It’s crucially important that certain nuts and bolts on a car are tightened to a Goldilocks-level of “just right.” If wheel lug nuts are too loose, you risk losing a wheel while driving. If they’re too tight, you may not be able to remove them to change a flat tire. Other critical bolts include those on cylinder heads and rubber suspension bushings. A torque wrench allows you tighten a nut or bolt to a specified torque by giving you tactile, visual, or auditory feedback when you’ve reached the target setting. Most torque wrenches are ratchet handles onto which you snap a socket, and thus are available in four standard socket drive sizes. Like any other ratchet wrench, the longer the handle and the bigger the drive, the more torque it can deliver. A click-style torque wrench with a 1/2-inch drive is optimal for lug nuts and good for most other automotive applications.
We examine the best overall torque wrench, the best digital torque wrench, the best budget torque wrench, the best 3/4-inch torque wrench for motorhome lug nuts, and the best 1/4-inch torque wrench for small fasteners.
Best Overall Torque Wrench: Lexivon 1/2-Inch Drive Click Torque Wrench 25-250 Ft-lb (LX-184)
Why We Picked It:
The Lexivon LX-184 1/2-inch drive wrench gives a wider torque range than less-expensive wrenches while still being well-priced for the home mechanic. As such, it can be used not only for medium-torque fasteners like car lug nuts, but for higher-torque nuts such as those on trailer hitches and rear wheel bearings.
Pros:
- 25-250 ft-lb range
- +/- 4% accuracy
- 24-inch handle
Cons:
- Does not have padded handle
- Only measures torque in clockwise direction
- Coarse ratchet requires 6-8 inches of stroke to engage
Best Digital Torque Wrench: Gearwrench 1/2″ Drive Electronic Torque Wrench, 30-340 Nm – 85077
Why We Picked It:
If you want something more whiz-bang than a traditional click-stop torque wrench, the 25-inch-long Gearwrench 85077 has a digital display and a handle that vibrates as you’re approaching the target torque, confirming delivery via a buzzer and an LED. Although its product title lists the torque range in Newton-meters, the wrench’s range is 25 to 250 ft-lb range to foot-pounds, and units can be selected in the digital display. A flex-head model is available at extra cost.
Pros:
- Digital display
- Multiple alerts
- Accuracy of +/- 2% through most of range
Cons:
- Cost is $100 higher than a click-stop torque wrench
- Non-flex-head version does not provide torque angle measurements
- Requires AA batteries
Best Budget Torque Wrench: EPAuto 1/2-inch Drive Click Torque Wrench, 10-150 Foot-Pounds
Why We Picked It:
The EPAuto 1/2-inch click drive torque wrench costs just $27, has a 10 to 150 ft-lb range, and ratchets in forward and reverse directions. If all you need a torque wrench for is wheel lug nuts, or want to buy one for an in-case-of-flat-on-the-road tool kit, this one will work fine.
Pros:
- