3/8” might be the most useful all around?

or 1/2”. Depends on the size of the sockets you are using.

 

Ok thanks.

 

I agree that a 3/8” drive torque wrench should cover the range of values typically seen for maintenance items while providing good resolution.

I have a Snap-On electronic 3/8” that goes from 5-100+ that has served me well, and I believe it’s made by CDI.

cditorque.com

 

The one someone was going to give me is 1/2

 

I'm not sure if you're asking about the ratchet driver size to use for a torque wrench driver, or the socket set you should get for it.

If it's the former, you should use a 1/2" drive - especially to get to 88.5 lbf-ft.

If it's the latter, your 1/2" drive socket ranges should cover the following:

1/2" drive:
Standard 1/2" - 1 1/4"
Metric 12 mm - 27 mm

Try to get 6 point sockets only.

 

Note that not every torque wrench of a given "size" has the same torque range, so make sure you check the torque range of any torque wrench you buy. Some 3/8 might not reach 90 foot pounds while others will go to 100.

Lug nuts are usually done with a 1/2" torque wrench and one of that size will definitely have the proper torque range.

 

Being a frugal Yankee, the free 1/2" one sounds good, hehe. Even better if it's not a crappy Chinese one.

 

My free 3/8” is a really nice wrench.

 

FWIW, 88.5 sounds like wheel lug torque. I have a Harbor Freight 1/2" that's good enough for that use.

 

In the manual it says wheel nut tightening torque 88.5. I assume that refers to the lug nuts? The torque wrench is a 1/2 inch
And 20 to 150Ibs by Gearwrench.

I have a tool (I don’t know what you call them)
that fits on my winter tires for retorquing, but Subaru did not come with one for the lugnuts on tires already on the car. Should there be one or do I need to buy one.

 

Start with 1/2" there's more torque critical parts on the car that need the 1/2". Later, if needed, get a 3/8". You'll end up using a 3/8" for mainly motor work.

 

What other critical parts are you referring to?

If the main purpose is wheel lug torque, then I’d say a 1/2” may be preferred due to the extra length making it easier to apply enough force to achieve that torque.

If the intent is general maintenance items then I think most people would be better served by a 3/8” torque wrench/ratchet due to the ability to get into and swing through smaller spaces, in particular under the car and in the engine bay.

 

I have that in my vehicle specs in account info. Should it be somewhere else? It’s set as all visitors

 

That's just my sig line. It's on every post.

Thanks for posting in you profile. Many new folks do not.

 

So where should it be that I am missing?

 

You're fine. You did exactly what was asked. Thanks. It helps the other member out.

The intro/user agreement when you created an account asked that you post the info. The rules asked also. Many new folks neglect to (read) post the info, and immediately start asking questions. Obviously, no one here is a mind reader.

The monthly fee members have account super powers that make the adds go away.

Back to torque wrenches. If the spec is in ftlbs, use a 1/2". I can't think of a ftlb spec on any auto related fastener that is below the lowest setting on a 1/2". If the spec is in inlbs, you'll be in the territory that a 3/8" has the torque range.

As long as you aren't buying a wish.com, no name toque wrench, a Harbor Freight, Canadian Tire, or auto part store torque wrench has more than enough accuracy. I'm sure there are assembly line workers and machine shop workers that use torque wrenches all day, every day. At that point, yeah, a big money wrench is warranted. For the average guy and mechanic, a "whatever" brand toque wrench is adequate.

 

Does the word members mean those who set up an account? Or does it apply to those who pay the monthly fee?

 

My manual for Outback premier XT 2022 says torque should be 88.5Ibs.

Just exactly WHAT should be 88.5 lbs? (I am assuming you mean POUND-FOOT since we are talking torque)

What do I need of the available:
¼-, ⅜-, and ½-inch drives;

For 88.5 POUND-FEET.... a 1/2 inch drive may be the best choice.... otherwise, the amount of force you are putting on the end of the short lever (3/8 drive) may be hard on your arms.

NOTE: You may need an adapter to size-down the 1/2inch to drive your 3/8inch sockets.

WARNING: When you are not using torque-wrench... UNWIND the pressure off of the spring during storage. Otherwise, the spring will lose tension and your wrench will be inaccurate.

 

Yes I’m talking POUND-FOOT sorry

 

Ive seen ftlbs and lbft used interchangeably. In the shop, it's always ftlbs. Automotive media its usually lbft. If the journalist has an accent, its always lbft. lol.

I've never seen or heard anyone use lbin. It's always inlbs.

