Angle torque wrench

[signcrafter]

My torque wrenches are 6 hours away. I need to rotate the tires on both vehicles so I was thinking about getting a new torque wrench. My current 1/2" is maybe 15 years old. It's a Craftsman that has served me well but never been calibrated and is just the standard clicker type wrench. So with it being so far away and my need for one and also with a lot of newer cars using angle readings for things like head bolts I thought it might be a good time to look into a "tech angle" type torque wrench.

Is snap on the only ones that make these or are there other manufacturers that make them that are good quality but a little cheaper?

Also is a 1/2" the best size to get for angle readings on vehicles? I mean if you could only have one tech angle torque wrench would you get the 1/2" or the 3/8" one? Where do you mostly use the angle feature? I know I've done heads with angle specs before and I think some suspension parts also. I can't justify both sizes so want to make sure if I get the 1/2" it'll do most everything I would run into. Otherwise maybe I'll just look into a new regular 1/2" torque wrench to replace my old one.

 

[48548]

1/2 because of the torque range... AC Delco makes them. Dennis who sells toptul on here had some adapters your could get that were digital... lots of companies are making them now... look at amazon...

 

[zmotorsports]

I have both the 3/8" and 1/2" TechAngle wrenches and both have their place obviously. However, from what you stated about heads and suspension work I would recommend the 1/2" over the 3/8".

As for other brands the only one I can vouch for is the Snap-On version and I love them. I've had the first gen Tech torque wrenches and now the TechAngle and they have been great torque wrenches, although I still many times reach for my tried and true click style torque wrenches as well.

That being said, a co-worker of mine recently purchased the Carlyle version of the torque angle torque wrench and I was impressed with the overall quality of it although I have not personally used it. He likes it though and it was quite a bit less expensive than the Snap-On.

 

[dnschmidt]

Here's the problem with a torque angle wrench. It is exceptionally easy to exceed the maximum torque of a smaller wrench when doing torque angle. For example, I sell Eclatorq a very high end Taiwanese brand that actually manufactures Mac's torque angle wrenches and they make many sizes but the smaller ones typically go from 10-100 ft-lb. That seems like plenty of range but it is not. The way torque angle works is that you take up the slop in a bolt with a rather low initial torque say 25 ft-lb. Then you add 180 degrees. By the time you've done that you're now well over the 100 ft-lb limit of the torque wrench putting it into error mode. So, if you go torque angle go with a wrench with a 250 ft-lb maximum. You'll need it to avoid this problem.

Frankly, I don't like torque angle wrenches. My choice is to use a digital torque wrench to get the torque and then a digital angle gauge, which does not have the limitation mentioned above, to achieve the angle. This one works great: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CP8E61E/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[87GN]

I use Snap-on tech angles. I've heard CDI makes them for Snap-on. http://www.cditorque.com/
Expensive buggers they are.

 

[Wamsutta]

I mean if you could only have one tech angle torque wrench would you get the 1/2" or the 3/8" one?

For me it would be the 3/8 because my car's head bolts are 37 foot pounds plus 120 degrees. I don't have one yet but I need to get one eventually.

 

[WhiffySpark]

I use Snap-on tech angles. I've heard CDI makes them for Snap-on. http://www.cditorque.com/
Expensive buggers they are.

For that much money you would be better off buying the snapon branded ones. Unless they have the same warranty. But truck service is easy warranty

 

[WhiffySpark]

And I've had a 3/8 tech angle. I don't use 1/4 torque wrenches. The only thing I use 1/2 is for is lugnuts and occasional head bolts. But headbolts aren't a common job a lot anymore.

 

[vavet]

If I just needed one for a tire rotation, I'd be hitting a Harbor Freight for a 1/2" $9.99 coupon. You can do your due diligence in selecting just the right one later. That HF unit will be accurate enough for lug nuts.

 

[pbon]

I use an inexpensive angle gauge that I fit to the torque wrench. I have several Precisions -- 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 and don't want to buy angle torque wrenches at present.

For normal wheel torque on my cars, I use the $10 on sale HF torque wrenches. I sometimes test them against the Precisions or verify with a digital torque meter and they have so far been pretty accurate and are years old now. With the cheapies, you have to untorque them after each use or the internal spring can take a set and throw off the torque measurement. With a good split beam wrench like the Precision, Snap On, etc, you don't need to do this.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Your phone has an angle sensor that measures to 4 decimal places in all 3 axes...

 

[Teenager with old tools]

I don't think I've ever used a torque wrench on wheel lugs. I just make them tighter than enough. For head bolts and such with angles I just break out a protractor

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[Catmochanic]

You really don't even need a angle torque wrench...just one for the initial torque, then mark the head of the bolt and figure out the degrees using the points on the bolt head, then mark the cylinder head or whatever to where you need to turn it to. 6 point = 60 degrees from point to point, 12 point = 30 degrees from point to point. Make sure you use a breaker bar or even an impact gun to torque it the rest of the way since the maximum limit of the torque wrench can be easily exceeded.

 

[smittyjones]

You really don't even need a angle torque wrench...just one for the initial torque, then mark the head of the bolt and figure out the degrees using the points on the bolt head, then mark the cylinder head or whatever to where you need to turn it to. 6 point = 60 degrees from point to point, 12 point = 30 degrees from point to point. Make sure you use a breaker bar or even an impact gun to torque it the rest of the way since the maximum limit of the torque wrench can be easily exceeded.

I don't know what y'all are torquing so tight, but geez. I have used the above method, like on Subaru heads. But they are a silly torque sequence, after you tighten, then loosen, then tighten again to 25 ft lbs, you tighten them by 90 degrees, then another 45, then another 45 on the middle 2 bolts. It only ends up being 90 ft lbs. A 5.7 Hemi was the last set of heads I did, 40 ft lbs then 90 degrees, and they were only like 60 ft lbs.

 

[dnschmidt]

I believe that both examples that you provided were for aluminum heads. Try that on a cast iron head diesel. That additional 90 degrees can take you an additional 100 ft-lb easy.