Do I need a torque wrench?

conman1395

conman1395

New member
Joined
Nov 23, 2013
Messages
1,622
Reaction score
0
Hey guys,

So when the weather gets better I plan on coating my wheels. I was going to use the trunk jack and do one wheel at a time. My question is: do I need a torque wrench when I install the wheels again?
 
You should, but you are unlikely to over tighten them by hand, but you also risk them being torqued under-spec. They are not that expensive and you should get it for now and future use.
 
I *always* use one when installing wheels, whether high end alloys on expensive cars or rusty winter steelies on dilapidated Corollas. It's simply insurance, $50 spent on a decent 1/2" torque wrench becomes $50 well-spent if it prevents one warped rotor or damaged rim, or worse, a flyaway wheel.
 
remember, when removing lugnuts by hand, you are far more likely to strip them coming off than oppossed to power tools. I've always found where hand removal failed, a torque gun (air wrench) would work everytime. Maybe you would want to invest in a 18-24volt 1/2"drive electric impact gun/wrench.
 
IMHO:
The importantance of using a torque wrench, to tighten the lug nuts to the
manufacturers' recommendations...along with using the correct lug nut
tightening/torquing sequences...cannot be overstated!




Bob
 
You should definitely invest in a 1/2 torque wrench if you are going to be taking wheels off your car. Not only do you want to tighten the lugs to the recommended torque ft/lbs but I think it's even more important to have them evenly tightened (torqued). Uneven torquing is more dangerous than having all lug nuts evenly under torqued. Uneven lug nut torque causes warped rotors and weird steering issues. With a $10 bill and a coupon you can get a good enough one at HF.
 
chances are you would be fine without a torque wrench but since you are asking leads me to believe you have probably never taken off a wheel so id say yeah buy a torque wrench. Ive been at both ends of the spectrum when it comes to tightening lugs. Ive forgotten to tighten and ive over tightened. Under tightening my wheel was hanging on with only 2 out of 5 lugs by the time i found out. Over tightening i had to use a pneumatic chisle and a torch to remove the lug before a did a break job. lol so pick your poison
 
You can by a torque wrench to measure if your tightening properly, but one you get the feel for what 100lbs or so feel like to your arms and shoulders, return it to buy an air powered one and check them with a regular lug wrench.
 
SameGuy said:
You forgot my 3-bolt wheels.
Click to expand...
In the metric system:
Isn't 3 equal to 4.828/(rounded-up to 5)?

OOOPS!...I was thinking about miles/kilometers.
You forgot to mention in your below thread to check/re-torque alloy wheels once the vehicle has then been driven 100 miles upon the initial tires/wheels-assemblies replacements' torque-sessions.

conman1395[QUOTE="SameGuy said:
I *always* use one when installing wheels, whether high end alloys on expensive cars or rusty winter steelies on dilapidated Corollas. It's simply insurance, $50 spent on a decent 1/2" torque wrench becomes $50 well-spent if it prevents one warped rotor or damaged rim, or worse, a flyaway wheel.
Click to expand...

{TATA Nano}

Bob
 
image.jpg
 
SYMAWD said:
You should, but you are unlikely to over tighten them by hand, but you also risk them being torqued under-spec. They are not that expensive and you should get it for now and future use.
Click to expand...

Oh, thats not true at all. I am a relatively small guy and I can way over torque my wheels by hand.

I never replace my lugs without using a torque wrench, NEVER. It is a highly recommended purchase and tool you should have in your toolbox. I also recommend buying a good one. I bought a craftsman 20 years ago and it is still working just fine.
 
As everyone has said, a torque wrench is never a bad idea. That being said, I seem to take the wheels off my car AT LEAST 6 times a year, and have never used a torque wrench. However, I use a high quality socket set that won't slip and a breaker bar. I've been doing that for about 15 years now with no issues. I just keep applying pressure until the bolt head snaps off and then back off a half a turn.

After a while you get a feel for how much torque is required. It's not exactly rocket science (altho I suppose in a way it is).

You can certainly get by without a torque wrench if you pay attention to what you're doing and use good equipment, which means not using the roadside kit in the trunk. That's probably the only part of my car I've never used.

If you don't already have good tire-changing equipment, you really need to get it. You don't need to have Snap-On quality and you can easily find something that won't break the bank. And you should get jackstands while you're at it. I wouldn't trust a car sitting on the trunk kit jack for more than two seconds.
 
Jaretr1 said:
Oh, thats not true at all. I am a relatively small guy and I can way over torque my wheels by hand.

I never replace my lugs without using a torque wrench, NEVER. It is a highly recommended purchase and tool you should have in your toolbox. I also recommend buying a good one. I bought a craftsman 20 years ago and it is still working just fine.
Click to expand...
You're right. I meant to say that using the small wrench found in the trunk, you are unlikely to tighten them so much to cause an issue as long as you don't jump up and down on it and use a little common sense.
 
I would highly recommend a torque wrench. I take wheels and tires off four vehicles several times a year to rotate tires and clean wheels/wheel wells and whatever.

When I first started driving, I didn't know any better and tightened the lugs down on my good old 84 Regal with a 3/8" ratchet. Made it about 500 feet and the lugs spun off and went bouncing across the road. Wheel came off and I came to a grinding halt on the rotor. Put that on the list of what not to do again! That is why lug torque specs are important! LOL

I picked up a 1/2" at Harbor Freight on the cheap. Based on what I paid for it, it works great and is quite accurate, surprisingly enough. I also purchased the electric impact gun and impact sockets.

They have easily paid for themselves numerous times already.
 
You will always be safe with a properly calibrated torque wrench. I ALWAYS use a torque wrench to install lug nuts. I recommend a star pattern when tightening.. I run them down first and then tighten with a torque wrench. I NEVER use a torque wrench to remove lug nuts, or any kind of nut for that matter.
 
ezriderga said:
I NEVER use a torque wrench to remove lug nuts, or any kind of nut for that matter.
Click to expand...

+1000

And if you use the clicker type wrench (not the older beam style) make sure you relax the torque completely to the lowest spec when you store the wrench.

Using them like a breaker bar to loosen, or storing while they are torqued up are the two primary reasons they lose the correct calibration.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top