<p>I've learned from experience to never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever use impact wrenches to tighten things. I already break a **** ton of bolts with just a wrench, impact drivers just speed up the proccess.</p>

 

Yup, that's my new rule. Once I have a bolt started I'll use my little impact driver on large, long-winded bolts, but that thing doesn't have the power to break a 10MM bolt, let alone anything bigger.

My 1/2" plug-in electric impact though... ugh.

 

<p>Half inch impact is for taking bolts off and for putting on lugnuts. Thats about it. Oh, and ppf bolts.</p>

 

*shrugs* I've never had a problem with my 1/2" impact but I always start the nut or bolt several threads by hand before I start in with the impact and then back off right when it starts to clamp.

That sucks though Ed, a lot of work that.

 

<p>You don't have the same inclination towards failure that me and Ed do. </p>

 

Truth

 

I use hand tools by default. Even though I have a compressor, I always forget to use it. My cousin gives me **** in his garage when I am always using hand tools vs his sexy pull down air hoses all over the garage. I guess that's the difference between a professional mechanic and me.

Sucks you had to do all that work.

 

Ahh, so THAT's what you broke. Nice fix but holy crap what a mess.

If you get impatient running out long winded bolts, you need this:



Craftsman Nextec 12.0 Volt Right Angle Impact Driver ~ Craftsman.com

+





Gesso clued me into this and the combination is absolutely magic. I used it once and lusted extensively until I got my own. It comes to the track with me and always ends up coming out of the toolbox when I'm working on the car. It comes in uber handy for running down lug nuts before you hit them with a torque wrench. It has enough torque to run things down or spin them out no problem, but not enough torque to break anything. It makes disassembling stuff an absolute breeze. It's a fantastic labor saving device. Get the SKU for the driver and find it cheaper pretty much everywhere other than Craftsman.com.

 

High quality air impact wrenches are a lot less likely to break stuff, because they are pretty good at providing less torque than max based upon amount of trigger pull. I really like my IR 2235, it blows the pants off the cheap impact wrenches I had before.

I don't tend to break it out for little wrenching jobs, though, because my compressor is cheap and loud and I don't keep it full of air most of the time.

--Ian

 

Yeah, I don't have any air tools mostly for that reason (but also because I don't own a compressor yet). I really didn't own anything but very basic hand tools before all this started, but my collection has grown dramatically. The impact wrench I used to get into trouble was just a big fat electric one from harbor Freight. Bad.

G, that does look like a nice tool. I'll probably pick one up once my current small impact driver dies. I bought it used from Curly and have been happy with it so far. It's this one:

https://www.google.com/shopping/prod...JoKkoQTinYHwDA

It's weak but does what I need it to do.

 

From the PDX Lounge thread on ClubRoadster

If any of you COULD have come to this, but simply chose not to.... You missed out.

Freaking incredible.







He started the day in the 100-second range in his 'vette, eventually breaking into the 80's. I jumped in the car with him and we worked on some lines and a bit of coaching, got him down to 78. He loved it. It's a stock '98 with blown shocks and an automatic. I did a 72 in it in just one try, definitely could have gotten the car down into the 60's. Horrible run-flat all-seasons and sleepy transmission be damned. But the seat wouldn't move up far enough so I had a hard time reaching the pedals...

But my wife came out and drove too! She got down to a 73.1-second run in the S2k(started in the 90's) and kept wanting to run more. She did amazing, having never done any performance driving ever before.



I ran a 67.1 on my last attempt, about 5 seconds off the fastest time of the day set by Alex. I'm very satisfied with the S2k (on stock tires... apparently these are "max-performance summer tires" not all-seasons... Bridgestone RE050a, OEM tire). Tons of fun out there, pretty neutral. Car was really great to drive, easy to balance with the throttle. Got so many runs in we just decided to call it because we were tired, ha! Awesome event.

I'll be back in July for sure.

 

that....sounds....like.....a super awesome day

'grats

 

Looks like fun. I want videos! MOAR MEDIA!

Have you run any events in a miata? Any comparisons between the s2k and miata? (Not that it hasnt been beaten to death on the internet...just curious on your opinion)

Also I had to log into clubroadster to see pics. Just FYI.

 

Ha. I have a few videos, but they were taken with a Potato (Moto X 2013) from a distance. I'll get around to posting them, but they're realistically probably not really worth the work.

Rehosted to photobucket. Thanks for the heads up. I certainly don't want to push people to clubroadster

I ran a PCA autocross in March, and I drove Oregonmon's Miata. The s2k is FAR more adjustable in a corner, but his car had much more grip (to be expected, he was on RS3's and I'm on Potenza RE050a's). Not a totally relevant comparison though, he's on $3k MCS coils, and I'm on stock springs with $330 Koni STR-T's. Also, the courses couldn't have been more different.

The engine on the S2k is not well suited to autocross due to lack of low end torque. I was doing clutch drops from 4k rpm and it was still bogging badly. Wasn't willing to flog it worse than that though. It just takes forever to get it moving. An AP1 would be a nightmare in autox since there's nothing below 6k rpm. At least the AP2 has 125 ft lbs wtq from like 2500 rpm until 6k.

I just can't wait to get my turbo car going.

 

<p>Just wait till all my torques blow by you at PIR...</p>

 

At 4psi i bet I still make more wtq than you

I'm actually really looking forward to this.

You hit my car, I'll kill you.

 

<p>Very possible. I don't have my laptop, otherwise I would look at my dyno plots. Wonder how star specs compare to your tires.</p><p>I mean as long as you let me by, no reason for contact.</p>

 

Star specs should be considerably grippier than my potenzas. I'm happy with the tires for what they are, but I'll be putting something else on when they're spent. Probably go with Pilot Sport A/S3. Those seem grippier in the dry and better in the wet.

 

<p>Damn, you're actually keeping it?</p>

 

I don't think you understand how much I love this car.