what range torque wrench is needed

[fred79]

I am doing my lower 60k this coming week and wanted to kow what range or torque wrench should I buy I have seen 20-250ft/lbs(1/2 24") and 25-200 ft/lbs(3/8 18") I would like to know which would fit my purpose best. I also am buying this to torque my lug nuts and need some thing to do that with.(my mechanic advised me that I should torque aluminum wheels only to spec and not ratchet them down like you would a steel wheel because it can cause break warpage and vibration)
also I plan on doing some other work on the car will I need a inch/lb torque wrench some time soon or will the ft/lb work fine?

 

[AREA 91]

You will want to buy 2 wrenches. The first a 1/2 inch drive for your wheels, head bolts, etc... The 2nd wrench should be a 3/8 inch drive that has inch pounds or newton meters. This smaller wrench will come in handy for all the "little stuff" on your engine, such as valve cover bolts, T stat, etc... Hope this helps thumb

<small>[ July 13, 2003, 12:48 PM: Message edited by: witsimpala ]</small>

 

[Shoaz]

I have three: a 1/2" (20-150 ft-lbs), a 3/8" that is in the mid range (10-75 ft-lbs), and a 3/8" micro-torque wrench calibrated in in-lbs (this is what I use for low-torque fasteners like on the t-stat).

If you're careful about what you select you can probably handle most things without the mid-range wrench, but it's very handy for a lot of reasons, like I don't have to have the 1/2" sockets out to use it, and it's smaller and easier to get into a lot of places.

I got by with just the mid-range wrench for a long time, and it will most likely be adequate for a 60k. The low-torque wrench (25-250 in-lbs) is invaluable for wimpy fasteners like the t-stat, but if you're not touching that for your 60k you might be able to get by without it. Otherwise if you don't want to spend too much on tools you might try to borrow an in-lbs wrench if you need to touch the t-stat for your 60k.

Most new wrenches will be calibrated in English and metric units, i.e., ft-lbs and Newton-meters, but you might check whatever you look at. It is handy to have both. My stuff is all Craftsman and has both, but other vendors are available as well.

 

[shojuan]

I have a 25-250 in/lb 3/8" drive wrench and a 20-250 ft-lb 1/2" drive wrench. Yeah, there's a 4 ft-lb range that I'm not covered with (250 in-lbs = 20.8 ft-lbs) but that has never been a problem. Don't know why people get 150 ft-lb max wrenches when 250 ft-lb capacity is available for the same price. Older ratchet heads weren't up to the task but newer ratchet heads can handle the torque with ease. There are a few driveline and suspension components on the SHO as well as other cars that require more than 150 ft-lbs of torque. That's why I got my 250 ft-lb unit and believe me I've used it.