Need a Good torque wrench
 

I’ve got This ridiculous digital torque wrench (1/2 inch) that just is annoying... it beeps when you hit the setting and always over torques ... I want to go back to the manual one where it just clicks when it hits the right torque so I don’t over torque the lug nuts.

Can someone recommend one ?

TIA

I've had this one for about ten years and have been pleased with it.

https://www.jbtools.com/precision-in...SABEgIA2PD_BwE

I have an old school Craftsman one I actually bought at Sears in probably 2005. Always worked easily for me, but I have no idea how close or not to being properly calibrated it is at this point. Don't even know if you can buy it anymore.

Happy to be of help! :lol:

Buy this. Done.

https://smile.amazon.com/CDI-2503MFR...s%2C151&sr=8-1

Excellent tool. Made by Snap-on. I've had mine for 15 years and it still feels new. Long tool, so it's easy to torque wheels down.

Made *for* Snap On, not by.

For Alan's use, the Precision torque wrench that Josh linked to is way better. Those were also rebranded by Snap On. Why are they better? Well, super easy to adjust, and they don't have to be zeroed in between uses. I have the "Snap On" one because that's what my wife bought, Mike has the Precision version. They are identical.

I use small CDIs for precision work because they have amore precise adjuster, but nothing that you're putting a 1/2" torque wrench on requires extremely fine adjustment.

LOL, same here! I bought mine in the early 90's though, so it's probably even further out of calibration :D

I lost count of how many Craftsman 1/2" clicker torque wrenches I've gone through since 2003. Was able to exchange a few at Sears despite several of them busting past their warranty expiration (depending on the clerk knowing that torque wrenches were only warrantied for 12 months and with a receipt), but not all.

The last one went 7 or 8 years before giving up two years ago.

I bought a Tekton to replace. Was $58 on Amazon at the time. $60 right now. It may be a good option for you.

https://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-24340-...dp/B00C5ZL1NS/

I have two complaints that not everyone would find to be a problem. First is completely addressable...I just haven't and I'm not sure why. There is a screw to "lock" the adjuster at a setting. In the mad rush to change between dry/rain tires between runs or before the rain hits (and hopefully avoid getting soaked) or to swap between race and road tires to get on the road after an event, the lock is sometimes overlooked or not fully completed. If it's not fully locked, the adjuster can slip. The screw has a hole through it, and when I'm taking my time, I stick something through it to actually lock it. In a rush, it's just finger tight and that's not really tight enough every time. There's a hole in the screw and I keep intending to put a key chain ring or similar through it, but just haven't gotten around to it. (Which is ridiculous.)

The other issue I have is that the marking are small, thin, and at angles that make it tough to read if reading glasses are a thing in your life. Without glasses on, I really have to slow down and focus to get it right (which I think also adds to rushing on locking it place).

If/when this goes, the Precision linked earlier is the one I'm buying.

My last company used CDI Torque wrenches on a daily basis in a production environment and I don't recall them ever being out of calibration and they were calibrated yearly by an outside outfit and daily by a calibrated test fixture. Good enough for me to work on my car.

You're not Alan. The Precision split beam offers radically improved ease of use.

Again, Mike and I have both the Precision and the CDI wrenches. The CDIs are great for what we use them for (fine torques, you know, like engine work). For swapping wheels, the Precision is like a million times better.

I'm sure. It seems like a fine tool. I do like the torque adjustment. I was just saying that I've got nothing but good things to say about the one I have.

A second vote for Tekton... I'm not a heavy user (three cars x 4 wheel swaps x 2 a year x five years now?) plus other occasional use (e.g. motorcycle handlebar or headbolts or exhaust swaps). It's been great, but I have no reference point. Somehow, I think Alan will go for something heavier duty... It's top torque is something like 160ft-lb, but I doubt I'd use it for anything beyond the Porsche 120-130ft-lbs or whatever they are (I look it up every time). BMW, Audi/VW are all 90 to 100ft-lbs.

They highest I've used on a vehicle is 140Nm (105lb-ft) on the LR4 that has large lug nuts (22mm socket).

But the issue with those tools is that they tend to be short, like my original Craftsman. I like my tool's longer length because it's a piece of cake to generate that torque and also usually comfortably clears the wheel and body work.

Porsche 981/991 specify 118ft-lb on 19mm bolts.

If I only used a torque wrench for wheels, I could see going bigger, but a longer one would be unwieldy/worse for my motorcycle use case.

I also have one for bicycle bolts that I keep braking. Rav-X? Up to 15Nm. My heavy hands have done a lot of damage to brake lever casings, but fortunately I haven't cracked a frame or an irreplaceable campagnolo bolt. I generally set to 4 or 5Nm for most things and rarely to 8-10 or also occasionally to 2 for tiny ones.

No doubt. My 1/2 wrench is annoyingly long in tight spots. But that is why I have a 3/8 wrench as well that goes a lot lower in range and it is much shorter as well. I've been dragging my feet for years to get a 1/4" drive for small torque values, but in all they years it's been on my wish list I've only would have used it a handful of times. It cost nearly as much as the large wrenches too so not a great investment for my use case.

FWIW, the Tekton I linked is 25-250 ft-lbs.

The lower range Tekton is 10-150 ft-lbs. With most cars speced somewhere between 85-110 ft-lbs, it should be fine. The Camaro (like most GM trucks) is 140 and I have a (perhaps silly?) reluctance to use tools near the ends of their range when there's a reasonable alternative.

Do they make it without the flexible head ... I was just going to order the one FC said but then read Nicks remark this one might be better ... I only change the wheels of one car twice a year ...

Not sure, but the flexible head is a nice feature in my mind; lets you clear deep offset wheels or wide fenders without having to use a really long extension on the socket. It's not so flexible that it bends without you intentionally making use of it.

This is true.

Great point, I didn’t think of that, thanks I ordered it !!

Ok so I got the torque wrench and I do think this thing must be great but the weight of it is on the heavy side.

Don’t get me wrong I am thankful for the suggestion but I get really worn out when I change the wheels ... lifting these ridiculously huge wheels and unstacking one set and re-stacking the set coming off the car it tires me out.

Is there a good torque wrench out there that is not *that* heavy ?

I think i’ll keep this one too but damn I must be getting old ... I need the light weight version :eeps:

Not really.

Need to put that son of yours to work. ;)

Lol ... too funny, this comment reminds me of a few years ago when I posted on a local board asking for a Backyard poopy Cleaner for the dogs since the service we were using sucked in the winter time ....

A neighbor suggested the same thing :lol:

That is definitely one of my son’s chores!

Mine is 3.15lbs versus yours at 3.4lbs, so about the same. Mine is 24.5" vs yours at 21.5".

I have to say that I don't find my tool heavy at all for what it is. :dunno: Maybe I am used to very heavy tools at work. For example, my 3/4" breaker bar in my garage is much longer and heavier.

Thanks for giving me the specs, greatly appreciated... I just checked and my current torque wrench weighs more ... I guess I just didn’t realize it.

This is my current one

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...C1lWRiahiHWjrl