Torque Wrench.... any good?

[Troy]

Thought about buying one as they seem to be in wide use. The thing is, any maintenance I’ve done on my cars or bikes... I’ve always just used spanners and a socket set.

Will I benefit from using a Torque Wrench? Do I REALLY need one?

If so, any recommendations?

[Gerontious]

Of course you will benefit from using one.. but the trick is to learn how to use one properly. There are plenty of videos on YT showing how to set one.. but Ive yet to see a single video showing how to use one.

There are effectively two settings. one is for a clean and dry (non lubed) fixing. the other is for a fixing that has some form of lube on it.. or, perhaps you are adding loctite. and that is generally 30% less. so a 100nm would go down to 65 in that scenario.

The mistake people make is following the torque recommendations in manuals religiously with little or no concern for the state of the fixing. and then things go horribly wrong.

as for recommendations. I would always start with a British made Norbar or Teng. and move onward and upward from there. My TW is german, which i was lucky to find massively discounted on Amazon, And I use it mostly for the 100nm axe nut, which I always make sure is nice and clean. mine is a 1/2" 40-200nm

edit. I also believe, it certainly used to be the case that Halfords TWs were made for them by Norbar. if thats still true then they will have "made in England" on the packaging.

always store it at its lowest setting, this is crucial for longevity. and never EVER be tempted to use it to undo. Its a precision instrument that should be treated with respect.

[WD-40]

I think if you're doing engine work you definitely need one. For everything else you can get away without one. I got a Halfords 3/8" 8-60Nm one a few years ago to do valve clearances. It paid for itself by just doing that one job. Since then I use it anytime I do a job on the bike so definitely worth it to me.

[geofferz]

Some say they're essential, some reckon they can feel the correct torque settings and some are like 'just do it on real tight with a wrench'.

When I replaced my rear wheel the torque setting for the axle nut is 190nm which is a shed load. I just felt better having that dialled in rather the someone's suggestion to 'do it up as tight as you possibly can', considering *if* I did something wrong and the wheel came off I might die. Different in a car perhaps.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

I have a Halfords Pro one for engine rebuilding. I prefer to measure things like camshaft journal bolts. But for big hairy stuff like driveshafts or crankshaft pulleys I work on the basis of if it feels right it can't be far wrong.

[fastbob]

If you are building engines you will need two torque wrenches . One for foot pounds stuff and one for the delicate stuff in inch pounds like camshaft caps in particular . But I still maintain that a torque wrench in the wrong hands on the wrong bolt can do more harm than good . Just snug it up as they say in America .

[Guest Richzx6r]

I use have one but I don't use it all that often, I prefer just to get whatever I'm doing done up then just give it a tweak, about only thing I use it for is the wheel nuts on the car and the axle nut on the bike

And it's around 40 years old

[manxie49]

I use a TENG, great bit of kit, you do need to look after them though. As for whether you need one or not, well IMHO I'd say it's a definite yes. But that said I'm pretty anal about making sure everything it torqued down correctly, especially wheels and brake callipers, a lot of people don't bother, but I'm a fan of torque wrenches.

[megawatt]

I do a lot of bike maintenance, mainly engine work. I only use a torque wrench on cylinder head bolts. I have been doing it for a while though.

[fastbob]

I do a lot of bike maintenance, mainly engine work. I only use a torque wrench on cylinder head bolts. I have been doing it for a while though.

 

Don't you use a little torque wrench on your camshaft caps ? I've always been surprised at how gentle you have to be with these . On my first GSXR I broke nearly all of the bolts taking them OUT . I'm guessing that the previous owner over tightened them all . Having said that , the bike had tappets so I don't know why they needed to be touched at all . Cam chain maybe .

[megawatt]

No mate. I've fitted hightensile Allen bolts to my race engines and I've got used to how tight they need to be.

[Gerontious]

I do a lot of bike maintenance, mainly engine work. I only use a torque wrench on cylinder head bolts. I have been doing it for a while though.

 

So, what are you saying to the OP?

should he get a Torque wrench or not?