I was wondering if anyone could recommend a wrench (impact wrench or torque wrench??) that can be used mainly to fasten/un-fasten lug nuts on the wheels easily.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Wrench Suggestion
- Thread starter TigerNSX
- Start date
Hi Yong,
Hope all is well with you. I have to ask a few questions.
1. Change tires at a track event?
2. Change tires in the garage at home?
3. Do you have compressed air available?
4. Do you need portability (battery powered)?
LarryB
Hope all is well with you. I have to ask a few questions.
1. Change tires at a track event?
2. Change tires in the garage at home?
3. Do you have compressed air available?
4. Do you need portability (battery powered)?
LarryB
Hi, Larry,
Thank you so much for your prompt response.
I guess that the following two categories meet my need even though I am not too concerned whether it is battery powered (I have seen ones that can be connected through the cigarette lighter??):
2. Change tires in the garage at home?
4. Do you need portability (battery powered)?
I don't need anything heavy duty since I will be using it only when I wash the inside of the rims and work on brakes.
Again, thanks for your time
Thank you so much for your prompt response.
I guess that the following two categories meet my need even though I am not too concerned whether it is battery powered (I have seen ones that can be connected through the cigarette lighter??):
2. Change tires in the garage at home?
4. Do you need portability (battery powered)?
I don't need anything heavy duty since I will be using it only when I wash the inside of the rims and work on brakes.
Again, thanks for your time
If this is occasional and does not require anything "quick" I would get a good 1/2" breaker barwith a 19mm socket w/short extension for removal, then a nice 150ft. lb. torque wrench for installation set at 80ft.lbs. for NSX wheels.
Alternatives would be the electric impact gun you describe that can be powered by the cig lighter. (but remember, in the NSX there is no power to the cig lighter unless the car is running or "on")
HTH,
LarryB
Alternatives would be the electric impact gun you describe that can be powered by the cig lighter. (but remember, in the NSX there is no power to the cig lighter unless the car is running or "on"
)HTH,
LarryB
Sounds great!!
Thank you so much!!
Thank you so much!!
We sell a nice 1/2 inch drive torque wrench that I use and it's only $29.00. The thin wall sockets for it are $3.50 and a breaker (that uses the same socket) is $7.99. For $40.00 you can't beat it! I use it and it works great!
Here is a link in case you want to check it out:
http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/tools/tools_all.jsp
ps- i usually try to stay out of sales-type posts, but this is really an awesome deal!
Here is a link in case you want to check it out:
http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/tools/tools_all.jsp
ps- i usually try to stay out of sales-type posts, but this is really an awesome deal!
Attachments
Cool
Nice deal.
LarryB
Nice deal.
LarryB
Aaron, seems a nice package for the price.
Do you know what the margin of error is? Is this the one that has +/- 4% error or a different one. .....
thanks.
Do you know what the margin of error is? Is this the one that has +/- 4% error or a different one. .....
thanks.
AaronR said:
This is similar to what I use, and highly recommended.
I also use a short 1/2" drive extension, as Larry B is recommending. It will make it much easier to use the torque wrench without scratching the finish of the car around the wheel wells.
I don't use a breaker bar; I simply use the torque wrench to undo lug nuts as well as tightening them. Is that bad?
One other thing I would suggest considering is something to make it easier to screw and unscrew the lug nuts for most of their travel other than the final tightening. Some folks use a "spinner" (a cross-bar or some variation containing a 19 mm socket), which still requires some effort. Others use a cordless drill with a socket attachment; that works, although it's a bit of overkill if you don't already have other uses for it, and it's somewhat heavy if you lug your tire-changing tools to the track like I do. I've found that a cordless power screwdriver with a six-sided conversion bit and a 19 mm socket makes for a very lightweight, inexpensive, and handy way to do this task. So if you're going to be changing wheels a lot, you might want to consider one of these items as well.
