PI Split Beam 20-100 Torque Wrench

[April]

I'm currently just an amateur who likes tinkering about with her car, and am looking to move beyond the HF-esque crappy tools that I currently have lying about my garage.

More specifically, I'm looking at getting a Precision Instruments split-beam 20-100 lb/ft flex torque wrench, mostly due to their ease of care, and their reputation on these boards. (linky linky) (http://www.tooltopia.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=9485)

However, when I browse through my car's Workshop Manual, I notice a decent number of bolts with a tolerance in the range of 10-20lb/ft. Will that be a problem, or should I stick to a more standard 10-100 lb/ft torque wrench like an SK Micrometer?

Thanks!

[rodm1]

Yes, But you will use the Precision Instruments most of the time. I went threw this last year and ended up buying 3 wrenches to cover all the ranges. Very nice wrench!

[April]

So, you're saying I will end up buying another torque wrench to cover 10-20? I was hoping to keep it to something like XX-100 and XX-250 or so. It's just a hobby at this point, and I'm trying to avoiding spending $400 on torque wrenches alone. On most bolts that are 13-20, could I not just set the PI to 20 and then back off a bit when I reach it?

Dunno if that's a silly question, and my apologies if it is. :)

[Treeman]

April,

There is no getting around the requirement to have several torque wrenches.

All (except some expensive Stalwhiles) torque wrenches are calibrated to be accurate from 20% to 100% of scale. In spite of stating 10lbs. to 100Lbs., any 100 lb. wrench is only accurate from 20 to 100 lb. ft..

A good combination in my opinion is:

1/4 drive inch lb. 50 in. lb. to 240 in. lb. (4 ft. lb. to 20 ft. lb.)
3/8 drive 20 ft. lb. to 100 ft. lb.
1/2 drive 50 ft. lb. to 250 ft. lb.

If you or a friend is in auto school, you can buy the PI's factory direct at great educational discounts. I bought the 3/8 wrench for about $88.

The 3/8 100 lb. wrench will simply not work for those applications in the teens...spark plugs come to mind.

While some will recommend that you use a wrench that falls in the middle of the scale, this myth is not about accuracy. Both CDI and PI told me that the wrenches remain accurate all the way up to 100% scale. The middle of the scale recommendation has more to do with wrench length and ease of use. I.e., it is easier to torque lug nuts to 90 ft. lbs. all day long with the longer 250 lb. wrench vs. the shorter 100lb. wrench.

[krusty the clown]

what bolts are you refering too? a bolt with that low a value may not be that critical. i have the same pi TW along with an in/lb and a 1/2 that goes to 250 ft/lb and it covers everything i need.

[ImportTuner]

Yep, you are gonna need more than one torque wrench ... for example lug nut are typically 80 ft lb for cars and 95~120 ft lbs for a truck ... and that's just tinkering without going into engine rebuilds, etc ...

[Merkava_4]

A Precision Instruments C2FR100F (20-100 lb.ft.)

and a

Snap-on QD2R200 (40-200 lb.in.) will work nicely.

[April]

Yeah, I have no problem with owning two torque wrenches, I was just worried I was going to need a third for going under 20. Treeman - I wish I was in school - I'd love to get one of those torque wrenches for $88... they tend to be about 120 online.

[Merkava_4]

Anything that's 25 lb.ft. and under I torque by hand; UNLESS I'm dealing with some spongy gaskets that need a low torque set in the 40-200 lb.in. range. Those firm fiber gaskets that come with water pumps, I just torque by hand with an 8 in. long 3/8" drive ratchet. But rubber and cork gaskets need a torque wrench because they're so compressible (spongy).

[Treeman]

Hard to argue with a guy that has over 2000 posts in just four months or so............amazing.

[Merkava_4]

Hard to argue with a guy that has over 2000 posts in just four months or so............amazing.

Don't argue with me, but please feel free to disagree with me if I'm wrong. A high post count does not make anyone an expert.

[Treeman]

Don't argue with me, but please feel free to disagree with me if I'm wrong. A high post count does not make anyone an expert.

Sorry, April for leading this off topic, but, I think you have your answer.


Now, Merkava, don't get the idea I was I paying you a compliment.....your reference to expert and what not (although your advice above is good).

Just "funin" with you a bit. My use of the word "amazing" really should be interpreted as: " I enjoy Merkava's posts and expertise regarding tools and I respect and relate to others with a zeal and passion for stuff. Now, that's a compliment.....I think.

I enjoy argument or debate, whatever one chooses to call it. You really should work on your oil skills more, though.

[April]

Sorry, April for leading this off topic, but, I think you have your answer.
Nope, I don't mind at all. I really appreciate people's assistance on this. I'll start with a 20-100 lb.ft. and a second TW for under that range, and eventually a 40-200 lb.ft. TW for when I starting working on things besides me and my friend's little miniature city cars.

