RENNtorq

Great question. The grade of polymer used on the reaction arm to contact the wheel is important. I tried several and ended up with one that is fairly soft - it actually deforms a bit every time it is pressed against the wheel. As it deforms it spreads the force over a greater surface area which keeps the psi load in a reasonable range. The tool has been used on a number of cars and there have been zero issues. Additionally we know that Porsche themselves are comfortable with the method as it is nearly identical to what they are doing at the factory in the video below @ 9.25. I will admit I was skeptical as well until I had it made up and tried it on my own car.

maspirito

That's a nice piece Beautiful engineering

limitedslip

Agreed. This is a terrific innovation but as an average joe I can't imagine shelling out 2.2k to make wheel changes a little easier.

PTGFAR

Assuming that you will not need a 3/4" drive torque wrench and breaker bar if you buy this tool and most people who do the wheel removal and reinstallation themselves already have the 1/2" drive torque wrench and breaker bar, this tool will cost you more like $1,700 more than buying the 3/4" tools. Still a lot but looks more affordable.

trlin

I was able to see this tool in action at the track and it's the real deal. They used it on a 991.1 GT3 and another guys 997.2 RS. Looked like a slick solution for dealing with centerlocks.

RENNtorq

Thanks!

Mech33

Cool concept, I was wondering why this doesn’t already exist.

But maybe I’m missing something: don’t you still need to hold the brakes to keep the front wheels from rotating as you torque it?

Other than reducing the amount of force one has to put on the torque wrench (a comfort concern), isn’t it not still the same “2 person job”?

(though for me it is a 1-person job plus a brake pedal clamp, which seems like it would be the same with this tool as well)

RDCR

Asking the same question as Marty.

Does the wheel stop counter the nut tightening direction enough to balance the forces out and not apply any rotational force? Even with the forces being totally equal the front wheel assembly with this tool on it would want to turn somewhat. At the factory all that is stablized by the rig that holds their tool assembly.

tlp

^ The video of the tool in action does show that a moderate amount of brake pedal pressure is required which means that the process is still similar. I'm sure it's much less than the amount needed to break the torque with the traditional breaker bar as it uses the spoke as a fulcrum.

GrantG

The difference claimed is that without the tool it requires someone to hold the steering wheel steady (as well as heavy brake pressure), but with the tool you only need a moderate brake pressure applied (by way of clamp without power brakes produced with car running) and no steering wheel holder. And you can use more modestly sized breaker bar and torque wrench (that fit more easily in the car and many people already own).

bli8

Impressed and this tool would be great for someone changing wheels at the track, but I thought the Precision Instruments Torque wrench was expensive...

RENNtorq

Technically you can break the nut loose without applying any force to the brake pedal. To do this you would put one hand on the reaction arm and the other hand on the breaker bar. I just suggest the stick on the pedal method because it is safer.

The benefits compared to the 'long torque wrench' method are the greatest when you are doing the work on a lift with all four wheels off the ground at the same time. Using a long wrench In this scenario I have found that you need to have the car running to provide vacuum to the brake system (or have someone inside the car standing on the pedal) to hold the front wheels enough to break them loose. In addition to this you really should have someone holding onto the steering wheel to keep it centered (as there is no steering lock on these cars) so you avoid the wheel pivoting as you are trying to apply 443 lb-ft with a long, awkward wrench. Doing this without having someone holding the wheel straight is risky - if the wheel pivots when you don't expect it and the long wrench scrapes the paint off the side of your car it will be a bad day (well a good day for your favorite autobody shop). Both of these issues go away with the torque tool.

If you are working with the car on jack stands (with one side on the ground) than the issue of the front wheels pivoting generally goes away, but you will still likely need to have the car running to break the front nuts loose.

One other thing it saves you from doing is having to swap the ratchet head in and out of the 'long torque wrench' and into the breaker bar (many times if you are doing the recommended torque/loosen/torque procedure recommend by Porsche) which you need to do with the long torque wrench solution.

The bottom line is that it makes the job a lot easier and less stressful. The tech's at the Porsche dealership I worked with to beta test it were bummed when I had to 'borrow' it for a week to do some final checks before my manufacturing run and were pretty excited to have it back when I was finished.....

RENNtorq

Exactly

RENNtorq

Agreed. Unfortunately just about every aspect of GT cars makes them expensive to run. I looked at using less expensive components but they all had unacceptable compromises. This tool is for the person who wants the best, reasonably affordable method. I have had requests for a version with a battery powered electric gun (similar to the factory) and the price for one of those would be $7,500+ which I thought was too much even for GT customers!

GrantG

Good point - in fact, Mooty uses three of the ratchet head tools for convenience (one on breaker bar, one on torque wrench, and one loose to use by hand). Not buying the extra ones saves over $500