New DIY'er- Tools - Torque Wrench Specs?

Hello and well met, I'm so freakin excited. I am within weeks of my first 911. I have been reading posts for some time here, but just joined. Great website! I plan on being a DIY'er with the exception of the engine/transmission which are beyond me at this point. So my question is, for oil changes, brakes, belt change, bumper removal to clean the radiator, lug nuts, etc. what ft pound torque wrench will I need? I saw that Snap On has a 10 to 100 ft pound wrench. Is there any basic maintenance that needs more than 100 ft pound? Also, is there a good metric socket/wrench set someone can recommend? I've been looking at Craftsman since it seems to be decent quality to cost ratio, but their sets seem to have a ton of standard sockets and wrenches that I won't need, or already have. Any other must have tools for the basic DIY'er? Thanks, Steve

Hi Steve, 100 ft/lbs should cover you, oem lug bolts are 96 ft/lbs. I consider Craftsman tools minimum quality for tools & recommend going for Snap-On for sockets, wrenches & hex key sockets.

Welcome to Rennlist! I would recommend having two torque wrenches. A 3/8" drive wiith flex head like this one Amazon Amazon Can go to tighter places and the few degree flex is all you need sometimes. It's even better if you can find a 5-75ftlb. Can use the low end for brake bleeders if you need to. A 1/2" drive with flex head like this one Amazon Amazon This is perfect for suspension and wheels. Standard issue in every tire shop. I found craftsman sockets and wrenches good enough for DIY. You may also want a long 3/8" ratchet with flex head, which gives you good leverage. E.g., craftsman professional one with plastic handle.

Also keep in mind that most torque wrenches are only said to be accurate in the middle 60% or 80% of the scale. Snapon says this which is hard to understand, "All QD Series Torque Instruments are accurate to �4% clockwise and �6% counterclockwise from 20% of full scale to full scale." I have tested my Snapon 50-250ftlb click type down to 40ftlb against my beam type torque wrench and it was still accurate however.

I have 3 wrenches. A 1/4" drive Snap On inch pound wrench, a 3/8" drive Snap On foot pounds wrench, and a 1/2" drive Craftsman wrench. I forget ranges but they cover all the torque requirements.

For Torque Wrenches, If you dont want to spend Snap On money, head to Acklands Grainger or Napa and pick yourself up some precision instruments torque wrenches. Very Very good quality imo. I prefer the PI split beam click wrenches to the snap on ones any day, and when the time comes to replace the torque wrenches in my box, the snap ons will be replaced by Precision Instrument As far as sockets go again Snap On in the best choice if you have the $$$ but I find that for Hobby mechanics Craftsman Professional stuff, and some of Napa's better Ultrapro lines are more than sufficuent. as for hand wrenches that is one place I would suggest staying with Snap On. I have not found a wrench that I can use the open end and have it not slip and hold even half as good as my snap on stuff.

Thanks for the advice guys! I will check these out.

I didn't pursue that Amazon link so I don't know if this has been mentioned, but if you want an excellent quality torque wrench, get one from CDI Torque. I got both of mine from Amazon. They're individually tested, and come with a printout of the results. Mine (3/8" 10-75 ft/lb & 1/2" 25-250 ft/lb) were both within a couple ft/lb across the range.

Quotes source post: 10007890

I don't agree with this at all. Craftsman is good quality and more than adequate for a DIYer. If you need specialty tools that only goung to use once in a while, Harbor Freight will do. You don't need professional quality tools if you are not a mechanic. As for the torque wrenches, get one in inch-lb and one in foot-lb. the brand doesn't matter that much as long as it not some none name tool. Most important part is to NEVER use a TQ wrench asna breaker bar or too loosen bolt and ALWAYS crank it down to 0 after you are finishedmusing it.

You will probably need two wrenches, a torque wrench that reads as low as 5 ft-lbs, since many bolts, sump plate, water pump, cam covers etc are specced for 7-10 ft lbs, and another for the higher torque suspension/ wheel fasteners.

Quotes source post: 10008296

Surprisingly enough, Harbor Freight's $19.99 torque wrenches are generally within 5% tolerance when tested. Which makes them cheap enough to afford multiple sizes to cover the whole torque range. I have a 100ft-lb torque stick I use with my impact wrench for changing wheels (prevents over-tightening), but my cordless electric torque wrench, despite claims of 200ft-lb capacity, doesn't really have enough oompf to get it consistently tight, so I always go and follow up with a manual torque wrench.