Ideas for storing a breaker bar and socket

My first flat tire with my new SSR Integral rims taught me a valuable lesson: Never assume that lugnut wrench in the factory toolkit will fit! The recesses for the lugnuts on the SSRs are slightly narrower than those on the factory rims and the toolkit wrench is too thick-walled to fit. Here is the factory wrench "trying" to fit the rims:



and here is a comparison of the factory wrench to a standard 17mm socket:



So, I went out and bought a breaker bar and a spare 17mm socket from Sears to keep in the car. But I am out of ideas where to store it. It won't fit by the battery or under the trunk floor panel, so right now I have it wrapped in a rag and stuffed behind one of the seats. I guess this will work, but I am a little leary of this heavy piece of metal deciding to go airborne or something in a hard cornering or braking situation. Any suggestions?

If I recall correctly, there's a recess in the trunk just below the opening... it has a couple rubber bungies. If you don't have the warning triangle that would fit this cubby, can you secure the wrench there?

BTW, I had a similar experience with my Honda Accord. I purchased a set of aftermarket rims and had wheel-locks installed. Turns out, the key for the wheel-lock was NOT the same size as the lug-wrench. Of course, I discovered this at night in the rain when I got a flat. Luckily, someone eventually stopped with a cross-wrench and helped me out.

Originally Posted by Daver

If I recall correctly, there's a recess in the trunk just below the opening... it has a couple rubber bungies. If you don't have the warning triangle that would fit this cubby, can you secure the wrench there?

Thanks for pointing that space out. I just went into the garage to check it out, and yes it does fit. Now the question is how to secure it in place. The rubber bungies are too loose and the 14" bar just fits between them. Any sideways motion and the bar will become an internal projectile in my trunk. Maybe there is some type of quick release cable clamp I could use that is normally used for strapping down wire harnesses.

Fortunately for us M Rdstr/Coupe owners, we don't get a lug wrench supplied with the car

I purchased a pair of 1/2" sq. dr. 17mm Deep Impact Sockets to use with my torque wrench and cordless impact gun (remember, I frequently change all four tires twice on Sundays). I put a couple layers of heat shrink tubing on the sockets to protect the finish on the oem rims.

When I got the SSR Comps, I found that the socket wouldn't fit in the recess at all with the h/s tubing and was still marginal without it. I chucked up the socket(s) in my lathe and necked them down for the depth of the recess and was able to put the h/s tubing on them again.

There's always a solution, it's just better to find these things out in your garage...

Could you roll the bar and socket up in a towel to bulk it up? The towel itself might come in handy should you need to change your tire.

Instead of carrying around a breaker bar and a socket, how about having a nut welded (I forget the size nut) onto the end of a 17 MM socket. Then you can simply use the lug wrench in the trunk on the socket and not worry about carrying anything additional.

As Randy mentioned, us M Roadster/Coupe folks didn't get the lug wrench and jack included with our cars. However, I was not happy with relying solely on the BMW Mobility kit (fancy fix-a-flat), so I purchased the Z3 trunk tool tray in addition to the lug wrench and jack which I carry along with a tire plug kit. To my surprise, the rear M rims are so deep that the BMW lug wrench can't swing without catching the lip of the rim, so I welded a nut on the end of a deep 17 MM socket and it works great!

Originally Posted by killeen_john

Instead of carrying around a breaker bar and a socket, how about having a nut welded (I forget the size nut) onto the end of a 17 MM socket. Then you can simply use the lug wrench in the trunk on the socket and not worry about carrying anything additional.

As Randy mentioned, us M Roadster/Coupe folks didn't get the lug wrench and jack included with our cars. However, I was not happy with relying solely on the BMW Mobility kit (fancy fix-a-flat), so I purchased the Z3 trunk tool tray in addition to the lug wrench and jack which I carry along with a tire plug kit. To my surprise, the rear M rims are so deep that the BMW lug wrench can't swing without catching the lip of the rim, so I welded a nut on the end of a deep 17 MM socket and it works great!

