Torque Wrench

Tesla

Tesla

Tesla

Soldato
Joined
19 Jan 2003
Posts
17,598
Location
Bristol, UK
For Xmas my grandparents bought me a torque wrench. I dont really like the feel of it and also it's 3/8" where as all by bits are 1/2" so have never used it.

I don't really wanna spend much more than £30 so snap-on, mac etc... are not ideal.

Can you recommend any cheaper brands which are still reasonable build quality and also work well?

Thanks,

Chris
 
A little off topic but...

I bought some locking nuts for my alloys about 3 weeks ago and i fitted them myself.
I just un-did a bolt of each wheel and tightened on a locking nut.
I then tightened all my wheel bolts as they feltd a little 'loose' to me. They are all now pretty tight (all wheel nuts and locking nuts).
I couple of weeks ago i heard about torquing the wheel nuts.
What the hell is it?
Will my car be ok with very tightly put on wheel nuts and locking nuts?

Thanks
 
xcessive said:
What the hell is it?
Will my car be ok with very tightly put on wheel nuts and locking nuts?

Thanks
Click to expand...
Just how tight they are I beleive. Too tight and they might crack I guess.
 
Halfords ones seem preety good to me. Even come with a calibation certificate.

Just make sure you look after them, store them on minimum torque, dont drop them and dont use them to undo bolts if you want them to stay accurate
 
Tesla said:
For Xmas my grandparents bought me a torque wrench. I dont really like the feel of it and also it's 3/8" where as all by bits are 1/2" so have never used it.

I don't really wanna spend much more than £30 so snap-on, mac etc... are not ideal.

Can you recommend any cheaper brands which are still reasonable build quality and also work well?

Thanks,

Chris
Click to expand...

It depends what your going to use it for. Most half inch torque wrenches have a range of something like 20-120 lb/ft. that would be fine for tightening up wheelnuts or most suspension bolts but, not so good for 6mm bolts on the engine etc.
I'd suggest that you don't buy one of those 'bendy bar and a scale' type ones.
For makes I would say Teng or draper.
 
All the Halfords Pro stuff gets untold praise from everywhere, and as far as I know the entire range is lifetime guaranteed (except for ratchet gears I believe) so they seem to be confident of its quality. I've never heard a bad word said about it, it seems to be somewhere near Snap-on sort of quality but with a much friendlier price tag.

xcessive said:
I couple of weeks ago i heard about torquing the wheel nuts.
What the hell is it?
Click to expand...
Making sure the nuts are tightened to the right lbs/ft of torque. you set the wrench to the right amount of torque, tighten the nut, and when it's at the amount you specified (of pressure on the wrench) it'll click, then you just give it a little push and click again and it's done. The second click might just be a habit I picked up off my dad though!
 
Most wheel nuts should be 110Nm IIRC. Just as a sideline, accurately tightented wheel nuts (as in, to the required torque) actually help with tyre wear as they aid a balanced wheel.

Uneven tightening of the bolts can cause wheel unbalancing....i saw a demonstration of how much they affected the wheel and I was :eek:
 
SgtTupac said:
I got a draper one, works lovely and its spot on calibration! Just make sure you wind it off after use! :)
Click to expand...

Yep, i've got a Draper one as well, while i've no means to check its calibration its a very well built good quality Wrench.
 
Halfrods pro stuff is ok. But the torque wrenches aren't up to much. Or maybe's it's weren't up to much cop - it's been a year or so since I last had one break on me.
 
Actually, while we're on it - does anyone know where to get low value, precision torque wrenches. Something along the lines of 1-20lb/ft? Probably 1/4" drive. I need one. The link muncher just put up has this one:

Sealey Torque Wrench Micrometer Style 1/4”Sq Drive 5-25Nm/44-221lb.in

but something's not right on that spec! 5-25nm is about 3 to 18lb/ft. Might do, but I always like to get multiple prices :)
 
Oracle said:
Most wheel nuts should be 110Nm IIRC. Just as a sideline, accurately tightented wheel nuts (as in, to the required torque) actually help with tyre wear as they aid a balanced wheel.

Uneven tightening of the bolts can cause wheel unbalancing....i saw a demonstration of how much they affected the wheel and I was :eek:
Click to expand...

that's a bit scary seeing as no tyre changing garages use torque wrenches to do up wheel nuts as far as I know. Unless those air guns have a torque setting?

I've never used a torque wrench in > 10 years of self maintained car ownership and akaik neither has my dad :o Should I worry? I thought that they were tightened up every time you accelerate anyway?

HT
 
happytechie said:
that's a bit scary seeing as no tyre changing garages use torque wrenches to do up wheel nuts as far as I know. Unless those air guns have a torque setting?

I've never used a torque wrench in > 10 years of self maintained car ownership and akaik neither has my dad :o Should I worry? I thought that they were tightened up every time you accelerate anyway?

HT
Click to expand...

Yes the guns have a torque setting, thats why they "click" when the nuts are tight, they then tighten them to the correct torque with a large torque wrench.

Unless you go to a particularly dodgy garage, i've not known where this isnt hte case.
 
happytechie said:
that's a bit scary seeing as no tyre changing garages use torque wrenches to do up wheel nuts as far as I know. Unless those air guns have a torque setting?
Click to expand...

Thats because they do them up to 3 million lb/ft of torque with the air gun then check they are tight with the Torque wrench afterwards. Then people like me only find out when you get a puncture on a cold,wet & windy winters night, Thats when you can't get them undone with the stupidly small wheel wrench that came with the car.
 
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