Torque Wrench

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Most torque wrenches are calibrated to be "accurate" from 20% of full scale. In your instance (80lbs.), the wrench "should" be accurate (+/- 3-4%) from 16 lbs. to 80lbs.. Since spark plugs are generally in the 12-16lb range (I think), this torque wrench would be iffy, in my opinion.

Most auto lug nuts are 85 to 100 ft. lbs., so you need the 150 lbs. wrench there.

A general rule of thumb is to try to use a wrench in the middle of it's scale, more or less.

Discussion of torque accuracy and torque wrench quality could fill pages of threads. Be careful trusting clicker wrenches. I test my cheap clickers occasionally against my beam style. There are also ways to test clickers in your vise by hanging weights on them (a crude method to get you in the ballpark).
 
Thanks. Well my lug nuts are 80lbs for this car so I'm good there. I have a 1/2" torque drive (older style with the needle) for that. I figured I'd get this one for plugs being it's good from 10-80lbs. Hopefully I can do the plugs with it, if not, I'll just tighten them carefully.
 
Ive owned a few of them... really cheap ebay, kobalt from lowes (older, which I lost), husky from HD, and now snap-on. While most of what I do is lugs, the snapon ones that I have (1/4', 3/8 and 1/2 drive in different ranges) are heads and shoulders better in feel and operation.

One tuneup or this or that would nearly pay for the wrench.

JMH
 
I have the great wrench brand 1/2" drive torque wrench that I bought from autozone for $23. Works good for me.
 
sorry but beam type torque wrenches are garbage..With torque wrenches..you get what you pay for...I personally would not use that torque wrench for spark plugs..
 
I can't see the wrench on the link, but for spark plugs I would want a click type since you don't have to look at it to use it. I only have Snap On Click type wrenches and one Cornwell dial type for setting bearing preload.
 
I recently bought a Husky 3/8" 20 to 100 ft/lb torque wrench from Home Depot. It is very well made and only cost $68. It has a lifetime warranty that is honored at all Home Depot stores, much like Craftsman. Another good torque wrench is the Kobalt brand, which is available at Lowes. It is $78 and also appears to be very well made.

I have used a cheap torque wrench for many years, but finally got tired of having to convert metric to imperial units. I did not want to spend $200+ for a Snap-On or Proto brand torque wrench, so the Husky wrench was a good compromise for me.
 
Napa seems to have a good torque wrench. SnapOn has recently changed their torque wrenches and it appears the snapon older versions no longer have any licensing after a period of time. Not confirmed but the Napa torque wrenches look like the old revision snapon wrenches.

Thing about Snapon is you can buy a used one and get it calibrated from them for about 100bucks. So in otherwords a high quality torque wrench that will be supported by snapon for life.
 
Generally with tools you get what you pay for. The thing is - is it really worth it to pay 200 dollars to get a torque wrench that gets used maybe a handful of times per year? I buy mostly Snap-On everything, but I use it everyday. I wouldn't expect the 15 dollar torque wrench to be very accurate, but it's better than none.
 
Quote:

sorry but beam type torque wrenches are garbage

Click to expand...


That is simply untrue. Beam style torque wrenches work very well and they never lose their calibration unless you REALLY abuse them. Their downfall is that you have to have a good view of the scale and that can be a problem in cramped quarters. Just because a wrench clicks at 150 lbs. doesn't necessarally mean that it is accurate.

Clicker style wrenches are convenient, but you need to be aware that dropping them, leaving the spring tensioned, or just bad luck can leave them out of calibration. You never know - I have a cheapie Great Neck model that tests well against a Snap-on for many years. I know of someone else with a expensive clicker that did $1,000 dollars damage to a tree chipper because the wrench mal-functioned.

The big three U.S players seem to be Precision Instruments, CDI, and Proto. CDI and Precision only make torque equipment. CDI was "recently" purchased by Snap-on and I am going to find out if CDI = Snap-on because CDI is about 60% cheaper.

Craftsman wrenches seem to get very mixed reviews - the "digi tork" model with the "window" seems to be very problematic. The Husky models (Home Despot) seems to get good reviews (for the less expensive models).