Nut is a good idea. Sears sells a socket cap set. One of the caps is easily modified if you didn't want to weld.

http://www.sears.com/sr/product/summ...id=00943303000

The crank for the S52 M coupe clears the rim by 3/8 inch. Part number 71 12 2 228 423 $11.60 retail. Will post some pics later.

Originally Posted by Ron Stygar

Nut is a good idea. Sears sells a socket cap set. One of the caps is easily modified if you didn't want to weld.

I definitely am liking this socket cap idea. I drive past Sears on Weds, so I will check it out next week. Thanks for the pointers, it sounds like just the ticket.

Now, of course, this begs the question. Is it physically possible to use the dinky little toolkit crank to undo a properly torqued lugnut? I assume someone in Germany did it- once! Quite honestly, I have done a fair number of tire changes and I always use at least a 1 foot bar to crack the nuts free. I suppose that is yet another thing I should try in the privacy of my garage before I completely give up on the idea of adding a breaker bar to my toolkit.

I definitely am liking this socket cap idea. I drive past Sears on Weds, so I will check it out next week. Thanks for the pointers, it sounds like just the ticket.
>>>Don't forget the modify part. The Sears cap is 11/16 which is several thousands larger than the crank 17 mm hole.

Now, of course, this begs the question. Is it physically possible to use the dinky little toolkit crank to undo a properly torqued lugnut? I assume someone in Germany did it- once! Quite honestly, I have done a fair number of tire changes and I always use at least a 1 foot bar to crack the nuts free. I suppose that is yet another thing I should try in the privacy of my garage before I completely give up on the idea of adding a breaker bar to my toolkit.
>>>Just tried the crank (by itself) on my cars rear wheel and it works fine. The crank is designed so that it is easily used with two hands.
I use 72 lb-ft on my wheels which I've been using for years. New spec is 88.5 lb-ft.

Originally Posted by Ron Stygar

The crank for the S52 M coupe clears the rim by 3/8 inch. Part number 71 12 2 228 423 $11.60 retail.

That's the same lug wrench that I ordered. It was just a little too close to the rim for comfort (looked like I was going to bash a finger). So, I use the socket to get a little more clearance. After all, these M rims lose their finish just from looking at them too long!

I saw those Sears socket cap sets too, but the head (nut) was not the correct size for our 17 MM lug wrench. I guess you could make it work if you grind down the larger 1/2" socket cap. Please keep us all informed if you go this route.

I also tested my crank and socket and was able to get the bolts loose(torqued to 88.5 lb-ft).

Originally Posted by killeen_john

That's the same lug wrench that I ordered. It was just a little too close to the rim for comfort (looked like I was going to bash a finger). So, I use the socket to get a little more clearance. After all, these M rims lose their finish just from looking at them too long!

I saw those Sears socket cap sets too, but the head (nut) was not the correct size for our 17 MM lug wrench. I guess you could make it work if you grind down the larger 1/2" socket cap. Please keep us all informed if you go this route.

I also tested my crank and socket and was able to get the bolts loose(torqued to 88.5 lb-ft).

The crank works fine for me on my coupe with stock wheels and tires.
If I was to use the Sears nut I would have my machinist remove the material.

I added shrink tubing to my crank where it goes over the lugbolt and the handles. If you let the shrink go into the crank hole a little it holds the lugbolt instead of it falling on the wheel.







For Homecoming, I took along a Snap-on aluminum/steel lugbolt socket along with my 3/8 drive Sears Digitork wrench. In my garage, I use a similar setup along with my 1/2 inch drive Sears Digitork wrench. I added the shrink tubing shown in the following pics.
I've tried the Griots and the Ultimate Garage sockets but they are not as long as the Snap-on one. I use the Snap-on adapter and extension too since the fit is better and the socket doesn't fall off on the floor or on the car.