How many of you guys own a torque wrench and regularly re-torque your rims to factory specs?

I am thinking of investing in one, since I have aftermarket rims/tires - (I installed it myself, so I don't know exactly how much pressure I need to put on the lug nuts.) Plus, doesn't the pressure loosen over time on your wheels?

Where did you guys buy one, if you have one?

 

It's nice to have one for many reasons.
A quality one, try Sears ($$$). A cheap one, try Autozone or Advance Auto. You're looking for a 1/2"-drive type. I use a click-type.

 

one thing for sure, when you torque down your lug nuts, you will be amazed at how much you have been over-torquing them. im sure it doesnt do any harm, but i was so surprised when i first used my torque wrench.

i love mine, it was about $120, it is also the click type. i use it mostly on my snowmobile, the cast iron is more fragile, dont use it too much on the car unless its something sensitive that could break.

 

I have a torque wrench, but I dont use it for the wheels. How much torque are you supposed to put on the lug nuts anyway?

 

89 ft lbs. , that's what I torque them to. The owner's manual will say how much as will the verious repair manuals. Over torquing wheels can cause rotors to warp.

 

85-100 lbs according to the owner's manual

mine only cost $30 from tirerack.com (gorilla brand)

 

If you do any work on your car, you should have a torque wrench. There are many different bolts that need to be torqued to a specified amount. If you undertorque a bolt, it can come loose on its own. If you overtorque the bolt, you can shear the bolt apart. Obviously, it's not necessary to have an exact torque. But if you tighten it without a torque reading, you have no idea how much torque is being applied.

 

Definitely get one. In fact get several. I own four different types. Keep in mind that torque wrenches are only accurate near the middle of their range. In other words, if the range is 50 to 300 ft/lbs, the wrench will be most accurate around 175 ft/lbs.
The other reason to own more than one is that most smaller bolts are in in/lbs. So a single wrench won't (can't) do it all.

Avoid getting a "deflecting beam" torque wrench since they can be really inaccurate.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that torque is really measuring bolt stretch. So at a specific torque, the bolt (fastener) stretches to keep the parts tight. I would bet that most lug nuts are too tight rather than too loose... Just like a rubber band - too loose and everything gets floppy. Too tight and things can snap.

 

I got a really nice one from Sears that shows Newton Meters and ft/lbs for $100. I check my rims every couple of months or prior to going on a trip.

 

Not sure which manual you have. Mine (2001 SE 5 pd) states 80 ft-lb. No range, just 80 ft-lb.

http://www.nissan-techinfo.com/nissa...p?dept%5Fid=37

 

I hope this helps. It's a link to Harbor Freight's catalog search under "Torque Wrench".

http://order.harborfreight.com/EasyA...ht/results.jsp

The one for $19.99 (239-1vga) should be all you need. If you want to get a litttle fancy the one for $89.99 (46691-0vga) is a nice upgrade. You will also need a 1/2" to 3/8" reducer socket if you don't have a 1/2" socket set.

Tommy Boy

 

Why the 1/2 drive? Is it because of the higher ft/lb ratings? I just got a 3/8 from Sears. Should I trade up?

 

You probably will need more than one. You will need a 1/2" drive that goes up to at least 150ft-lbs if working on your suspension. But you will need a smaller torque wrench that goes down to the 1-10 ft-lbs range for bolts like the ones on the tranny pan. If you want just one, try getting a 10-80 ft-lbs one, or somewhere around there. This will cover most bolts in your car. Also, keep in mind that most torque wrenches cannot be recalibrated, especially the cheap ones. Also, the cheaper ones are not as accurate. It may be worth investing the extra money for an industrial grade one. These can be recalibrated periodically, are more accurate and will last for the rest of your life, as long as you don't abuse it. For example, I got a proto 3/8" drive with a 10-80 ft-lbs range. It was pretty expensive, but I'll be able to have it for the rest of my life.

 

Generally the higher torque ranges are for 1/2"-drive sockets. E.g., I have a 1/2"-drive socket set, and one of the mid-to-upper sizes is 21mm, the size of my lugnuts. I generally don't see 3/8"-drive torque wrenches go up to 90 ft/lbs (FOOT-pounds, not inch-pounds), but the cheap 3/8" drive torque wrenches I see generally do inch-pounds, usually ending up no more than ~10-20 ft/lbs (guess that's 120-240 inch/lbs?) as their maximum rating.

If you put too much torque on a 3/8"-drive socket, the male piece to the torque wrench could snap. 1/2"-drive is the highest you'll generally see for automotive stuff. I know they go up to 3/4" and even 1"-drive, but I think that's for much heavier-duty stuff (trucks/trailers? plumbing? large equipment?)

 

I own several torque wrenches for various jobs around the car. I use it everytime I
remove the wheel so when I put it back on its exacty within specs. If you don't use
the torque wrenches you can warp your disc breaks, break bolts, and wheels can flyoff.
All these things happen to me several years ago. Matter of fact when a dealership or
one of these tire places replace my tire I insist they use torque wrenches to tighten my
tire vs using an impact wrenches which can damage your bolts.

Mike

 

Thanks Sprilis, Gonna need to take it back then. My wife sasid that that was the only Craftsman they had in the store before x-mas.

 

My 2k se manual says 72 - 87 ft-lb.

I torque mine to 85/86 ft-lb

 

It is not necessary to have a 1/2" drive just for the lug nuts on the wheels. You can generally go up to around 80 or 90 ft-lbs with a 3/8" drive. This is adequate for properly torqueing the lugs. You will probably need a 3/8" -> 1/2" adapter for the socket though.

 

Bought one from Autozone for like $10. I've torqued my lugs to 80lbs for years.

 

I always use a torque wrench when rotating my tires. I also use it if I take my car in to have any warranty work done where they have to remove any wheels or I have new tires put on. I never liked anybody using impact wrenches to tighten my lug nuts. After rotating your tires, you should retorque them after about 200 miles or so. I would advise you to invest in a ½" drive Craftsman torque wrench for your car. If you do any work on the engine, get an inch pound torque wrench as well.

 

i have 1 also. if you overtighten your lugnuts, alot of bad things can happen like when you brake, the whole car starts to vibrate or you can warp your rotors.