1/2", 3/8" or 1/4" torque wrench

bungaro79 · 20-10-2013 3:38pm #1

hi,
can someone please tell me what the difference between 1/2", 3/8" and 1/4" for torque wrenches are?? if i was getting a set for my car (08 opel astra) which type should i get??
thanks

Mech1 · 20-10-2013 3:42pm

Its the size of the sq drive, where you put the socket / extension.

Depends on the torque level you need, 3/8 and 1/2 are the most common used on cars.

bungaro79 · 20-10-2013 4:14pm

thanks mech1. how do you know which level of torque you need??

Mech1 · 20-10-2013 4:19pm

I think your looking for a socket set, not a torque wrench.

bungaro79 · 20-10-2013 4:21pm

i am indeed, still learning the lingo! so do certain engines only use a certain size or would the 3/8" or 1/2" be ok like you said above??

Mech1 · 20-10-2013 4:26pm

3/8" is a lot better, lighter, more compact for tight spaces.
1/2" is stronger, more leverage for tight bolts etc.

If your new to this get 3/8" less chance of damaging things, always buy the best tools you can afford. Dont go cheapo its a real false economy.

bungaro79 · 20-10-2013 9:53pm

Mech1 wrote: »

3/8" is a lot better, lighter, more compact for tight spaces.
1/2" is stronger, more leverage for tight bolts etc.

If your new to this get 3/8" less chance of damaging things, always buy the best tools you can afford. Dont go cheapo its a real false economy.

What do you think of this mech?? Its half price in Halfords

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_818471_langId_-1_categoryId_212410

Esel · 20-10-2013 10:37pm

Torque Wrench Set €18 in Aldi now.

95 Piece Wrenches and Sockets Set €50 in Aldi next Thursday. A good set, and much more comprehensive than the Halfords one.

cletus · 20-10-2013 11:07pm

They Halfords pro range is very good, has come on boards couple of times before.

if you can get the cash together, the 150 or 170 piece sets are quite comprehensive as a starter, especially if you can get it half price as well

case_sensitive · 21-10-2013 8:03am

I've just spent the last while stripping/breaking my two old fords; the sockets you'll need most are 8mm, 10mm, 13mm and 15mm and I used my 1/4" ratchet and 3/8" torque wrench about 70/30. Definitely get a set of deep sockets, for the 13 and 15 at any rate, you'll need them more than the shallow.
An extension bar is useful (3/8") too, and if you can get a set with adaptors (3/8 -> 1/4 and 1/4 -> 3/8) that's dead handy, I bought mine one at a time, which cost more. I ended up expanding my set of 1/2" as well; for the tougher and larger nuts (>15mm), mostly for wheels, steering and suspension though.

21-10-2013 10:47am

For generic car service 3/8 is great. For suspension work, road wheels, and engine mounts 1/2 inch is better. IMO, 1/4 gets used very seldom but is handy for small items in tight spaces.

I would start with a good quality 3/8 6-point set (like that Halfords IF the sockets are 6-point) and later on invest on a 1/2 set if you figure out 3/8 is not sturdy enough. For occasional use you'd almost be better off just getting a 1/2 breaker bar and extensions plus 3/8-1/2 adapter and then slowly start collecting sockets that get used more often.

CJhaughey · 21-10-2013 12:40pm

Buying sockets individually is pretty expensive.
Buying a set is much better value.
Louis have 3/8" sets for pretty good prices with deep sockets included.
Or for twice the price they have a massive set with 1/4" 3/8" and 1/2"
I can't think of much that the second set needs apart from a breaker bar which aren't that expensive individually.

21-10-2013 1:35pm

CJhaughey wrote: »

Buying sockets individually is pretty expensive.
Buying a set is much better value.
Louis have 3/8" sets for pretty good prices with deep sockets included.
Or for twice the price they have a massive set with 1/4" 3/8" and 1/2"
I can't think of much that the second set needs apart from a breaker bar which aren't that expensive individually.

The bigger set looks very similar to a set I have that is branded "Mannessman" although mine is 1/4" and 1/2" only. In a few of years of use I had to replace both of the ratchets and the 1/2" T-adaptor which is surprising as they felt like good quality. The 1/4" hex/torx/etc are quite a bad quality and most of them are 1/4 inch driven. The 1/2" sockets seem very good quality though and have survived abuse with a long breaker bar.

One of these types of sets can be a good buy if you don't use the tools often and then just occasionally replace the tools that break. But I guess it would have been a better idea to spend more money. I also have a separate 15 year old Mannessmann 3/8inch set that has really good torx sockets and I have pretty much continued to use those instead of the items in the main set. The ratchet still work too so I'm thinking the quality of these socket sets have gone down over the years.

CJhaughey · 21-10-2013 1:48pm

samih wrote: »

The bigger set looks very similar to a set I have that is branded "Mannessman" although mine is 1/4" and 1/2" only. In a few of years of use I had to replace both of the ratchets and the 1/2" T-adaptor which is surprising as they felt like good quality. The 1/4" hex/torx/etc are quite a bad quality and most of them are 1/4 inch driven. The sockets themselves seem very good quality though and have survived abuse with a long breaker bar.

One of these types of sets can be a good buy if you don't use the tools often and then just replace the tools that break.

