I'm looking to buy a torque wrench to change tires on my car, but it looks like they sell wrenches, adapters, and sockets separately. Anybody have any advice about how to buy all three components such that they're compatible?
>>909039
Im going to be honest, no real need to torque your tires.
Get a 1/2 in breaker bar, and a corresponding 1/2 in socket to fit on the end.
Tighten the lug nuts hard as you can with one hand, do them in a star pattern.
It will be over torqued if you look at specs, but won't hurt it. Remember that the gorillas at the shop use air wrenches to zip the lug nuts on twice as tight as you could ever do it by hand.
Measure your bolts with calipers if you have them.
Compatible? As long as they are the same Imperial or Metric measurement you'll be fine (1/2 or 3/8 most common).
Your vehicle should have a tire change kit so take the tire wrench to the store to match sizes if you don't have calipers.
Ensure there are no special locking nuts that require a special bit to remove.
Also, If you get a torque wrench ALWAYS RESET IT TO ZERO WHEN PUTTING IT AWAY. It'll fuck up your spring and the calibration.
>>909046
Oh and once they are changed check the bolts after driving roughly 25km to make sure no vibration loosened them again.
>>909039
>torque wrench
>tires
>>909045
>breaker bar
yeah if you are doing it at home i guess
most normal people keep a tire iron or wheel brace in with the spare.
if you have a can of spunk instead of a tyre then you dont really need it
but no way does anyone torque their tyres
you hand tighten them while its jacked
nip them up when its on the ground
check all the nuts/bolts after 5-10 miles
>>909045
>Remember that the gorillas at the shop use air wrenches
Yeah. But at the shop I go to, their rattle guns appear to be torque limited. So once the nuts are on, they grab a torque wrench and finish the job properly. If your tire shop doesn't do this, find a better shop.
>>909068
I would say one in one thousand shops do this, lad
>>909068
they make things called torque sticks,
when you get enough torque, the impact gun dumps all it's impacts into flexing the springy stick and stops turning the nut. almost foolproof.
dips in shop air pressure or putting it on a gun with different impulse force will b0rk the calibration. it's a timesaver rather than a measuring tool.
>>909039
that's the same torque wrench I keep in my truck for adjusting peoples attitude
>DIY suggesting to not take torque specs on a component that can come loose and kill people seriously
Come the fuck on.
OP buy a decent torque wrench in 1/2 drive and a socket sec in 1/2 drive.
Depending on the vehicle you'll either need a 17mm, 3/4, 13/16, 7/8 or MAYBE 15/16 size socket. Torque specs are different for damn near every vehicle so its easier to look that specific information up yourself.
At the end of the day only you can decide if you want to follow the advice of a bunch of (clearly) retarded anon posters and kill a small family, or you can do it properly.
>>909729
QUITE literally have changed hundreds of tires in my lifetime, seen hundreds more changed, sat in a les schwab watching people remove and replace tires for hours (for reasons), worked in a fruit packing plant and have replaced and seen people replace tires on everything from a golf cart to a forklift to a two three axle truck, and this is the first time I HAVE EVER heard someone mentions "torque wrench" and "change tire" in the same sentence.
You guys fucking with me?
>>909729
>At the end of the day only you can decide if you want to follow the advice of a bunch of (clearly) retarded anon posters and kill a small family, or you can do it properly.
This
You can listen to conventional wisdom that has been used by the majority of car owners for decades
Or of course you can listen to the one retard who thinks the torque specs are there to make sure your tires dont fall off.
>>909733
My 95 Mystique has a torque rating of 65ft lbs for the tires. It feels like you barely put them on at that rate.
Didnt you know that over torquing them by hand will make yours tires fall off and kill everyone!
The rule of thumb in shops is to get them around 100ft lbs and youll be fine..
Thats a very easy number to pass by hand using 1/2 stuff, especially when small cars only call for about 65.
>>909039
Use a lug wrench, like normal people do. Tighten in a star pattern, going around 2 or 3 times until each lug nut (or bolt) makes that creak noise. I've been changing tires for 38 years, I've never heard of using a torque wrench on lugs.
>>909795
>Use a lug wrench, like normal people do.
What?
Just use the torque wrench that was supplied with your car, the one next to the jack and the spare tire!
Talking life and death situation here
>>909795
You sound old. Like doing things wrong for a long time simply because you haven't died yet old. You forgot how to learn, old dog.
>>909795
>Tighten in a star pattern
My wheels have 6 nuts though, so I end up going around the same 3 nuts in a triangle indefinitely. At this rate it's gonna take me even longer than 38 years to change mine.
>>910515
Not sure if serious
Its more of an issue with aluminum rims than it is with steel rims. Aluminum is a lot softer.
>>909348
>bashing somebodies skull in with a precision instrument
Be smart and bash their head in with something that doesn't have to be recalibrated afterward.
>>909801
We seem to have a nomenclature difficulty. The wrench that comes with the car is a lug wrench. Usually not a very good one, but still serviceable. The wrench shown in the OP pic is a torque wrench.
>>910506
Or doing things simple because they work. You're overthinking this.
>>910649
it was a joke, maybe a bad one but a joke nonetheless. If tires were finicky enough to actually need a torque wrench to be safe, it would be a huge liability to car companies to provide a tire iron.
>>909039
If you have not acquired the "feel" for torquing lugs as many have not, an inexpensive deflecting beam torque wrench is adequate since the main purpose is installing the fasteners at the same torque. Click-type torque wrenches have their uses in more precise assemblies but for most automotive fasteners they aren't necessary.
I've got an air wrench, but I only use it for unscrewing. All cars, that I know, are provided with a wrench of specific lenght, so an average person can tighten the screw/nut with appropriate torque. When I put on a wheel I use the car's wrench to be sure that I can take it off using the same tool if a flat tire happens in a middle of nowhere.
>>910673
Wise idea. I've worked used car lots and salvage encountering many lugs some shitbird grossly overtorqued with an impact. I'll install lugs with my ELECTRIC impact, but it's rather gentle and I feather it then do final tightening with a "star wrench" or socket and breaker bar. If I were working with something exotic like real magnesium rims I'd use a torque wrench but near zero street vehicles have those.
>>910673
>an average person can tighten the screw/nut with appropriate torque
My boss once had to change a wheel by the side of the road in the rain. She torqued it so tight, the garage's air-powered impact couldn't shift it.
i do all my own work on my vehicles and i have never, ever, used a fucking torque wrench on my lug nuts. is this post serious?
>>911768
Nope.
Manufacturers just list torque specifications because they like the way the digits look in the manual.
http://jameshalderman.com/images/lug_nut_chart.pdf
>>909039
If you think you need a torque wrench to change your tyres then you shouldn't be changing your tyres
>>911928
>this is what your mechanic actually believes
can we stop calling wheels tires?
>>911800
Manufacturers give a torque rating for every single bolt on the car, whether its important or not.
>>912002
>taking your car to a mechanic
>>912017
>not having a mechanic friend that helps you on your car and plays rough with your lug nuts
anon pls.