Hrant said:
Hrant, I am unsure of the margin of error
, but I have people checking on it for me. I know that really crazy torque wrenches (read -snap on digital, etc) provide those kind of specs, but many do not. I'm sure I can get it. I'll post when I do.Ken, using your torque wrench as a breaker can shorten the life of your wrench due to the fact that you are putting a great deal of stress on it as you break loose. I for one own a breaker and never use it, but if I had a $500.00 torque wrench you bet I would not be braking my lugs loose with it. I would take quite a while, but it could break the wrench. That is the main reason that places like sears do not offer warranties on a torque wrench.
On a $30.00, $75.00, or even a $125.00 wrench...well it's about as subjective as changing the timing belt on an NSX.
PS- our wrench has a 1 year warranty and does come free of charge with a 4 inch extension.
breaker shown below
Aaron
Attachments
Hi Ken,
Not the best thing for your torque wrench. They should only be used to tighten to keep them in spec as long as possible, and they should be fully loosened to the lightest setting for storage.
HTH,
LarryB
Not the best thing for your torque wrench. They should only be used to tighten to keep them in spec
as long as possible, and they should be fully loosened to the lightest setting for storage.HTH,
LarryB
I know that this sounds dumb, but how do you use the breaker? How does it work? 
A breaker is basically just like the wrench that comes in your trunk to change a flat. A breaker just has better leverage so you can "break" the lugs nuts loose easier.
Aaron
Aaron
I have the Gorilla Breaker bar wrench that AaronR is talking about. It's awesome!!! It also extends quite a bit longer to give you even more leverage than the picture shows.
AaronR said:
Can you loosen the lugs nuts via the breaker using your arms? Or do you have to stand on the breaker, and exert the force using your legs for the tough ones (like the one that comes in your trunk)?
I am sorry for all these questions.
The beauty of the breaker is that it makes it much easier to loosen the lugs than most wrenches. They require much less strength than usual to loosen your lugs. The handle pulls waaaaaay out for increased leverage. Also, you should NEVER ever stand on a lug wrench of any sort, as that is a great way to break a lug, fatigue a stud, and a list of other things that you would not want to do to your car.
I am sorry for all these questions. [/B][/QUOTE]
That is what the baord is for!!!!!!
That is what the baord is for!!!!!!
I picked up a 20gallon upright air compress at thru value hardware for $150.
+$50 for hose and impact wrench.
+$25 for impact sockets.
I have a set of air tools. Mostly China made tools but it is occasional use air tools. so not worrying about getting snap-on of MAC Tools.
Believe me. you will love having a air compressor. I break a sweat jackin up the car instead of turning lugs.
electric impact is a POS.. I tried that and returned it for a air compressor.
+$50 for hose and impact wrench.
+$25 for impact sockets.
I have a set of air tools. Mostly China made tools but it is occasional use air tools. so not worrying about getting snap-on of MAC Tools.
Believe me. you will love having a air compressor. I break a sweat jackin up the car instead of turning lugs.
electric impact is a POS.. I tried that and returned it for a air compressor.
If you are going to use air tools such as an impact wrench, just make sure you use an attachment - I think it's called a "torque stick" - that limits the amount of torque you use when tightening the lugs, so you can't overtighten them.
Ditto Larry,
We use torque wrenches every day and on occasion we find that some mechanics put undo stress on the wrench by using it to "break torque". (That’s a “No-No”) Not a good practice. As Larry said, set you torque wrenches to its lowest setting when storing. We have our Torque wenches re-calibrated every 3 months or sooner when not used correctly. But then again we are constantly using them,day in and day out. We utilize a manual dial torque gauge to check the setting of the wrenches, its cool because it has inch lbs. on the inside dial and foot lbs. on the out side. the gauge is a great way to double-check your wrenches accuracy for a given setting. Even the Torque gauge needs calibration for its accuracy.
We use torque wrenches every day and on occasion we find that some mechanics put undo stress on the wrench by using it to "break torque". (That’s a “No-No”) Not a good practice. As Larry said, set you torque wrenches to its lowest setting when storing. We have our Torque wenches re-calibrated every 3 months or sooner when not used correctly. But then again we are constantly using them,day in and day out. We utilize a manual dial torque gauge to check the setting of the wrenches, its cool because it has inch lbs. on the inside dial and foot lbs. on the out side. the gauge is a great way to double-check your wrenches accuracy for a given setting. Even the Torque gauge needs calibration for its accuracy.
