Recommended Torque Wrench(es)?

froggy

froggy

Member
Looking for advice on the above. Using the amazing table of torque settings provided by @Sarge , it seems a range of about 5 - 80nm will cover most jobs. I’m completely new to this and having a difficult time choosing the right tools.
It seems 3/8” is a good size wrench to use for car mechanics, however, most of these are around 20 - 100nm. For the lower settings, 1.5/2nm - 20nm I can only find bicycle wrenches of 1/4” size. Would 1/4” (with a 3/8”adapter?) still be suitable for a car?

I’m willing to buy 2 if needs be, so I’m covered for any eventuality, but then it comes down to which makes to go for - Halfrauds Advanvced are towards top end of my budget but seem to review very well (just don’t go there for repairs/servicing) Teng also seem to be quite well liked. I’ve always liked Draper and they are much cheaper, but get poor reviews.
Can anybody who does their own servicing recommend a good quality set of torque wrenches, that have lasted them well and cover the whole nm range? It’s ok if they are no longer sold - I’m happy to trawl the secondhand market if I have a recommendation.
 
I've had my lower-end Teng's for years and years: always stored un-wound. Find them absolutely fine.

If you're 'just' a DIY'er, Halfords Advanced or Teng is easily good enough. The main thing is you're going to be pretty blinking close and importantly, things will be tightened evenly. I wouldn't want to go much cheaper than this sort of level though. Also it's not something to buy used either as if they've been left tight rather than let right off when storing they'll be out of calibration.
 
I'm also a fan of Norbar and found the 'Professional' range superb. They have a built in reversible ratchet and the scale is so easy to read and adjust. Luckily I've always found the desired model on the bay at a reasonable price.
Being old school I don't use a torque wrench for every single fastener, particularly the smaller size bolts and just save it for the more 'critical' jobs like suspension and cam belt replacement

Cheers Spike
 
And wheel bolts.

Many of us that have been fitting and removing fasteners get a "feel" for the torque and are usually very close to the required value. Garages on the other hand that use that universal tool the impact wrench seldom get the torque right. first thing I do to any car is slacken and correctly torque all the wheel bolts / nuts. There is nothing worse than trying to get a flat changed when they were fitted by Guy The Gorrila
 
The other thing that I have found out about recently is that the tolerance that manufacturers give in their workshop manuals can be pretty high and as much as 10-15%. My reasoning is that any medium-grade torque wrench should easily achieve that level of accuracy. So, don't go dirt cheap and it should be OK. This is what I've done.

To be pedantic, even if you get the best wrench out there, you'd still have to calibrate it once a year. And that costs money, sometimes more than the device under calibration, this may change your perspective on the whole matter. Get a decent one, and store it in a drawer and it should give you good service.
 
spike said:
I'm also a fan of Norbar and found the 'Professional' range superb. They have a built in reversible ratchet and the scale is so easy to read and adjust. Luckily I've always found the desired model on the bay at a reasonable price.
Being old school I don't use a torque wrench for every single fastener, particularly the smaller size bolts and just save it for the more 'critical' jobs like suspension and cam belt replacement

Cheers Spike
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Pretty sure you could do it all just by feel by now!
 
froggy said:
Pretty sure you could do it all just by feel by now!
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I've been surprised actually how useless my inbuilt torque-calibration is. I've got 40 years of mechanical experience, right from building a lawnmower engine from bits at 10, a BSA C15 from boxes (stripped to the last rusty washer) at 12 right the way up to 911 engines and the like.

A bit like guessing the time before looking at the clock, when I check my guesses with the torque wrench I'm surprised that it does often vary. I suppose awkward angles, different grips on the tool, leaning in from the top / bottom, pushing / pulling: it all makes differences a torque wrench is immune to.

BTW my father has the Teng wrenches and is a retired avionics engineer at Gatwick. He used to take them into work for calibration but they were always very good and I'm not sure ever ended up being adjusted.

Frankly an 'O.K.' torque wrench (rather than a dirt cheap one) stored correctly is still going to be night and day more accurate than a human working in all sorts of conditions / health / temperature / access / leverages and so on.

Yes, it's lovely to have a Norbar / Snap-On or whatever, but realistically for most people, you're likely to be well down the path of diminishing returns. There's no point putting a chunk of your money into one wonderful tool if that then hits the tool budget so hard you don't then buy the second size you need or those better quality sockets or whatever.

Just think about how often you're going to use it: if it's pretty much for one job a year, or just doing wheel nuts, well there's no point splashing out proper money. The odds are you'll never get the value out of it before it gets nicked / dropped / stolen / lost / driven over or just plain old.

On the other hand, if you're likely to be using it every month, doing very accurate tasks and particularly if you're being paid to do the work, well then the answer's clear: get the very best you can afford.
 
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Thank you everyone. I need to replace a lot of engine parts and suspension, but it is only for my own A2. Lots of members like the Britool stuff, I need a ratchet spanner set too so lots of options to look at. Norbar seem to be used by British Military and if @Rusty911 says Teng get a thumbs up from an avionics engineer then I can’t ask for more than that! Between them, I just have to try to find 2 that will cover at least 5-80nm and I can get on with most jobs. Probably overthinking this one as usual ?
 
you are not overthinking it, I have two torque wenches, a 3/8" drive to cover the lower end of torque settings and a 1/2" drive for the bigger stuff 40nm+ (wheel nuts every time)
I've done a bit of maintenance/repair on my fsi and found them invaluble.
 
I got this when it was on offer because it covers a wide range as you are looking for too. Not heavily used so far, but happy when removing and putting wheels back together.
 
My 1/2 inch torque wrench starts at 28nm too much of a brute for lower torque values. I recently replaced my glow plugs and was gentle by 'feel' and they will be torqued to 15nm next week when the car is in the workshop (off the road meanwhile). I found I needed to buy a deep and thin walled 10mm socket which was 1/2 inch drive. I came to the conclusion I also needed a set of adapters (1/4:3/8:1/2 inch) and two torque wrenches in the tool box! I assume that quality and accuracy in a torque wrench is even more critical at the lower end of the range ie when steel meets aluminium for eg. High quality bikes require care with tightening so a small low range torque wrench can do duty there. atb
 
whatevershebringswesing said:
My 1/2 inch torque wrench starts at 28nm too much of a brute for lower torque values. I recently replaced my glow plugs and was gentle by 'feel' and they will be torqued to 15nm next week when the car is in the workshop (off the road meanwhile). I found I needed to buy a deep and thin walled 10mm socket which was 1/2 inch drive. I came to the conclusion I also needed a set of adapters (1/4:3/8:1/2 inch) and two torque wrenches in the tool box! I assume that quality and accuracy in a torque wrench is even more critical at the lower end of the range ie when steel meets aluminium for eg. High quality bikes require care with tightening so a small low range torque wrench can do duty there. atb
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A bit pricey and I've not seen it in stock for a while. This has to be the best cycle torque set https://www.toolstop.co.uk/norbar-77439-vel-premium-velotorque-cycle-torque-set-p73320/

I find low torques can be achieved reasonably well and close enough by feel. It is the big ones that are difficult, swinging on a long breaker makes it difficult to feel what is going on.
 
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