Wheel lug torque wrench affordable reccomendation

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Lifetime warranty as well. So if you drop it or can somehow tell its out of spec, they'll replace it for free.
 
I prefer for my torque wrenches to be one of the things I don’t skimp on. I have a CDI and a PI. Still need a good quarter inch one.
 
I learned the hard way that my Walmart special torque wrench would not click when dialed to the torques specified for the aluminum wheels on my Subaru.
I bought a Kobalt 1/2 inch unit at Lowe's and it works a lot better, although I really have no idea how accurate it is.

BTW, I could swear my dad had torque wrenches that would just spin when they reached the specified torque...is my memory totally hosed? Can't look at them to find out, my sister sold them (as well as our grandfather's case of carpenter's tools from the turn of the last century) for peanuts just before she went through foreclosure.
 
When buying a torque wrench, decide if measuring or torquing in the CCW direct is important to you,
lots of bargain torque wrenches only work in one direction!

Key thing is to stay away from Torque Sticks on impact guns, they never worked but were 'fast' for rushed mechanics!

If you tried one, measure the release torque with a torque wrench, you'd be surprised how far off they are!

BAD NEWS: TORQUE STICKS n’ IMPACT GUNS
https://app.box.com/s/g8s47dm0woyz65ybundz
 
The HF one is good for lug nuts and most suspension stuff. Just make sure to "untorque" it for storage.
 
Originally Posted By: i_hate_autofraud

When buying a torque wrench, decide if measuring or torquing in the CCW direct is important to you,
lots of bargain torque wrenches only work in one direction!

Key thing is to stay away from Torque Sticks on impact guns, they never worked but were 'fast' for rushed mechanics!

If you tried one, measure the release torque with a torque wrench, you'd be surprised how far off they are!

BAD NEWS: TORQUE STICKS n’ IMPACT GUNS
https://app.box.com/s/g8s47dm0woyz65ybundz


you post that torque stick scam way too much.. that article itself is nearly a scam.
They dont go into detail and ignore common knowledge to help their point.

Did you even read that poorly written ignorant article?

I particularly like how they feel your wheels are overtightened because they dont allow for
the lug nuts to sit over the winter get salted etc..

no they will tell you if they are tightened to 70lb-ft it should only take 70 lb-ft to remove them YEARS LATER.

Torque sticks arent fraudulent they require
A) a non idiot operator
B) the correct torque sticks with the correct impact wrench.

if you use torque sticks that were designed for a 300lb-ft impact with a 1200lb-ft impact yes they wont be accurate. If you hammer down for 90seconds.. yes they will overtighten.

I used the HF torque sticks with my IR electric impact rated at 300lb-ft
and they were very consistent. of course I would final tighten with a torque wrench.

That all being said my dewalt dcf899 on setting 1 is very good at tightening to about 60lb-ft so that works for me.. and of course final tighten with torque wrench.
 
I watched a guy on YouTube using a Harbor Freight torque wrench to tighten the floor bolts on his new vehicle lift installation. The handle kept coming loose from the torque setting. All there is is a tiny little bolt on the end of the handle to lock the torque setting in place and apparently it's not working too well.
 
As already mentioned you can't beat the HF wrench for the money. I have have the 1/2" drive wrench and use it for lug nuts to save wear and tear on my better more expensive torque wrenches. The HF tool is surprisingly accurate and works well. If I have any problems with it they'll take it back and swap it out for another. I haven't had to do that in the three years that I've owned it.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I watched a guy on YouTube using a Harbor Freight torque wrench to tighten the floor bolts on his new vehicle lift installation. The handle kept coming loose from the torque setting. All there is is a tiny little bolt on the end of the handle to lock the torque setting in place and apparently it's not working too well.


Right now that torque wrench is $10. So I could buy a few and keep tossing them if they fail. So far I've had no issues. I need an extension to clear the tire, which makes me wonder how accurate, how much flex I'm getting. But thats not the wrench's fault..
 
Originally Posted By: twouvakind
$10? You cannot go wrong, thanks!


Exactly, and from the testimony here they aren't half bad. I like mine, and if/when it [censored] out they'll be replacing it free.
 
Originally Posted By: Rand
Originally Posted By: i_hate_autofraud

When buying a torque wrench, decide if measuring or torquing in the CCW direct is important to you,
lots of bargain torque wrenches only work in one direction!

Key thing is to stay away from Torque Sticks on impact guns, they never worked but were 'fast' for rushed mechanics!

If you tried one, measure the release torque with a torque wrench, you'd be surprised how far off they are!

BAD NEWS: TORQUE STICKS n’ IMPACT GUNS
https://app.box.com/s/g8s47dm0woyz65ybundz


you post that torque stick scam way too much.. that article itself is nearly a scam.
They dont go into detail and ignore common knowledge to help their point.

Did you even read that poorly written ignorant article?

I particularly like how they feel your wheels are overtightened because they dont allow for
the lug nuts to sit over the winter get salted etc..

no they will tell you if they are tightened to 70lb-ft it should only take 70 lb-ft to remove them YEARS LATER.

Torque sticks arent fraudulent they require
A) a non idiot operator
B) the correct torque sticks with the correct impact wrench.

if you use torque sticks that were designed for a 300lb-ft impact with a 1200lb-ft impact yes they wont be accurate. If you hammer down for 90seconds.. yes they will overtighten.

I used the HF torque sticks with my IR electric impact rated at 300lb-ft
and they were very consistent. of course I would final tighten with a torque wrench.

That all being said my dewalt dcf899 on setting 1 is very good at tightening to about 60lb-ft so that works for me.. and of course final tighten with torque wrench.



Rand,
I'm surprised at your angry post, sorry.

Of all the torque Stick sets I've seen, they never indicated they had to be used with a
specific impact gun in order to work.

A while back I got tires for the wife's car, I saw the tech use impact wrench and a torque stick,
I asked him to confirm the torque either by checking the release torque or seeing if a torque wrench
would move a lug nut at 140 Ft/Lb if it was initially tightened to 100Ft/Lb as a test.

Turns out all lug nuts where 250 to 300 Ft/Lb with the torque sticks, I had the shop manager over
to get them all redone by hand. The manager and the tech were surprised how bad their torque sticks were!

If you ever had to remove a flat tire on the road, it won't come off with hand tools if torque sticks where used in a shop.

I think the point of the PDF is that by and large, Torque Sticks don't work as claimed. If you need to be
super careful to use them, then just get a manual torque wrench instead.

Personally, I use a second hand under powered (60-80 Ft/Lb) cordless impact wrench as a "nut runner" for speed and finish
with a torque wrench.
 
My local Discount Tire has dumped their torque sticks. Now uses the above method - low powered air or battery wrench to 50 or so and finish up with hand torque wrench.

I've used that method for years and always complained about torque sticks. I think many others complained also. Sometimes the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Or they had too many claims for payment of damage caused.
 
I like this type. Cheap and not much to go wrong, though you can get expensive high quality ones too.

For lug nuts I don't bother using one. That's even cheaper.

s-l1600.jpg
 
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