dragonle87
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What are the common metric wrench sizes?
I know 10mm through 22mm, excluding 20mm & I think 23mm
Thanks
I know 10mm through 22mm, excluding 20mm & I think 23mm
Thanks
Common Wrench/Spanner Sizes [Metric]
- Thread starter dragonle87
- Start date
Interex
Well-known member
Yep, on every import car that I've worked on, the only wrenches I need are: 10 ,12, 14, 17, & 19
You'll have some rare cases where you'll encounter some small 8mm bolts or large 21, 23, and 24 but that's not very often.
You'll have some rare cases where you'll encounter some small 8mm bolts or large 21, 23, and 24 but that's not very often.
OP
dragonle87
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I see, though I do work on alignments & brake bleed. Its just that I dont know the common sizes below 10mm and above 22mm
OP
dragonle87
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Yea I have encountered those sizes when I do alignments but 20mm & 23mm are rare. I guess I'll just use a 12" adjustable wrench to solve that problem
Tatsuya
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airbuff101
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crewchief888
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The difference will be wither they're using DIN fasteners or JIS fasteners. The Japanese cars, obviously, are all JIS. This is the 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 22 progression. The Germans obviously use the DIN progression of 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 17, 19, 22, 24, 27, 30.
mtkst19
Well-known member
all the newer germans are 16's and 18 mm happy. you dont see much in way of 17/19 anymore.
either way, a 10-19 set is key. Add on wise i would say a 7 and 8 for brake bleeding, and a 22mm for 02 or oil sensors. that should get you by.
either way, a 10-19 set is key. Add on wise i would say a 7 and 8 for brake bleeding, and a 22mm for 02 or oil sensors. that should get you by.
Charles (in GA)
Well-known member
Every manufacturer seems to have favored sizes. My '99 Plymouth is loaded with 15mm and 10mm, but has other sizes also. I believe in having all the sizes I MIGHT need.
Charles
Charles
Hmm... that means they've switched away from DIN to ANSI/ISO (7, 8, 10, 13, 16, 18, 21, 24, 30). I wonder why, being based in Deutschland, they aren't using the Deutsches Institut für Normung standard anymore 
Krokodil
Well-known member
For bikes you need something larger to take off the axle nuts. I think my bike is 32mm.
wafrederick
Well-known member
Domestic cars use lots of 8mm,10mm,13mm,15mm and 18mm.22mm is used on 1988 to current fullsize Chevy trucks,the lugnuts including fullsize vans.Some Japanese and Korean cars use 21mm for the lug nuts.
dwm
Well-known member
My own car pretty much runs the gamut from 8mm to 18mm. 16mm and 18mm on suspension parts. 19mm on a couple of things. 32mm for the cooling fan, 36mm 12-point for the wheel bearings.
Buying a set, I'd get 8mm to 19mm (all of 'em, though 9mm can be skipped). Above or below that, buy as you need.
Buying a set, I'd get 8mm to 19mm (all of 'em, though 9mm can be skipped). Above or below that, buy as you need.
mtkst19
Well-known member
im not sure what exactly why they did it or what they follow. to me there is no rhyme or reason.
from what i can remember off hand--
i would say w/ the advent of the a4/a6/a8 line in 96 is when audi started switching sizes.
Same can be said for vw. Around 95/96 is when they started changing stuff. early 93-95ish range models were similar bolt sizing as say mk1 and mk2 vw's. then it was like bam, we are changing.
muibubbles
Well-known member
i have a mazda and i can pretty much take the whole car apart with a 10, 12, 14, 17, 19....
JayL
Well-known member
Phlippines Domestic Market Jap cars commonly use 24 and 27mm for AC servicing.
Are some of the bleeders 8mm? IIRC, my Nissan Maxima is 8mm and 9mm for the landcruiser.
rick carpenter
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I think Italian cars use the Fibonacci progression of 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, ...
shoggoth80
Well-known member
I see a lot of stuff, and common is in relation to what you work on. I wrench on a bit of everything.
