Hey guys, just writing to see if any of you guys have gone through your tools for a flat repair on the side of the road. Having just gotten the car three weeks ago I finally went through and to my surprise the tire iron is only about 7 to 8 inches long. I added a peice of pipe to my kit in case I need the extra leverage. Just though you should know in case you haven't checked it out. Especially if the wife has to use it and can't get the wheel nuts lose.

 

great suggestion... in my case it was a purchase of a 6 point deep socket that fit the nuts snuggly and a 1/2" drive breaker bar. Usually I have my 3/4" drive bar with me as well with the 1/2" adapter for it.

 

yea, one thing i recommend is to replace the lug wrench, i had to use mine once, and it ******* cracked on me!!!!!!!!!! ahhh, and to make it worse, the spare was completely flat. so i keep a foot pump in my car now, and a new lug wrench.

 

I got two flats at once

had to borrow someone elses spare

but yeah it was a BITCH to get the nuts off....the wrench is so small

had to kick it and use all my weight on it....damn

hey this is my 200th post

 

are the tools really that crappy? i gotta change to my winter tires soon....
maybe i should get some new tools as well.

 

yeah, I think that they really are that bad.

In any case, your best friend when putting on the new tires/wheels will be a torque wrench. I highly recommend one. Even after it has been "professionally" serviced, if it involved the wheels the car gets jacked up and all the lugs are re-torqued to the proper value. Keeping all the lugs at the same torque and doing it properly will both be safer and extend the life of your disc brakes (it keeps them from warping as easily).

 

I saw that the first day I got the car....I was checking out the spare...and locating my adapter for the lock nuts.....so I went to my shop where I had a few "T" wrenches....and got an OLD TOWEL....wrapped the T wrench up so it wouldn't rattle and layed it on top of the spare.

 

Buy the following item from Walmart for $20 dollars,



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I already have this in my older car trunk (The Corolla). It works great for me.

 

i personally like the 8 inch tire iron, i just stand on it, jump a few times and its broke, alot less energy than trying to break it with my arms....i also weigh 220lbs

 

I use to do the same thing when I change the rims on my 1994 Corolla too.
However, once I use this method to remove the lug, right after I jump on the tire iron, one of the 4 bolts that stick out to hold the wheels bent and broke off with the lug. I took it to a shop and spent 70 dollars and fixed it.
Then never again I use that method to loosen the lugs again.

 

when your removing a lug nut that's on an alloy rim you have to kind of "shock" it before you try to remove it since it's pretty much welded to the rim....once you do that it makes it alot easier to remove specially when your trying to do this in -30 celcius temps.

There's one thing that i have noticed about my protege.....not much has changed from it to my old 1986 626.....the lug nut wrench is the same...the cover that covers the spare is the same the trunk looks the same even the jack looks the same.....the protege just looks like a well manintained 626 in someways.....maybe that's why i don't miss my old 626?......I never really got rid of it....stupid antenna too.

 

oh yeah i use a 19 mm deep impact socket hooked up to a 2 ft breaker bar attached to a 6 ft lead pipe.......makes quick work of lug nuts......only problem is i can't keep it in my car too big.......but works like a charm