theiceman

I have a craftsman 1/2 inch drive ..works great and i ayed 79.00 on sale. Just remember to store it with no torque dialed inot it. and don't drop it. I get mine recalibrated every 3 years or so.

antar911

a torque wrench used on newer light weight wheels not only assures equal force on the wheel axis but also keeps from wharping the rotors. when using the torque wrench remember if you put an extension on the end of the ratchet type click torque wrench like most of us do this will have an increased effect on the final torque number. the tool is calibrated at the factory with the socket at the end of the tool with no extensions. also always back the tool to zero adjustment or the internal spring will be ruined if stored with twisted up torque. just my 2cents ...

antar811

andrew911

This is all excellent information!

I knew lugs had to be torqued, but since I only put on the occasional spare tire, I never invested in a torque wrench- I will be now! Many people who love cars don't know about this, so this is great informaiton for all!

By the way, how do you get one of these recalibrated- who does it? (Iceman mentioned recalibrating his craftsman).

r911

and note that Craftsman only gives a limited (1 yr?) warranty on their torque wrenches

Svaha

Harbor Freight $19.99

viperbob

Precision Instruments. They have the patent on the split beam design (so you do not effect the spring by forgetting to take the torque setting down to 0). It is the same one Snap On sells under their name and red label. I just picked up a new 1/2" for just over $100 (new). I can tell you that I see a LOT of guys come into the shop with lug nuts that break, or are over 250 ft-lbs. When asked, most of the owners have Sears torque wrenches that they swear are set to 96 lb ft.

andrew911

Viperbob- you must get a good discount....the website for Precision Instruments shows the model you are talking about (C3FR250F), and when I click on the toolsource webpage at the bottom price is listed as $217.95! Looks like a nice unit... Although I did find one for $159 on pricegrabber.com (some site that came up when I did a search for C3FR250F...)

-Andrew

HarryD

I have used a click type Cradtsman for many years now but i also have an old fashoined beam type that I use to check my click type one. So far, they seem to agree. BTW I aways store my clicker at 0 ft-lbs

lqiahriz

Just want to ask that anyone use before Tekton torque wrench? I am thinking to buy Tekton 24335 ½ inch drive click torque wrench. It price only $37. Few members are discussing here $200 even $300 torque wrench. Why need to buy those high price wrench? So, What is the best torque wrenches and What is the main difference between low price wrench and high price wrench? I find best torque wrench list above site and that site are showing at top on bing search. But, I need to know more details from you guys.

theiceman

you don't need something super precise for doing wheel nuts. Harbour freight will do . Just get them calibrated every few years. 95lb +or- 5 isn't going to change much

Mark Salvetti

You can never have too many torque wrenches. You need different sizes because I don't think they are accurate at the extreme ends of their ranges.

I have five right now. A small beam-type by SK Tools for very low readings (like measuring bearing pre-loads), a 1/4-inch and a 3/8-inch Craftsman click-type for inch-pound and low foot-pound torques, and I had been using a 1/2-inch Craftsman beam time for higher foot-pounds (like for wheel nuts).

I just replaced that 1/2-inch wrench with a Precision Instruments 1/2-inch that goes up over 200 ft-lbs. Good for ball joints and the 915 gearbox shaft nuts. My Craftsman beam wrench didn't go this high.

Mark

Dave Inc.

Yep, I have a 3/8" and 1/2" from Craftsman that are my life's blood. I got **** from my Lemons racing team last year because I kept on insisting on using torque wrenches for everything and they thought I was a fancy city boy who didn't know how to wrench.

I got an apology when one of the rear caliper bolts backed out completely and the caliper twisted itself into a pretzel against the rotor.

Not racing with them again...

1986 Targa

And, if you don't have one, don't forget the "soft" socket.

Gerry

r911

it can be shipped to any of the many calibration places you find on google; Snap-Off will do theirs also

be sure to read & follow the Porsche TSB on where to put anti-sieze

if you plan to use it for other things, a quality one with a load cell in it will be worthwhile; for lug nuts only a beam type is fine

rusnak

+1 for Craftsman 1/2" click type torque wrench.

I use impact sockets because they don't flex at all, allow really solid torque measurement, and won't mess up the lug bolt/ nut.