My final point - torque values can vary widely based on the condition of the fastener (clean, lubed, etc.) and torque wrenches are not infallible. Use them with that in mind. When you're putting on a wheel and the veins are starting to pop out on your fore head, maybe consider that your torque wrench isn't working correct.
 
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Hmm. Now i'm not sure what to do. I just bought a Beam style Craftsman 1/2" drive for lug nuts. The one I ordered above that I posted the link too i was going to use for Plugs.

Which torque wrench would you use for spark plugs if you were going to buy one?
 
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Hmm. Now i'm not sure what to do. I just bought a Beam style Craftsman 1/2" drive for lug nuts. The one I ordered above that I posted the link too i was going to use for Plugs.

Which torque wrench would you use for spark plugs if you were going to buy one?

Click to expand...

You will eventually run into spark plugs where you can't get a torque wrench on one where you can see a beam scale.

Pick a mid price range clicker so that your plug torques fall between 20% and 80% of max torque on the wrench.
 
I've used beam type torque wrenches for years, actually about three decades. As I recall from military and corporate cal labs beam types are usually considered calibrated whne the pointer is centered. If you have click types you can use a beam type to check it. To make a beam type easier to use in dim conditions under a vehicle I mark the desired value with the edge of some masking tape. A dial type with a 'memory pointer' would allow you to work up to a value in a blind situation, but they aren't very common.

They don't seem to make beam types for 250 to 300 ft lbs so I've been loking at some click types, and they evidently need to be 'worked in' a bit, the torque setting re-zeroed when done otherwise cal will go out, and checked on a periodic basis.

I've also been looking at a split beam clicker, which is more expensive. I'm also trying to find about 6in extension, 1/2in sq to 1/2in sq, for use with torque wrenches, but they don't seem to be available.
 
Quote:

Quote:

sorry but beam type torque wrenches are garbage

Click to expand...


That is simply untrue. Beam style torque wrenches work very well and they never lose their calibration unless you REALLY abuse them. Their downfall is that you have to have a good view of the scale and that can be a problem in cramped quarters. Just because a wrench clicks at 150 lbs. doesn't necessarally mean that it is accurate.

Clicker style wrenches are convenient, but you need to be aware that dropping them, leaving the spring tensioned, or just bad luck can leave them out of calibration. You never know - I have a cheapie Great Neck model that tests well against a Snap-on for many years. I know of someone else with a expensive clicker that did $1,000 dollars damage to a tree chipper because the wrench mal-functioned.

The big three U.S players seem to be Precision Instruments, CDI, and Proto. CDI and Precision only make torque equipment. CDI was "recently" purchased by Snap-on and I am going to find out if CDI = Snap-on because CDI is about 60% cheaper.

Craftsman wrenches seem to get very mixed reviews - the "digi tork" model with the "window" seems to be very problematic. The Husky models (Home Despot) seems to get good reviews (for the less expensive models).

My final point - torque values can vary widely based on the condition of the fastener (clean, lubed, etc.) and torque wrenches are not infallible. Use them with that in mind. When you're putting on a wheel and the veins are starting to pop out on your fore head, maybe consider that your torque wrench isn't working correct.

Click to expand...


If you say so..I've personally measured rod bolt stretch while building a motor...and torqued the rod bolts, using a beam type wrench..measure the stretch, and get something different 9 out of 10 times, and not just minor differences. I would than use either a snap-on digital torque wrench, or a click type, perform the same task, and while none were exactly the same, they were all stretched a lot closer to one another..If you want to use a 20 dollar torque wrench...go right a head..
 
I have a snapon tech digital torque wrench and it works well but it eats batteries. You must remove the AA's or it'll get sucked dry in weeks.

Boeing will not use anything else but SnapOn.

People should borrow good torque wrenches rather than buying cheap ones.

Some hardcore engine builders will only use a beam type torque wrench for conrod bolts.

I'll use a clicker for my rodbolts but I always use ARP luricant for my ARP bolts. Never had a problem. I'll zing my crude 2332cc aircooled VW motor to 8300+ rpms (stopped doing it because I made just as much power at 7200rpms)
 
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