I don't know about Mannesmann tools, I have some Rothewald stuff that I gort from Louis in the past and its lasted well.
Mannesmann may look similar to Rothewald but maybe the QC isn't as good?
Rothewald is Louis's own brand tools and I don't think they would sell stuff that would give too much trouble, given that they are one of if not the largest online M/C shop in Europe.
But as is everything you get what you pay for with Tools.
Facom, Acesa, Beta, Bahco are all good tools for small money but even a small 3/8" socket set will cost half the price of the big Rothewald set.

galwaytt · 21-10-2013 5:44pm

all good advice.

3/8" for most general purpose stuff, but 1/2" for heavier stuff.

Any fear OP that is looking for Torx, as distinct from 'torque'......... ??

Again, drive sizes same, but naturally they're a unique fastener system.

bungaro79 · 21-10-2013 8:10pm

ok so i think 3/8s will do enough for me so. should i go back to halfords and get one of the bigger sets so or would the ones in aldi coming soon be better???

and galwaytt i do need a torx the sump but i know its different to torque

101sean · 21-10-2013 8:46pm

Most modern cars you'll need a set of torx drives as well but a lot of combination sets come with them.

I have sets of 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 sockets and access to 3/4 as well, use the 3/8 90% of the time but find the 1/4 surprisingly useful especially with smaller torx fastenings.

With regards to a Torque wrench, I only use a 1/2" on cylinder heads and the like and some safety critical stuff, also always on alloy wheel nuts. Everything else is by feel, something most will develop once you've stripped a few threads out of alloy castings or snapped an M6 bolt! Most settings can be defined as a nip, nip and bit, tight, very tight and f*** me, that's tight, pass the 6ft scaffold tube!

jimgoose · 22-10-2013 8:15am

I have this:

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_862421_langId_-1_categoryId_212410

...and find it very good. It'll probably be all the socketry you'll need. All three popular drive sizes are there, as well as metric and imperial sockets. You also get some Torx sockets and a few ratchet spanners.

jimgoose · 22-10-2013 8:21am

101sean wrote: »

Most modern cars you'll need a set of torx drives as well but a lot of combination sets come with them.

I have sets of 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 sockets and access to 3/4 as well, use the 3/8 90% of the time but find the 1/4 surprisingly useful especially with smaller torx fastenings.

With regards to a Torque wrench, I only use a 1/2" on cylinder heads and the like and some safety critical stuff, also always on alloy wheel nuts. Everything else is by feel, something most will develop once you've stripped a few threads out of alloy castings or snapped an M6 bolt! Most settings can be defined as a nip, nip and bit, tight, very tight and f*** me, that's tight, pass the 6ft scaffold tube!

I'd say many people would be amazed if they went and torqued wheel-studs to spec to find how much they don't have to swing off them or machine-gun them half to death with a rattlegun!

jimgoose · 22-10-2013 8:30am

galwaytt wrote: »

...Any fear OP that is looking for Torx, as distinct from 'torque'......... ??

Again, drive sizes same, but naturally they're a unique fastener system.

Aye. Everything is riddled with Torx these days. Be aware also that a lot of German kit uses spline and ribe/Polydrive as well. You can get decent rails of eight or so of those for around €20-something.

bungaro79 · 22-10-2013 5:37pm

jimgoose wrote: »

Aye. Everything is riddled with Torx these days. Be aware also that a lot of German kit uses spline and ribe/Polydrive as well. You can get decent rails of eight or so of those for around €20-something.

hi jimgoose,
it looks like i will need torx sockets as i had another look under the bonnet of my astra and it all seems to be mostly torx fittings. if i stick with my 3/8 socket set from halfords is there some place where you'd recommend getting the €20 set mentioned above?? i'm in cork too if theres some place local!

think i remember seeing someone mention in another thread that Silverline were a good brand too, these look like a good mix on amazon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-868818-Piece-Mechanics-Tool/dp/B000T9XQ0S/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1382469265&sr=1-1

jimgoose · 23-10-2013 8:52am

bungaro79 wrote: »

hi jimgoose,
it looks like i will need torx sockets as i had another look under the bonnet of my astra and it all seems to be mostly torx fittings. if i stick with my 3/8 socket set from halfords is there some place where you'd recommend getting the €20 set mentioned above?? i'm in cork too if theres some place local!

think i remember seeing someone mention in another thread that Silverline were a good brand too, these look like a good mix on amazon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-868818-Piece-Mechanics-Tool/dp/B000T9XQ0S/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1382469265&sr=1-1

B&Q sell those rails of Torx, Hex, Spline and Polydrive sockets. They're "Torq" brand, like their socket sets, and I suspect they're from the same manufacturer as the Halfords stuff, i.e. Mac Tools in the USA.

cletus · 23-10-2013 9:11am

Is mac the manufacturer for Halfords? Spent a long time trying to find out who it was, lots of suggestions on line, but nothing definite.

jimgoose · 23-10-2013 9:22am

cletus wrote: »

Is mac the manufacturer for Halfords? Spent a long time trying to find out who it was, lots of suggestions on line, but nothing definite.

As far as I've been able to ascertain, the Halfords Professional stuff is re-badged Mac. As you say, concrete information is not easily come by.

1/2", 3/8" or 1/4" torque wrench

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