11mm the most useless socket in the world?

[Glassdave]

ok so this morning i was upgrading some tools (got a new box so i had to get more tools lol) and i picked up a set of standard and metric swivel head 3/8ths sockets then ran into a snag. The rail i wanted to put them on would only fit 13 of the 14 total sockets and i really wanted to use this particular rail. My solution was to just leave one of the least used sockets off (yeah . . . freaked me out at first to but i am adjusting to the thought . . . .) My choice was the 11mm, first because its nearly a lateral fit to a 7/16ths and second because in my 35 years of wrenching i have never ran across an 11mm nut but have on countless occasions grabbed an 11mm in a pinch for a 7/16ths . . . . so my question to you guys is is there an actual 11mm nut out there??

 

[toomanytoyzz]

My dad just sold his body shop he had for 45 years a couple of months ago. I was cleaning it out and grabbed a Lawson nut and bolt box filled with 11mm nuts and bolts in a plethora of lengths. He must of got them for a song and a dance from the sales rep for obvious reasons.

I kept it and plan on using these whenever I can to mess with people on projects. My 11mm MAC wrench looks brand new as well...lol!!

 

[Glassdave]

were they 11mm head size or the actual bolt size? I have seen 11mm dia but not head size.


Maybe the fact that there was a sh!t ton of them in a bolt box leads one to think theres no place for them to go lol . . .

 

[toomanytoyzz]

were they 11mm head size or the actual bolt size? I have seen 11mm dia but not head size.


Maybe the fact that there was a sh!t ton of them in a bolt box leads one to think theres no place for them to go lol . . .

No. The heads were all torque or screw. Just the diameter. Plenty of nuts.

 

[Old Man Roger]

You will now find every 11mm nut on everything you're working on.lol

 

[Nor'Easter]

11mm is .0045" smaller than 7/16", which is the head size of almost every 1/4" hex fastener on Earth.

 

[Old Man Roger]

11mm is .0045" smaller than 7/16", which is the head size of almost every 1/4" hex fastener on Earth.

Square nuts on metal shelves? Add a flat head bolt and you have the most inconvenient fasteners ever..lol

 

[meatsis]

I use my 11mm sockets all the time. Most TPMS sensors use a 11mm nut.(well at least on the cars I work on). On the Mclarens the clamp nuts used to hold the catalytic converters to the turbos are 11mm also. But that’s just me. Other than that they don’t used for much else.

 

[tboy]

Can't pull up some specific example but I am certain I have used the 11 mm on my Saab's. I'll go hunt for some tonight, planning on tearing down an engine, perhaps I'll find one, but off the top of my head I am thinking they might be the Banjo Bolts for oil and water feeds on the turbo.

On the other hand, maybe those are 7/16 and I've never known better!

 

[StreetGLi]

My VW has a ton of them. It's pretty common with all German autos.

Now that I think about it.. my Yamaha motorcycles as well as my KTM use them too.

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[66HertzClone]

I have fond memories of replacing burned out front side marker lights on Taurus and Sables, two studs out the rear of the housing with 11mm nuts on them. You could swing the ratchet about twenty degrees.

 

[aka Larry]

My Mustang has 11mm brake bleeder screws, you know, because Ford couldn't use a 10mm for some stupid reason.

 

[Michael_in_DE]

My Mustang has 11mm brake bleeder screws, you know, because Ford couldn't use a 10mm for some stupid reason.

Ford is notorious for using weird fasteners. 5.5mm on the bottom plastic splash shield on the taurus, 7mm on the coil packs of early 2000 F150s.

 

[protegeV]

Few uses on GM that I can think of.
TPMS sensors
Steering shaft pinch bolt
Caliper bleeder screw

 

[Certified Drunk]

I have a few 11mm sockets, they still look brand new. lol

 

[protegeV]

I actually think 9mm is more useless than 11mm. I've only used a 9mm once I think.

 

[dacan23]

10mm is what you find all over BMWs

My VW has a ton of them. It's pretty common with all German autos.

Now that I think about it.. my Yamaha motorcycles as well as my KTM use them too.

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[pfaustus]

DIN m7 uses 11 mm. So, 11mm gets used all over the place in German stuff.

 

[Catch_22]

Jeep 4.0 valve cover and a few others on every TJ/XJ. I mostly use Metric so perhaps a 7/16ths fits but a 11mm fits better.

 

[PWC Repair]

Yep, 11mm on Ford, Yamaha, some small engine stuff..........pitch the 9mm instead.

 

[bimmer630]

I will also say that 9mm is more useless than 11. The only time I use 9 is on German brake caliper bleeders. Some old BMW plastic panel nuts are 9mm, But thats about all Ive seen. 1mm on the other hand is on a lot of engine parts that use a 7mm stud. BMW exhaust nuts, intake nuts, Cam bearing nuts, etc. Also it fits 7/16"

 

[pbon]

I regularly use 11mm on my BMWs.

 

[garagelogician]

Must be a german thing, I've used plenty of 9mm and 11mm over the years on VWs and BMWs.

 

[unslow1]

My 11mm get used often. Now 9mm only a couple of times ever.

 

[M6erfan]

"11mm the most useless socket in the world?"

Nope. Mine gets put into service. 9mm too...

