Torque Wrench Questions Help Requested

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May 21, 2015 | 12:56 AM

Cliff358

Thread Starter

Instructor

Joined: Apr 2013

Posts: 183

Likes: 1

From: Reno NV

Torque Wrench Questions Help Requested

I'm not a mechanic and will never be mistaken for one.

I would like to change out the lug nuts on my c7 with some Black locking lug nuts. Apparently, that is best done with a torque wrench. In the past I always just used a star wrench to tighten or remove the lug nuts and never worried about how tight I might get them.

So, does it matter what brand I buy? Do I need a clickable, digital, calibrated, etc.? How about 1/4", 1/2" or 3/8"? Do I need to jack up the car just to swap out the lug nuts? Do I need a separate wrench to take them off first?

These may be simple questions to many people on here but I haven't had to work on a car in over 20 years. I know I could get this done at the dealer but I would like to be able to check the tightness on these things once in a while which is why I'm looking to buy a torque wrench. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

May 21, 2015 | 08:57 AM

Boiler_81

Drifting

Joined: Aug 2002

Posts: 1,519

Likes: 431

From: MI

I would get a click 1/2 drive from Sears. They are on sale all the time and are perfectly fine for this application.

No need to jack up the car. Just remove and replace one nut at a time. Make sure you recheck the torque after driving it a few miles and then again at 50 or so.

I wouldn't use the torque wrench for removing bolts. I use a breaker bar.

Here is a pretty good video showing how to use a torque wrench for tightening wheel lug nuts.

Last edited by Boiler_81; May 26, 2015 at 07:36 PM.

May 21, 2015 | 09:36 AM

juanvaldez

Team Owner

Joined: Sep 2014

Posts: 26,430

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Or the 1/2" torque wrench from Harbor Freight, less that $20. Works fine for wheels.

May 21, 2015 | 09:03 PM

meyerweb

Safety Car

Joined: Jan 2015

Posts: 3,941

Likes: 499

From: Northern Virginia

I just went through the same thing. I was hesitant to get the Harbor Freight. At that low a price, how could it be any good? But I found a test done by Car Craft magazine in 2013 that found the Harbor Freight to be very accurate. Probably not the most rugged, and maybe not the best choice for a mechanic who's going to use it all the time, but for occasional use on the C7's wheels it's perfect, and a bargain.

It's on sale for $22, and starting Friday you can get 20% off with the coupon here:

http://www.harborfreight.com/

Here's the wrench:

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-hal...rench-239.html

Of course, there's always a chance that if you wait until Friday the $22 sale will be over, but I doubt it.

May 26, 2015 | 12:14 PM

Cliff358

Thread Starter

Instructor

Joined: Apr 2013

Posts: 183

Likes: 1

From: Reno NV

Thanks for all the feedback everybody. I did look at the HF wrench but I had too much trouble seeing the lines on it so I decided to go with the
TEKTON 24335 1/2-Inch Drive Click Torque Wrench, 10-150-Foot/Pound that I found on Amazon.

I love all the support we get on this forum it makes learning a lot easier.

Later,
Cliff

May 30, 2015 | 02:22 AM

Bill Dearborn

Tech Contributor

Joined: Oct 1999

Posts: 41,058

Likes: 9,820

From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cliff358

Just remember to reset it to zero after every use or it will quickly lose its ability to set the torque properly. The only way you know if a torque wrench is accurate is to ship it off to a calibration shop about every 6 months.

Bill