 

Most torque wrenches (e.g. gearwrench) are made in Taiwan or China these days but they will still be ok. The main thing is that the torque is within a couple foot pounds and that all the lug nuts are evenly torqued.

Just repeating what @brucep said about unloading the spring if it's that kind of click torque wrench. If you're getting it used it may not come with the manual and if you don't know about that little essential tidbit you may ruin your torque wrench's accuracy. If when you get the torque wrench it's not near zero then I'd worry that it's not been used properly and stored with tension on the spring.

 

Actually I was told that thanks. I checked and it’s at 0

 

Ive seen ftlbs and lbft used interchangeably. In the shop, it's always ftlbs. Automotive media its usually lbft. If the journalist has an accent, its always lbft. lol.

It is really ["how much force" multiplied-by "distance from pivot"] so FtLbs -or- LbsFt are mathematically the same.

Technically, the traditional imperial and U.S. customary units for torque are the pound foot (lbf-ft), or for small values the pound inch (lbf-in).

Heck... you COULD use a 1-foot long wrench and use a fishing-weight on the end of it. (If you use a 2-foot wrench then cut the weight in 1/2)

 

The average foot is about 2.5 pounds. Just throwing that out.

 

Why is it foot-pounds and not feet-pounds?

I checked my 3/8" wrench - it's 5-75, but the calibration table that came with it shows 15-75 calibrated range. Got it from someone that buys them in bulk for their worksite. Apparently they are calibrated and warranted for a certain number of cycles, say 25,000 or 50,000 (I can't remember). That's about a week or so per wrench for the way they use them. These can't be re-conditioned, so they get thrown away. This one had some life left in it when the project completed, so instead of ending up in a dumpster it ended up in my garage.

 

Unless you're a body builder, I'd suggest a 1/2" one for the wheels. I have one of each (1/4", 3/8", and 1/2"). Remember torque wrenches are most accurate in the middle of their ranges, so it's better to have overlapping ones for best accuracy.

 

That’s good to know.

 

For the longest time, I only had a 1/2” torque wrench and used it primarily for lug nuts and big fasteners.
It wasn’t until a few years ago that I picked up a 3/8” wrench.
I still use the 1/2” for most anything I need to torque tight or evenly.

 

My manual for Outback premier XT 2022 says torque should be 88.5Ibs.

What do I need of the available:
¼-, ⅜-, and ½-inch drives;

Work in reverse.
Find a torque wrench that can do 90 ft-lbs. A 1/4"-drive will not, rarely or just barely a 3/8" will, while 1/2"-drives do. The 1/4" is good for things like oil pan bolts and torque values in INCH-pounds (/12 to get ft-lbs.).

Decide beam or clicker type. Do not store a clicker dialed high, rather return it to a low setting on its scale (e.g. 10 ft-lbs.

Get SIX-point sockets, and likely SLIM-WALL chrome. Impact ones (flat black) usually have thicker walls and might not fit in the wheel hole for the nut (or "bolt" on Volvos).

Consider buying a "4-way" lug wrench that looks like +. Your Outback's lug nuts are likely 19mm, for which a 3/4" end should work (verify). Wrap a piece of tape around the neck for the end you use most for quick ID in the dark on the side of the road. HFright also makes collapsible ones where two of the arms fold down to the sides, easy to store with the car's jack, wrapped in a towel you can lay on the road to save your pants knees.

TIP: Along with a ground towel, add a pair of snug cotton gloves (easier to spin jack handle and four-way in hands, reduces hand schmutz), a small sealed pack of wet wipes, and a tire rope plug kit. For the kit, adding a grease pen or piece of chalk to mark the hole in a + fashion on the tread and sidewall, having a spray bottle with dish soap that you just need to add some water too, and a cheap 12v tire/air compressor ($8 at HFright) will let you repair a flat from a nail on the side of the road, and keep your tires wearing evenly. You can get it replaced with an internal patch later if you choose (save "Rope Plug vs. Internal Patch" for different thread).

Use the car's L-shaped lug wrench to break nuts free (stomp) rather than the four-way. The four-way is great for smacking an arm to spin off the nut fast, and to snug them down. The bottom nut should be the last off and first on to keep the wheel from tipping out which makes it easier doing the rest of the nuts.

Break all nuts free, but NOT loose, with tire still on ground to prevent rocking on the jack. Chock diagonal opposite wheel.

Always tighten in a star pattern, never in a circle. Snug nuts first via star, then as much grunt as easy while on jack via star, then torque to spec with wheel on ground to avoid rocking off jack. Re-check torque after 25-50 miles.

