Lug wrench

Looking to upgrade from the crappy lug wrench the truck came with. I was thinking a torque wrench with a long socket but thats an expensive investment. Is it worth it to get exact torque numbers?

Edit: Torque wrenches are a lot cheaper than I thought! What brand torque wrench do you have?

 

Are you wanting something for emergency use or doing your own rotation?
Either way, I use a Milwaukee impact with impact sockets for removal and a torque wrench to tighten.

 

If you are in Canada then a Mastercraft Torque wrench on sale would fit the bill. I have compared one to a Snap On and a Norbar Torque wrench that I have and the Mastercraft was pretty accurate.

And breaking free hardware with a torque wrench can ruin the accuracy.

 

Gearwrench & Husky torque wrench will run you about $80-100
You will also need a breaker bar and applicable socket (mine is a 21mm). I carry impact sockets because occasionally I need to use a 3 lb hammer.

 

Which brand torque wrench?

 

So it’s better to get one of these rather than the ones on Amazon for half the price?

 

Klein

 

For just lug nuts probably ok. If you get into torquing pan drain plugs or bolts in aluminum castings. I spent the extra $. Also if you get into it, you will end up with 2 or 3 torque wrench’s. I bought another torque wrench (last year) because I needed to do 173 foot lb on a axle nut.

Edit: If you go budget (~$25) I recommend a flex/strain gauge type.

 

You do know (as other suggest) that breaking things loose with a torque wrench is a no-no, right?

If you cant break lugs loose with the OE wrench, carry a breaker bar and socket.

Leave the torque wrench at home for adjustments after you return.

 

Proto for the big stuff. Pittsburgh for the little things. But I agree with @Clearwater Bill. Torque wrenches need to be stored properly and the cases are large. Breaker in truck. Torque at home.

 

I'm walking talking evidence that cheap torque wrenches have done more damage to the world than they've prevented.

When buying a 'precision instrument' it's been my experience, unsurprisingly, that more often than not you get what you pay for.

 

Any breaker bar would do, obviously 1/2 right? The plan is to keep in the the truck to replace the OEM. Do you happen to know the socket size off the top of your head?

 

21mm.
It's not a bad idea to get a 21.5mm too, in case your nuts are swollen.

 

Tekton torque wrenches from Amazon are good.

 

$59 TEKTON 1/2" Drive Micrometer Torque Wrench (10-150 ft.-lb.) | 24335

https://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-Torqu...6&sr=1-1-12d4272d-8adb-4121-8624-135149aa9081

 

I have harbor freight's ft-lbs torque wrench to torque my lug nuts.

It is accurate throughout my usage, since I'm able to verify torque at my work's torque metering tool. So I'm not discouraged about harbor freight torque wrench.

 

Maybe they've improved, or maybe it's the luck of the draw when you're buying budget friendly torque tools, IDK. But with that said, the only Tekton I ever owned was off by more than 50% out of the box. Stripped the spark plugs threads out of an $1,700 aluminum WaveRunner head with it. That Tekton was the turning point for me with budget Torque wrenches.

 

Just remember, you need the factory lug wrench to lower the spare anyhow, so now your going to have 2 lug wrenches that will get used 1-2 times every 5 years.

 

Interesting. I have a very high quality Armstrong Torque wrench as well. I’ll have to compare the two.

 

Yeah...try to find one with an NIST cerification.