It doesn't damage it, it only messes with the calibration, which means if you didn't cheap out and you actually bought a good one then you can just get it recalibrated for free. I've been using mine for about 6 years removing and installing lugs and it's still perfectly fine, had to get it calibrated 3 times tho which means I had to find a damn Snap-On truck.

 

same thing as what Squall said NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER use a torque wrench to loosen a bolt EVER. its not meant for that EVER. use an impact gun to take it off and then hand tighted the lugs (DO NOT USE THE IMPACT GUN TO PUT THEM BACK ON) and then torque them down with the torque wrench. and a safe torquing for wheels is usually between 85-95 that would be your best bet, that way you wont have to worry about your wheels coming off while driving but you wont have to fight with them to take them off. if you cant get them off yourself wtih a wrench or breaker bar i would stop and find a friend or shop that has an impact gun to take them off, you could snap a wheel stud by jumping on the wrench. and you could warp the rim by puttint the lugs on with the impact gun (unless they are using torque sticks)

but again, do not use the torque wrench to loosen the lugs.

 

Unless it's a Dodge Truck. Then it's usually safer to go into the mid 100's .

 

thats not what i was told. im goin to school for automotive now and everywhere that i have read about torquing wheels says depending on the vehicle but for the tC i judged that it should be around that range.

 

Most smaller and midsize vehicles are 75-100, so you're ballpark was right with the 85-95, but things like the Ram 2500 require 145-155 ft-lbs.

 

wd 40 or something in that form

 

haha well yea! a bigger truck should take more torque. i would never torque my lugs to 155 =X

 

Garage did my friends Saab - well we setup a breaker bar with a socket and a short cheep extension and the extension sheered off in the socket - the socket split - the cars lug wrench bent - all before a single lug was loosened. Ended up with another stronger 1/2 drive socket from ACE and with the breaker bar, jumping on it with one foot to crack the lugs loose. Seems the guy that changed his tires used a battery powered impact wrench. As far as torque wrenches go . . . an old 120lbs Sear wrench I have has a loosen and tighten scale on it so it can be used to remove the lugs - good for tightening and then backing off to check for stiction on bolts and nuts especially when you torque heads down. You are probably right about the click torque wrenches - should not be used to remove. Lugs should not loosen under normal driving unless the wheel is really out of balance even if lubricated a little with WD40 . . . just don't get any onto the braking surfaces.

 

yes you're right, that you'll mess up the calibration. to me that means it's "broken". not physically. and you're right a snap-on torque wrench is like $300-600, so they better calibrate it for free. The sears one's are like $75 to calibrate.

 

I use one of these, gives me plenty of leverage. Pull up one side, push down the other.

 

The truck lugnut thing makes me think of a back window sticker I saw on a diesel Dodge Ram: "My lug nuts require more torque than your import produces."

Well. maybe not the tC.

 

Lifetime warranty , but like I said, it's hard as hell to find one of those trucks to get it calibrated, unless you know someone who works at a dealer...or you work at a dealer yourself.

 

Calibrate it with another torque wrench - you butt one with the other and then twist in the tightening direction and see which clicks first.

 

Wouldn't that only tell you how much its off by and not actually "fix" the calibration?

 

Depends upon how they are calibrated - if the **** is removed and put back on in a new position then it is calibrated. The old one I have was just a torque arm and needle. It is not that critical for wheel lugs to be tightened to exactly - a few pounds either way is fine. I always have just tightened them up enough so I could still take them off again without killing myself and don't ever put them ON with an impact wrench. I think that the hammering action, even if pressure regulated, will over tighten them. The tire spinner pictured above is the best tool to use so you don't put any side load on the studs - just a rotary torque.

 

I can't use the wrench that I got with my car since my rims don't use the same lugs. They're special 15mm tuner lugs. I bought a craftsman torque wrench for 80 bucks. I'm gonna use that to get them off. idc if I screw it up. Lifetime Craftsman warranty = new torque wrench when it breaks. The last person to touch my wheels, which I think was sears tire, seriously over torqued one of the lugs. They all come off easily with about 80-100 lbs/ft. one won't even budge when I put the wrench on 140 lbs/ft.

 

^^^ that's the thing, craftsman is 1 year for their torque wrenches, check the box. That's what is different now about their warranty!

 

ugh. Ok well w.e. I'll get the gorilla wrench when i go to put my rims back on. I tried getting my steelies on for the past week but I just kept running into problems one after another. Right now I just want to get the damn things on and over with. I don't think using the Torque wrench once this way will really damage it THAT much.

 

Yeah don't use the torque wrench to take the lugs off unless it works in both directions - when the lug cracks loose the shock will do a number on the wrench. Best to get a nice long breaker bar.