• Registered: 2021-04-06
  • Posts: 116

Topic: Why no electric impacts on pit crews?

Random and dumb, I know, but too many zoom calls in a row and needed a break.   I have Indycar practice on in the background and I started to wonder why they don't use cordless impacts for pit stops?   Are they still not strong enough?

Quick search online looks like strongest is 700 ft-lbs, with break loose of 1400 ft-lbs.   Another quick search shows Indycar lugs are 300-400 ft-lbs maybe?

If I was a tire changer that means I would also be the guy packing up the stuff, and packing an air compressor and a bunch of hoses is probably less fun than a half dozen cordless cases. 

Anywho, flame away, discuss away, I don't mind - I'm just happy to be off zoom for minute.  :-)

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  • From: NH
  • Registered: 2010-01-20
  • Posts: 3,306

Re: Why no electric impacts on pit crews?

My only guess, and this is a guess, is that air is proven, reliable, and tunable. Meaning you can change air pressure and change the tightening torque. Air also doesn't require someone to remember to charge batteries.

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  • From: Chicago-ish
  • Registered: 2010-04-19
  • Posts: 3,556

Re: Why no electric impacts on pit crews?

Here's an old 2012 article on NASCAR wheel guns:

https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a … -12403645/

Since that happened, I seem to recall that many of the big-budget shops then started either building their own or modifying existing guns to the point where that $1500 wheel gun referenced in the article seemed like a laughably small expense. I guess they've standardized the wheel gun with the new single nut setup in NASCAR to create parity, but that won't last.

As TheEngineer says, air is reliable and nothing is more important than that. I haven't seen more than 1-2 dead air guns a year since I've been really watching it across multiple series and disciplines because a dead air gun just about triples your pit stop time and wrecks your team's chance.

That's not to say electric impacts couldn't also be reliable, but professional motorsports is not an area where people take chances on "new" technology lightly.

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  • VKZ24
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  • From: Wilson, NC
  • Registered: 2009-05-20
  • Posts: 1,854

Re: Why no electric impacts on pit crews?

Also, unless the rules state they must use pneumatic guns, I can assure you if there was a better/faster way, every team would be doing it.

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  • From: Tustin, CA
  • Registered: 2010-12-30
  • Posts: 3,278

Re: Why no electric impacts on pit crews?

As an aside after Cheever chopped my guy into a spin at the Indy 500, we lost a couple laps getting restarted and dicking around with air guns.  Someone forgot to turn the air valve on.  Still finished 9th.

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  • Registered: 2020-02-06
  • Posts: 19

Re: Why no electric impacts on pit crews?

Interesting question. Probably the battery needed for an electric lug gun would be too bulky and heavy to be practical, it would slow down the pit stop.. Don't know what ft/lbs they torque the lugs to but it seems it would require a very large battery to match the power of an air gun. If it was practical someone would be doing it.

  • From: Queens, NY
  • Registered: 2014-05-17
  • Posts: 645

Re: Why no electric impacts on pit crews?

I think it was part of safety, just the sparks from the gun. that was back in the day. The Impact guns those teams use are way more powerful than consumer battery powered types. at Imsa, I asked the team and they were running the guns at 250psi

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  • Registered: 2020-02-06
  • Posts: 19

Re: Why no electric impacts on pit crews?

I thought the same regarding sparking initially then realized they use electric sawsalls in the pits to cut away sheet metal don't they? Seems it would require a very large, heavy battery to torque lug nuts/nut to 250psi like they do at Les Schwab tire centers so only Superman is able to remove them with a lug wrench on a dark, cold rainy night when one gets a flat tire. Not being a mechanical engineer or racing insider it's sheer speculation on my part though. Maybe someone from MIT will do the math and chime in.

kakarot1232001 wrote:

I think it was part of safety, just the sparks from the gun. that was back in the day. The Impact guns those teams use are way more powerful than consumer battery powered types. at Imsa, I asked the team and they were running the guns at 250 psi

  • From: San Leandro
  • Registered: 2019-12-17
  • Posts: 222

Re: Why no electric impacts on pit crews?

kakarot1232001 wrote:

I think it was part of safety, just the sparks from the gun. that was back in the day. The Impact guns those teams use are way more powerful than consumer battery powered types. at Imsa, I asked the team and they were running the guns at 250psi

A couple months ago there was a fire during a pit stop that was ignited by sparks coming off the wheel lug.

https://twitter.com/Justin_Fiedler/stat … on-fire%2F

  • From: Cleveland, OH
  • Registered: 2011-09-03
  • Posts: 2,229

Re: Why no electric impacts on pit crews?

One big reason is air, is FAST!

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