Merkava - I do have a quick follow up question for you. I'm not particularly terribly loaded with dosh at the moment, and it appears that most of the major brands (such as SK's fine tooth TW) are in a similar price range as the QD2R200. For the things you usually end up using it on, do you think I'd be able to get away with a simple beam style (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00944690000P) torque wrench? Or should I just bite the bullet and get a good clicker right from the start?

[Merkava_4]

Merkava - I do have a quick follow up question for you.

The simple beam type torque wrenches are great ... but ... I wouldn't recommend one for inch pound applications because they're too difficult to see the graduations. For foot pound applications I actually prefer the beam type as long as I'm in a position to read the scale. For out of car engine assembly they're excellent and you never have to worry about them needing calibration.

The QD2R200 is actually a CDI torque wrench with a Snap-on ratchet head; they can be had on eBay pretty much at anytime for $140 and under brand new.

[eschoendorff]

PI is a good name in TQ wrenches. I am currently considering a 3/8 model to read from about 20-100 ft/lbs and will be taking a good hard look at offerings from Proto. Kartracer had some good things to say about Proto TQ wrenches...

[nissan_crawler]

I'm currently just an amateur who likes tinkering about with her car, and am looking to move beyond the HF-esque crappy tools that I currently have lying about my garage.

More specifically, I'm looking at getting a Precision Instruments split-beam 20-100 lb/ft flex torque wrench, mostly due to their ease of care, and their reputation on these boards. (linky linky) (http://www.tooltopia.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=9485)

However, when I browse through my car's Workshop Manual, I notice a decent number of bolts with a tolerance in the range of 10-20lb/ft. Will that be a problem, or should I stick to a more standard 10-100 lb/ft torque wrench like an SK Micrometer?

Thanks!

Please don't take this as insulting, but many people don't put 2 and 2 together on this: 12 inch lbs = 1 ft lb (I know, duh, but I'm going to make a point here). If you get a torque wrench that starts out at 20 ft lbs, 20 ft lbs x12 = 240 in lbs. So, if you get the 20-100 ft lb one, and get an in-lb torque wrench that goes up to 240 (many do), you'll have all your bases covered, you just might have to do a little math. Just food for thought...people often miss this simple fact.

[Treeman]

Excellent point nissan crawler. I was going to suggest to April to seek the CDI model (I think) of inch lb. clicker that goes from 50 to 250 INCH lbs. to cover all her needs.

I think many of us started with bending beam wrenches and made do with them. I often put a piece of electricians tape at the desired torque on my beam scale so I can see it better at odd angles.

April, there is no "best" torque wrench. Each style has its pros and cons. Some prefer a dial type at the inch lb. level. On very critical applications, I always test my clickers on a bolt in my vise to make sure its clicking correctly at about the right torque....checked with my reliable old beam wrench.

[April]

No worries about me, I successfully divided by twelve. :)

Thanks for everybody's feedback. I think I'm probably going to go with the PI 20-100 lb.ft. and the SK 74020 (http://www.nationaltoolwarehouse.com/xq/asp/TID.%7BC7ADAACA-54B9-43A1-886C-33FC5CB9026E%7D/prodid.130033/qx/product.htm) (30-200 in.lb.), as I can't afford a Snappy at the moment. Y'all rock!

[Treeman]

Hey April,

Just to confound your decision a bit more......that same vendor also sells the SKT-74021 wrench that is 50 to 250 inch lb. (vs. your 40 to 200) for the same price.

Both wrenches are the same length, but the 74041 is 3/8 drive, which I don't think would be a problem (others agree or disagree?).

On the 74041 you would lose 10 inch lbs. at the bottom end (1 ft. lb.). But, you would gain the the 17 to 21 ft. lbs. that would give you complete range tied to your 20 -100 ft lb. wrench.

Do others think the same? Would you miss the 3.3 ft. lbs. vs. 4.1 ft. lb at the bottom more than the 17 to 21 gap between the two wrenches at the top?

[April]

I thought about the 74021, but since neither wrench guarantees +- 3% until 20% of its range, I felt that being accurate from 64-200 was more important than getting that extra 50 in.lb. of range.

If I come across a bolt that has torque requirements of *only* 17-19 ft.lb., then I'll probably end finding a quiet dark corner of my garage to sob in. :P

[Lightning]

I thought about the 74021, but since neither wrench guarantees +- 3% until 20% of its range, I felt that being accurate from 64-200 was more important than getting that extra 50 in.lb. of range. I figured it was even less of a worry because the PI is accurate through 100% of its range.

If I come across a bolt that has torque requirements of *only* 17-19 ft.lb., then I'll probably end finding a quiet dark corner of my garage to sob in. :P


Precision Instruments also has a 68Nm 3/8 inch drive split beam torque wrench. The split beam design is better than the spring clickers because you do not have to set on lowest setting after using it. It also has less friction and fewer moving parts.

I try to use the dial type torque wrenches when possible because they are more accurate, but these wrenches are not an option when you cannot see the dial in blind spots.