Stiil MUCH easier relying on hand power!

 

Some of this depends on the quality/type of the batteries. My 20v impact runs of rechargable Lithium Ion batteries. I have gone as long as a year with them in my van and when i put them back on the charger they are still full.

 

That is amazing.
I have some too but have never gone that long w/o using them.

 

flat tires are rare... no way am I going to keep a battery operated impact ($200) in the van with me for those once-per-decade-incidents.
Sorry Vettex; I'm with JDub on this one.

 

I don't think properly torqued lugs are a big deal to loosen with the proper wrench. I'm **** about using a torque wrench when tightening lugs, and I've never had a hard time getting them off by hand when necessary.

I've had lousy tire luck recently; I've lost 4 tires over the last 4 years. Checking the spare is probably the most important thing you can do, lots of people completely forget about it. Just bought an '07 Kia a few weeks ago and found the temporary spare to only have 20 PSI in it. Probably hasn't been checked since it was shipped out of Korea nine years ago.

 

"properly torqued lugs"

There's the rub, Tom. The first thing I do after getting tires mounted is to recheck the torque. My regular tire shop is great but there's always the chance of some Nicky Newguy leaning on the airgun. Some shops use torque sticks and I have them but a torque wrench is the only way to avoid the hassle. jim

 

Took my wife's 2010 Escape to local Ford dealer for an oil change a month ago and they didn't even do the spare tire pressure.

It's mounted rear-underbelly, with the valve stem pointing downward (easy access). It's a temporary spare requiring 60psi. I checked it afterward and it was under 30psi.

Thanks for nothing Ford dealer technician. Quit your job and go work at Walmart Tire Lube.