Chiboy

I am not much of a mechanic, but do a few very basic things on my 991.1 Cab. I swap summer and winter wheels, change the oil, and have replaced a couple of air filters. That will likely be about the extent of it going forward. I have a mediocre torque wrench that is probably about 20 years old and am looking to replace it. As you can see, I do not need the best, but want to have more comfort that the torque settings are close to correct. As I think about it, it's really just the wheel lugs and the oil reservoir cap that need specific torque settings. Oh, and the drain plug.

Any brands or models to look for? I am also thinking Black Friday might be a good time to find a nice deal on a replacement torque wrench. Thanks for any ideas!

PorscheDoc

Really you need two different torque wrenches for that. a 1/2" for doing wheels and larger torque items like that, and a 3/8" for doing smaller things like the drain plug. Unless you are doing critical engine building, a cheap harbor freight or craftsman torque wrench works just fine. I have blown out dozens of torque wrenches from craftsman to snap on, and none of them have warranty, so my advice is don't spend a lot of money on a wrench you are using for what i would consider non critical torque specs. If you were torquing rod bearings and the like, my answer would be different as I use high dollar wrenches for that stuff, but I reserve them for those jobs and don't use up their lifespan on wheel lugs, etc where a cheaper wrench will do that job just fine. When i say non critical torque spec, what i mean is that if a wheel is torqued to 96 ft/lbs or 102 ft/lbs doesn't make a difference. Even the cheaper wrenches have fairly tight tolerances.

sracer

exactly this. I have been bolting wheels on race cars for 20+ years with cheap torque wrenches, in the past 5-10 HFT Pittsburgh brand. No broken studs, no wheels falling off. Race track stuff gets beat up anyway.

Chiboy

Thank you both. I have lived with my current torque wrench for a long time, figuring with wheel lugs, the most important thing is that the lugs are torqued consistently, rather than that they are torqued to a very specific setting. But I *think* that my wrench is torquing low, so I have over time upped the setting to somewhat compensate. I figure after 20 years it's worth replacing it. Appreciate the comments!

Dewinator

I have a basic Colbalt digital torque wrench, and I wish you could set a torque and have it beep when you get to it instead of having to keep rechecking the window over and over if you’re doing something like the drain plug way under the car. Can you get one that does that?

PorscheDoc

Those are great, but for inconsistent use, dealing with batteries sucks! I love them for building engines though!

Dan Darst

Google Tekton, they offer 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2" drives and I have/do use them all. Smallest one is in inch pounds such as for hose clamps and other small stuff.

PTGFAR

I needed a higher torque for some work I was doing so I got a 250 ft/lb torque wrench. I found out that it makes torquing down lug nuts much easier due to its length.

Mr. Big

I would stay away from Craftsman. I only used it a couple of times and the plastic calibrating collar split in two. I did a Google search and found that many others had the same problem. As stated above, they do not warranty their torque wrenches like they do on the rest of their tools. I went with a Tekton and have had no issues in the three years I've owned it.

Arcoril

It's really popular to crap on HFT because they're cheap and they're an easy target but I've been using their torque wrenches and sockets for years without any problems. I'm just a weekend warrior so HFT tools are more than adequate for basic maintenance.

PorscheDoc

I cant tell you how many crapsmen torque wrenches i have gone through over the years, lol.

One more FYI, if you use a torque wrench with the twist handle, always make sure to set it back to 0 when you are done.

wareaglescott

[QUOTE=PorscheDoc;14624659

One more FYI, if you use a torque wrench with the twist handle, always make sure to set it back to 0 when you are done.[/QUOTE]

No doubting you but why?

wareaglescott

Most tools built 20 years ago are better quality than new tools unfortunately! If you are replacing it simply because of age you may be wasting your money. Why do you think it is torquing low?

Gordon Shumway

And let's not forget the very vast majority of people that have never used a torque wrench to secure lug bolts, and have never had a wheel fall off. Just sayin'.

worf928

Precision Instruments used to make the Snap-On-branded torque wrenchs. I have the 1/2" for 'general' big bolt torquing (e.g. lug bolts, suspension, etc.) The split-beam-type don't suffer if you forget to zero them out after use, unlike the rotary 'clicker' type. And no batteries needed.

You can buy the PI wrenches on-line.

Gear Wrench-branded electronic torque wrenches are cost-effective and pretty tough if you're looking for something more sophisticated.

Or, get the old one calibrated.