 

[petee_c]

11mm - bleeder valves on 2000+ VW Jettas, and maybe Audi

 

[MBfreak]

tboy
Can't pull up some specific example but I am certain I have used the 11 mm on my Saab's
You are absolutely right. Take ie the job of changing the clutch on a SAAB 9000.
The first thing you have to do, after removing the front suspension is to unbolt a substantial part of the front subframe.
Then there are about 20 fasteners in and around the gearbox in all metric sizes from 10 to 19. ( If you are looking for the plug in connector for the lambda sensor, on the front downpipe, they managed to route the wiring to the backside of the engine, making it VERY difficult to unplug. Most shops just cut the wire and soldered in the new wiring)
Although I admire GM for having provided financing for around 15 years of producing useless cars, ( loss per "sold" vehicle around US$ 1200) nobody could be happier than me for the final closing of this kindergarten manufacturer.
Ola

 

[rhys99]

11mm Bleed screws on Most Brembo Calipers and master cylinders.
Camshaft Bridge bolts on Husqvarna TE449 engines ( BMW unit ).

 

[Professional Tool User]

So I'm guessing you've never worked on a Ford?

 

[Bogdan M.]

My Mustang has 11mm brake bleeder screws, you know, because Ford couldn't use a 10mm for some stupid reason.

9 & 11 mm for BMW brake bleeders.

11 mm for BMW intake manifolds.

 

[xin]

GREAT use as it is 7/16 and all my tools are METRIC

 

[Partsguy57]

ok so this morning i was upgrading some tools (got a new box so i had to get more tools lol) and i picked up a set of standard and metric swivel head 3/8ths sockets then ran into a snag. The rail i wanted to put them on would only fit 13 of the 14 total sockets and i really wanted to use this particular rail. My solution was to just leave one of the least used sockets off (yeah . . . freaked me out at first to but i am adjusting to the thought . . . .) My choice was the 11mm, first because its nearly a lateral fit to a 7/16ths and second because in my 35 years of wrenching i have never ran across an 11mm nut but have on countless occasions grabbed an 11mm in a pinch for a 7/16ths . . . . so my question to you guys is is there an actual 11mm nut out there??

Hmmm changed out steering box on a gm 3500 2000 4x4 this morning... used a 11mm twice. Once to take the steering pinch bolt out and once to put back in.. I think you don't wrench much on different stuff.. not that common to use, but not that uncommon either.

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[TonyCH]

My most used are, in order: 10, 13, 11, 17, 15mm. I cannot remember the last time I used 12mm and 14mm is also rare. Hmm... I think one of my SBC distributor bolts is 14mm (or something sae where 14 is close enough?).

 

[M6erfan]

My most used are, in order: 10, 13, 11, 17, 15mm. I cannot remember the last time I used 12mm and 14mm is also rare. Hmm... I think one of my SBC distributor bolts is 14mm (or something sae where 14 is close enough?).

Obviously you don't work on anything Japanese

 

[HolyGrail]

I have a complete set of Craftsman reversible ratchets and if you look close all are U.S.A except the 9mm. The one I have to complete my set is from Taiwan. Come to find out, they never made a U.S.A version, most likely because of the rarity of its uses.

 

[Glassdave]

man thats some good info . . . . so there IS 11mm fasteners out there lol . . .

Can't pull up some specific example but I am certain I have used the 11 mm on my Saab's. I'll go hunt for some tonight, planning on tearing down an engine, perhaps I'll find one, but off the top of my head I am thinking they might be the Banjo Bolts for oil and water feeds on the turbo.

On the other hand, maybe those are 7/16 and I've never known better!

see some of the replies here lead me to thinking theres a discrepancy in there somewhere and some of the alleged 11's are in fact . . . 7/16ths lol

I have fond memories of replacing burned out front side marker lights on Taurus and Sables, two studs out the rear of the housing with 11mm nuts on them. You could swing the ratchet about twenty degrees.

its a ford . . . that marker light could be either. I have several 90's Broncos and there is an annoying mix of SAE and MM stuff on there lol

I actually think 9mm is more useless than 11mm. I've only used a 9mm once I think.

**** . . . thank god the swivel set i bought started at 10mm . . .

Hmmm changed out steering box on a gm 3500 2000 4x4 this morning... used a 11mm twice. Once to take the steering pinch bolt out and once to put back in.. I think you don't wrench much on different stuff.. not that common to use, but not that uncommon either.

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come to think of it i may have a narrow view point for my tool usage. My career for the most part spanned high end vintage auto restorations through the end of the 90's on to today where i build and maintain large high performance powerboats that are for the most part built around GM big block platforms and custom drivelines. I still have a full rack of Snap-On Whitworth sockets that i used once on a fifties Jag (if memory serves) that entire set is as useless as my 11mm . . . or apparently . . . i guess . . . my 9mm to lol

 

[Kent_B]

I used 11mm quite a bit in the 80's when I worked in a GM dealership. Useless? 16mm earns that one for me.

 

[Partsguy57]

man thats some good info . . . . so there IS 11mm fasteners out there lol . . .



see some of the replies here lead me to thinking theres a discrepancy in there somewhere and some of the alleged 11's are in fact . . . 7/16ths lol



its a ford . . . that marker light could be either. I have several 90's Broncos and there is an annoying mix of SAE and MM stuff on there lol



**** . . . thank god the swivel set i bought started at 10mm . . .



come to think of it i may have a narrow view point for my tool usage. My career for the most part spanned high end vintage auto restorations through the end of the 90's on to today where i build and maintain large high performance powerboats that are for the most part built around GM big block platforms and custom drivelines. I still have a full rack of Snap-On Whitworth sockets that i used once on a fifties Jag (if memory serves) that entire set is as useless as my 11mm . . . or apparently . . . i guess . . . my 9mm to lol

Lol makes sense... here is a "vintage " gm project I finished recently... I doubt I used a 11mm socket or wrench.

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[HolyGrail]

Nice car bro

 

[Fedwrench]

No. I think 20 mm is useless for anything other than filling a peg on a Hansen rack.