions often require a lot more torque to be used, it will require a torque of more than 300 ft-lbs.