Torque Control with Air Tools
Ken mentioned a torque stick and these work well. Some of the better air tools have adjustable torque ranges. I have a half inch impact gun that can be set to 60 ft/lbs. Great for snugging up the lugs, then you hand tighten with a good torque wrench.
Get the finest tools you can to work on your fine car!
Ken mentioned a torque stick and these work well. Some of the better air tools have adjustable torque ranges. I have a half inch impact gun that can be set to 60 ft/lbs. Great for snugging up the lugs, then you hand tighten with a good torque wrench.
Get the finest tools you can to work on your fine car!
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A bunch of this has already been mentioned in passing, but to put it all together... stuff to know your torque wrench:
1. Store it dialed down to zero. Do not store it set to say 80lbft even if that's all you use it for. It's not good for it.
2. Don't bang it around or store it where it's likely to get banged or dropped. Good torque wrenches come with a padded hard storage case for a reason. Store them in there.
3. Use it only for torquing things to spec, not as a breaker bar or pry bar or hammer or whatever.
4. An uncalibrated tool is not much of a tool at all. If you are going to spend big $ for a high-end torque wrench, you need to have it calibrated once in a while or you may as well have just saved a bunch of cash and bought a cheap one. In fact after a while, it will be worse than a cheap one because it'll be way off spec. The more you use (or abuse - see above) the wrench, the more often you should calibrate it. If you have a cheap wrench, you could calibrate it too, probably more often, and probably be prepared to replace it sooner than a quality one if you use it much. Several good tool or auto parts stores can check the calibration for free in their shop - call around and ask.
5. You can't properly "check" the torque of a bolt with a torque wrench. I know I'm going to piss someone off by saying this, because they and all kinds of "experts" they know have "done it for years," but it's a fact. Try it - tighten a lug to 75 with your wrench, drive around a little, then set the wrench to 80 and torque it again. Most of the time the wrench will hit 80 before the lug will move. A torque wrench is designed to measure as you progressively build to a given torque spec. This means you need to start with a bolt well below the torque setting on the wrench for it to work well, such as Soichiro's suggestion of impact wrenching it to 60 and then hand-torquing to 80.
6. You need to hold the wrench properly. This means you hold the end of the handle and press against the back of the wrench head to hold it onto the thing being torqued. Do not put one hand on the handle and the other on the middle of the wrench. This messes up the way many torque wrenches measure torque. Likewise, do not put a pipe on the end of the handle to get more leverage or use any sort of extension that increases the length of the wrench - this really screws up the torque measurement! If you do need to extend the length of the wrench, you need to do some calculations to figure out what you need to set the wrench to in order to achieve the proper torque setting.
7. The stuff you are torquing needs to be clean and dry unless otherwise specified. Corrosion or dirt throws your torque readings off.
8. The threads need to be straight. Damaged or stripped threads are going to affect the torque reading on the wrench.
9. Some things need to be torqued in sequence. For lug nuts on an NSX, use a star pattern. Head bolts, etc. also have specific patterns that are very imporant to follow. Several passes with increasing torque helps make sure everything is happy. 1/3 the first pass, 2/3 the second pass, and 3/3 the third pass generally works well. Follow with a 4th pass to make sure you didn't miss any (you'd be amazed how often it happens).
Also, as far as impact wrenches.... I agree with the comment that most electric impact wrenches I've tried are "sub par". I've never found one I liked for working on a car. If someone can recommend a good one, I'd like to try it because it would certainly be handy to have. The battery-powered ones are just a cruel joke.
1. Store it dialed down to zero. Do not store it set to say 80lbft even if that's all you use it for. It's not good for it.
2. Don't bang it around or store it where it's likely to get banged or dropped. Good torque wrenches come with a padded hard storage case for a reason. Store them in there.
