stickypatch

First off, I haven't done much work on my own cars for many years but I'm not averse to attacking the odd job. But it will be a learning curve to start doing work on my Porsche and I will need to purchase a few tools.

I've been looking into adjusting my handbrake myself which has brought to light the need for setting the wheel nuts to the correct torque (130 Nm as far as I can find out) after I put the wheels back on.

It is possible to hire a torque wrench locally, but I'm thinking that one never knows how the tool has been treated and it might not be all that accurate which rather defeats the purpose of using it in the first place.

It also seems that there are a few jobs that might arise over the years that will need nuts to be set to specified torque settings. So, it might be a useful purchase.

Here are the things I'm wondering:

1. If torque wrenches are most accurate in the middle of their range and the wheel nuts need 130Nm, if I get a wrench with a range 40-210 Nm, will this cover most jobs for which I'll need a torque wrench?
   
2. Which drive size is best - 1/4" or 3/8"?
   
3. With regards to purchasing a socket set for automotive work in general - 1/4" or 3/8" ?

pkrasusky

Sticky-

Anything requiring that much tq should be greater than 1/4 or 3/8" drive... try 1/2".

Here's some shopping tips for ya:

http://jalopnik.com/5959822/i-love-y...e-plastic-hell

I use my 3/8" sets for most of my work, but you really need at least some of each IMO: 1/4, 3/8, 1/2

stickypatch

Oops - I meant 1/2 inch.

(I can build an impact-wrench-powered go-kart...?)

pkrasusky

I defy you to tell me you weren't pissin yerself laughing whilst reading that 8-)...

mhm993

1. Yes, (and buy it, darn it. This is man rule stuff about buying tools whenever you can justify. And a torque wrench is justified to do most anything on car.)
2. To torque wheels, 1/2"
3 If you mean general car repair sockets, 3/8 covers most, but not all, of the sizes you'll need, if you can only get a single set.

Check out garagejournal.com for anything and everything about tools.

IXLR8

A rule I have when it comes to tools...buy quality, buy once. My Snap-On tools are 37 years old now.

In most cases, many people need a torque wrench so that they don't strip fasteners. Many just do not have the feel.

Torque wrenches, at least the professional grade ones that I have are good in the upper 80% of the range. Having calibrated them, they are even good below that and most important of all, they are repeatable.

A 3/8 inch drive torque wrench will do the vast majority of fasteners on cars. This torque wrench from Precision Instruments covers 20 to 100 lbf.ft., enough to torque your wheel nuts. I've been told they produce the torque wrenches for Snap-On and sure enough, they look identical.

I prefer the click-type torque wrenches. There is very little to go wrong with them.

For example, axle nuts will need a 1/2" drive and valve cover fasteners will need a 1/4" drive. Those torque wrenches can be bought in time.

If you think tools are expensive, consider the labour costs you'll dish out if you don't DIY.

IXLR8

1/4 inch won't get you very far.

All I've used is 3/8 inch for 99% of the jobs. 1/2 inch ratchets tend to get a bit bulky in some situations.

TMc993

IKLR8 is correct about buying quality tools, but it you don't/aren't-going-to do a lot of work on your car, a medium priced set of tools will work just fine for most of what you do.

This is a good time of year to buy tools....A lot of places are selling large "combo" sets at really nice prices in gift packs. Start out with a decent set of 3/8th drive sockets, some good open/box ends, and don't underestimate how important a good selection of crescent wrenchs, pliers and screwdrivers are.

By starting out with moderately priced tools you can decide whether or not you like wrenching on your car. If you don't like it, you still have a decent set of tools for not a lot of money. If you do like it, then you can begin building a set of high dollar tools as you need them.

Of course, all of this is just my opinion....

IXLR8

I'll agree with that on sockets, ratchets and wrenches, but not measurement tools such as a torque wrench.

3healey

If you have any pawn shops in your area (not sure if you have those in New Zealand), take a cruise through their tool section. I have found complete sets of Snap-On combination wrenches, both standard and metric, ratchets/socket sets and even a 3/8" Snap-On torque wrench (which I had calibrated just to make sure it was accurate).

stickypatch

We do have pawn shops in NZ and I checked one on my way home from work today! Thanks for the idea!

They had a secondhand older beam-type torque wrench for $29. I've done a bit of google research and it looks like despite their simplicity, they're fairly well regarded and might be just fine for torquing my wheel nuts properly - given that there's a lot of room to view the needle against the gauge.

Mike J

Find a torque calibration shop in your area (they are often required for industrial work where the torque wrenches need calibration in order to maintain code) and ask them what they have seen as the best wrenches, i.e. the ones that need the least amount of adjustments. You can also ask them if they sell or have any used ones, sometimes a wrench gets left at a calibration shop and after a while the shop takes ownership and sells them. They will also tell you the brands they see were its not possible to maintain good accuracy - then you can avoid them. That is usually the cheap Chinese-origin tools that are for a low cost (which makes them attractive) but that is the use if they cannot actually measure to any accuracy?

Avoid buying crap - not worth the money. One of my main 1/2" torque wrenches I have had for 39 years now, and it passes calibration with virtually no adjustment -> but it was relatively expensive when I bought it that many years ago.

If your use is just for the wheel nuts, then (and I will get blasted for this) you can do a pretty decent job just by feel. Do it once with a torque wrench so you know how tight is tight, and go from there.

God, I can just feel the heat...

Cheers,

Mike

TMc993

Agreed....

matt777

I had my large cheaper 1/2" torque wrench calibrated before I built an engine a few years back. It was out by 15% in the working range! There are other possible causes for such deviations (other than low quality) such as leaving it torqued up and trying to undo bolts with it.

IXLR8

That is where quality comes into play. I bought a new Snap-On torque wrench in 1975 but never had the money (or even thought) to have it checked until 1992 when I started working in the calibration business. 17 years later, it was within spec and repeatable (did 5 runs every 5 lbf.ft. over the entire range).

I store and use mine properly. Except for the one time I did lend it out, I will never lend any of my tools out again, especially not measurement tools.