NOTE: You may need an adapter to size-down the 1/2inch to drive your 3/8inch sockets.

In my experience, this will eventually fail, usually with the male 3/8" part of the adapter snapping off. Sure, replace it under warranty, but you're still out the wasted time and drive. For lug nuts and torque values that exceed the 3/8" torque wrench scale, use 1/2"-drive sockets.

Why is it foot-pounds and not feet-pounds?

and

I am assuming you mean POUND-FOOT since we are talking torque) For 88.5 POUND-FEET....

It's foot-pounds.

12 = 3x4, or 1x12, or 6x2.

90 ft-lbs = 90lbs at the end of a 1-foot lever (think 3:00 or 9:00 on an analog clock), or 45lbs on a 2-foot lever, or 30lbs at the end of a lever 3-feet-long, but who in Zeus's name uses 1-pound on a lever 90 feet long?!

Also, on the side of the road, at night, in the rain, uphill both ways, it seldom takes just one pounding with your foot to break the nut free, often a couple pounds, and if you try it with both feet you'll often slip and fall on your bumm.

Outside of internal motor work, the only stuff on a car that I'm using a torque wrench religiously is lugs, hub center nuts, and steering wheel/shaft nuts. The only thing on a car (again, outside of internal engine work) that I need my 3/8 is torquing a knock sensor nut. Anything else, good and tight is right. My 3/8" has seen more work on small engine repairs rather than any auto work.

See top of post, e.g. oil pan bolts. Seen many stripped by previous owners who jusd torqued them by "feel".


EDIT: The longer someone wrenches, the more likely they are to have a 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2"-drive torque wrenches, maybe even a 3/4"-drive, depending on what jobs they encounter. I like both beam as well as clickers. Clickers are nice as you don't have to watch the scale and I tend to favor for higher torque loads (100+ ft-lbs) as it's hard to apply the requisite torque AND watch a scale. Beam are nice in that they give better 'feel' by letting you see in real time the amount of torque applied while seeing/feeling how the fastener is responding. There's a reason they both continue to sell.

If this is a one-time or seldom-use tool, most FLAPS (friendly local auto parts stores) have a tool loan program (free) that includes torque wrenches. I recommend paying cash so you get cash back (do NOT lose that receipt!) rather that wait "up to 3 business days" to see it credited back to your card.

 

I use a torque wrench for the oil drain plug around 34 ft-lbs. If you use a 1/2 torque wrench and even if it says it is good for 34 ft=lbs you may miss the "click". So having more than one size is a good idea.

 

Yeah, there’s a higher chance of over torquing when using a larger wrench at its lowest setting than a smaller wrench at its mid-upper range.

 

I'd NEVER stomp on a lug nut wrench. Besides damaging the nuts (rounding them), you could send it flying, and smack you in the face, hit your car, or something else. Just buy a telescopic lug wrench (I use Gorillas), and even a weakling can loosen 90 ft/lb nuts. And of course pack the correct socket, AND make sure it also fits the wheel lock key (if wheel locks are present), since sometimes it's different. I always buy a pouch for the telescopic wrench (no noise, and also put the socket in there), and put it next to the OEM one; it hardly takes any space.

 

While I don't recommend a running start to pounce on on the end of a L-shaped lug wrench , there are times when you have to generate some "body weight momentum", though SELDOM on properly maintained vehicle, and a properly sized six-point L-wrench on a properly maintained vehicle will not round off the nut, else impact drivers would do so left and right. I'm sure your car, JCtx, is NOT the one to worry about, unlike ...

The case in point that comes to mind is a woman with a small SUV who had a flat by an interstate over pass at night (imagine an old CR-V). I tried to loosen the lug nuts before jacking.
I tried by hand, no go.
By putting one foot on the end of the L-wrench with it at 9:00 and easing my weight (yes, more than 90lbs) onto it, no go.
I stood up on the wrench, no go.
I stood and lightly bounced on it keeping foot in contact, no go.
Finally, and with her permission, I steadied myself via a roof rack rail for a more forceful jump or "stomp" if you will , and that finally broke it free.
Spun it off 360 to make sure it spun freely, the snugged it back down gently.
Repeat 4 more times on other nuts.
Chocked diagonal wheel and jacked up.
Removed nuts.
Thankfully the wheel was not rusted to the hub, and her spare had decent enough PSI to drive slowly to a station to top it off.
Nice gal, just her expertise was medical, not automotive, though she did like the idea of taking it in to have the wheels removed and a general inspection to avoid the same issue, where ever she'd go to get the tire fixed.

 

I have one of those too.