3. Use it only for torquing things to spec, not as a breaker bar or pry bar or hammer or whatever.
4. An uncalibrated tool is not much of a tool at all. If you are going to spend big $ for a high-end torque wrench, you need to have it calibrated once in a while or you may as well have just saved a bunch of cash and bought a cheap one. In fact after a while, it will be worse than a cheap one because it'll be way off spec. The more you use (or abuse - see above) the wrench, the more often you should calibrate it. If you have a cheap wrench, you could calibrate it too, probably more often, and probably be prepared to replace it sooner than a quality one if you use it much. Several good tool or auto parts stores can check the calibration for free in their shop - call around and ask.
5. You can't properly "check" the torque of a bolt with a torque wrench. I know I'm going to piss someone off by saying this, because they and all kinds of "experts" they know have "done it for years," but it's a fact. Try it - tighten a lug to 75 with your wrench, drive around a little, then set the wrench to 80 and torque it again. Most of the time the wrench will hit 80 before the lug will move. A torque wrench is designed to measure as you progressively build to a given torque spec. This means you need to start with a bolt well below the torque setting on the wrench for it to work well, such as Soichiro's suggestion of impact wrenching it to 60 and then hand-torquing to 80.
6. You need to hold the wrench properly. This means you hold the end of the handle and press against the back of the wrench head to hold it onto the thing being torqued. Do not put one hand on the handle and the other on the middle of the wrench. This messes up the way many torque wrenches measure torque. Likewise, do not put a pipe on the end of the handle to get more leverage or use any sort of extension that increases the length of the wrench - this really screws up the torque measurement! If you do need to extend the length of the wrench, you need to do some calculations to figure out what you need to set the wrench to in order to achieve the proper torque setting.
7. The stuff you are torquing needs to be clean and dry unless otherwise specified. Corrosion or dirt throws your torque readings off.
8. The threads need to be straight. Damaged or stripped threads are going to affect the torque reading on the wrench.
9. Some things need to be torqued in sequence. For lug nuts on an NSX, use a star pattern. Head bolts, etc. also have specific patterns that are very imporant to follow. Several passes with increasing torque helps make sure everything is happy. 1/3 the first pass, 2/3 the second pass, and 3/3 the third pass generally works well. Follow with a 4th pass to make sure you didn't miss any (you'd be amazed how often it happens).
Also, as far as impact wrenches.... I agree with the comment that most electric impact wrenches I've tried are "sub par". I've never found one I liked for working on a car. If someone can recommend a good one, I'd like to try it because it would certainly be handy to have. The battery-powered ones are just a cruel joke.
Lud said:
Wow ............... we sure are getting "nuts" if not overtechnical and overkill on torquing the lug "nuts" ............... 
Let me be get to the basics; unless you have a very precise high end calibrated torque wrench, most of the ones on retail (Craftsman from Sears, or the SK from Harbor Freight or Coastal Tool; and both seem to sell a similar one to TireRack as well) have a margin of error of +/- 4%. And yes, I know there are torque wrenches at $300 that have 1% margin of error ....... The reason why asked the question above is to see if the one from Tire Rack has a better margin - I suspect they are made by the same manufacturer but come better packaged at competitive price.
Thus, it is very possible that with a $19 to $89 torque qrench, you will have a variation of up to 8% difference in torque among the 5 lugs nuts on a single wheel. 8% of 80 is 6.4 ........... now for all the experts with this technical talk, does 6.4 make a difference? If it does, how to do you correct it .... ....... and if it does not matter, then what's the big deal .........
Let me be get to the basics; unless you have a very precise high end calibrated torque wrench, most of the ones on retail (Craftsman from Sears, or the SK from Harbor Freight or Coastal Tool; and both seem to sell a similar one to TireRack as well) have a margin of error of +/- 4%. And yes, I know there are torque wrenches at $300 that have 1% margin of error ....... The reason why asked the question above is to see if the one from Tire Rack has a better margin - I suspect they are made by the same manufacturer but come better packaged at competitive price.
Thus, it is very possible that with a $19 to $89 torque qrench, you will have a variation of up to 8% difference in torque among the 5 lugs nuts on a single wheel. 8% of 80 is 6.4 ........... now for all the experts with this technical talk, does 6.4 make a difference? If it does, how to do you correct it ....
....... and if it does not matter, then what's the big deal ......... Similar threads