8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 24 are the ones that I see a lot. Predominantly 10,12,13,17, and 19, but the others pop up enough.
I see 19, 21, 22, and 24 a lot on front end stuff.
8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 24 are the ones that I see a lot. Predominantly 10,12,13,17, and 19, but the others pop up enough.
I see 19, 21, 22, and 24 a lot on front end stuff.
wafrederick
Well-known member
GM,Chrysler and Ford use 8mm,10mm,13mm,15mm and 18mm a lot.Use 21mm and 24mm for the bigger bolt head sizes a lot.If their cars are built by any Korean or Japanese car makers,use 8mm,10mm,12mm,14mm,17mm and 19mm.20mm is used on GM fuel filters including some a/c lines.
So, are the various standards just the progression of sizes, and a 13mm is a 13mm, or do you (ideally) need a JIS set, a DIN set, and an ANSI/ISO set?
Or am I just reaching too far for a justification for more tools?
joel63
Well-known member
I think Italian cars use the Fibonacci progression of 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, ...
12-23-2010 07:27 AM
I learn something new everyday on this site.
12-23-2010 07:27 AM
I learn something new everyday on this site.
'71 VW 1302
Well-known member
Slightly smaller fasteners = slightly less steel. It's a commodity bought by weight, not by the unit, so it's all about $$. Better steel chemistry means the slightly smaller fastener is up to the task.
Less weight is also part of fuel economy. In time cars will meet the CAFE requirements, but the material science costs will outweigh the dollar savings from reduced fuel use. The reduced emissions will be real and measurable, but costly.
Paul
Less weight is also part of fuel economy. In time cars will meet the CAFE requirements, but the material science costs will outweigh the dollar savings from reduced fuel use. The reduced emissions will be real and measurable, but costly.
Paul
Here is a good chart from BoltDepot showing the head/wrench size differences between the JIS, DIN, ISO, and SAE. There is a lot of commonality, differences appear in bold.
http://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/bolts/metric-bolt-head-size.aspx
http://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/bolts/metric-bolt-head-size.aspx
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tradesmanschoice
Well-known member
According to murphy's law, you'll never have the size you actually need. So IMO it's best to buy a basic 8-19 set to start off and then get the rest on an as-needed basis.
However, if you can't afford any delays, then you'd best get the widest ranging good quality set you can afford.
Cheers,
Mark.
However, if you can't afford any delays, then you'd best get the widest ranging good quality set you can afford.
Cheers,
Mark.
Wakefield
Well-known member
Smaller bolt heads=more rounding,slipping wrenches? Particularly in salt/rust belt?
Melting pot countries like Mexico you tend to need them all.
We have S. American products showing up as well as Euro. N. American and Asain imports, some of which have domestic manufacture as well just to keep us on our toes. The fastener standards vary a bit.
The bolt head sizes tend to vary a bit to where a 14, 15mm or 9/16" wrench could do better than whatever size it is supposed to be. I stopped worrying about the numbers and use the one that fit best.
My observations were Germans run more exact and Koreans a tad small or ever so slightly tapered. And then consider a bolt may have been replaced somewhere along the line for some reason. Its a crapshoot as the cars get older.
We have S. American products showing up as well as Euro. N. American and Asain imports, some of which have domestic manufacture as well just to keep us on our toes. The fastener standards vary a bit.
The bolt head sizes tend to vary a bit to where a 14, 15mm or 9/16" wrench could do better than whatever size it is supposed to be. I stopped worrying about the numbers and use the one that fit best.
My observations were Germans run more exact and Koreans a tad small or ever so slightly tapered. And then consider a bolt may have been replaced somewhere along the line for some reason. Its a crapshoot as the cars get older.
BottomLineReviews
Well-known member
10 13 and 15 are GM
Wakefield
Well-known member
Do VW/ Audi use polydrive/RIBE drive internal drive socket head screws (like Torx)? dwelt with by 1/4" and/or 3/8" socket drivers or 5/16" drive bits?
Read Adam.C's thread : Changing Socket Sizes http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=249176