Burt Goodwin

Can anyone recommend a reasonably-priced and available torque wrench that I intend to use only for wheel removal/install? I want to remove wheels to detail, but don't want to "guess" on the re-install. Thanks!

Drew_K

Hey Burt, I came across the same dilemma a while back (needed a torque wrench just for changing tires). Check out <a href="http://www.harborfreight.com." target="_blank">www.harborfreight.com.</a> That's where I bought mine, and it works just fine. They are not top of the line and probably not as accurate as the high end, expensive wrenches but for tire changing I think they're fine. The prices run from $20-$50, just be sure to get one that can go up to 100 ft lbs.

Drew
92 C2

James Achard

Burt, I found a Snap On one on e-bay and paid 90.00 for it. I don't know what your budget is but it's nice to have the service they have. I got mine and when I saw the truck I asked the salesman to check the calibration. It was right on and the service is free. Cheers and good luck.

James

ked

Craftsmen also makes a decent, cost-effective one that can be set to the .5 ft-lbs. Once you have a decent one, you will find many "piece of mind" applications.

Bill Gregory

To maintain the longevity/accuracy of your torque wrench, always reset it to zero when done.

Chris Bennet

For doing wheel lugs I like the Sear Craftsman torque wrench. Unlike my "nice" torque wrench, it has a plastic handle which is safer around wide (expensive) fenders when you're working Tech line. The low price won't make you feel too bad if you forget it on pit wall someday.
-Chris

ron mcatee

I happened to be in Home Depot one and was killing time looking at tools. Since my Torque wrench went belly after 30 years, I was curious to see what Husky had on the market. I was surprised to find they make a 45-250 lb wrench that has a one year guarantee. I was also surprised to find that Home Depot also warrants the wrench for life to the original owner if you have the original receipt. It was also about $40 less than the Craftsman and as good a quality. I know because I bought both and took them home and did a detailed comparison. Cost at Home Depot...$59.99 plus tax.

Spider911
88 Carrera

Walt

I like my Craftsman 1/2" drive, 150 ft-lb. click type. Very good quality for the money. I bought mine years ago but I still see them on sale from time to time.

addictionms

I will second the vote for HarborFreight, I got a clicker style torque wrench from them for $10, so into the track only tool box it goes and if I only ever tighten the wheels, it is money well spent.

Jim

911 in Boston

I am in the market for a good 3/8 t-wrench. Should I get one that goes down under 10 lbs for engine and other work? If so, is a HarborFrieght one sufficient.
Thanks.

Blade-MD

Cross bar you mean like those in the touareq? My friend has that on his car and it makes noise.

Here is the bars I alluded to:
http://www.clairparts.com/accessories4.asp?product_id=2416&PDID=199446

Peter Zimmermann

Hey guys, I don't think that I would trust my health to anything less than a SnapOn torque wrench, especially on the track! You spend thousands on shocks, sway bars, torsion bars, etc.; saving $100 or so on a wrench doesn't make sense. If I want 94 lb/ft I want to crawl into the driver's seat KNOWING that my lug nuts are 94 lb/ft, not 100, not 80, etc...
Pete

Alan Herod

When I bought the last SEAR Craftsman torque wrench, I found that it was more expensive to have it calibrated then to buy a new one. The lifetime warranty on their high end product is one year. The sales person recommended buying a new one every year when the old one 'broke'. Alternatively I purchased my 3/8" through Griots and they offer a reasonable calibration service. I will replace the latest Craftsman with a Griots (or snap on) half inch.

Bill Verburg

Ihave an old pointer type that i use to check the calibration of the newer Sears 1/2" clicker. Stille seems ok after a couple of years of use. I agree w/ Bill that resetting to 0 is a good idea on the clickers.

I am going to try torque sticks w/ my impact driver to see how that works

r911

torque sticks are the color coded flexible shafts that limit once a certain torque is reached. They are not adjustable. I forget where I saw them.... if there is interest, maybe Bill will repost.

My little torque limiting trick is to use a portable 1/2" drill. Once it reaches a certain torque it tries to rip my shoulder blades apart. This tells me it is time to let off the trigger...
I then finsih up with a click type t-wrench that gets its calibration checked every so often.

There are old threads either here or on Pelican re which brand t-wrench to buy. One of the very few worthwhile things I've found at Griot's Garage is the torque wrenches with free forever calibration service. The Sears Crapsman one I had has problems so I got the 1/2" and 3/8" Griots ones. Find out what Boing uses and that would be a good one - if it isn't too pricey. The click types one do lose accuracy so they need to be checked. Our PCA club scared me bad a few years ago by borrowing a tester and showing how badly off most click-type wrenches were. It's not clear that you need to pay for Snap-On but do choose a good one, and check it every few years - esp. before you do major engine or susp. or brake work. Most instructions will tell you to store it set to 0 or below x; but don't twist it too far the "wrong" way. There are testing labs you can find with Google. There is probably more info in the threads I mentioned, but that's about all I recall. Good Luck.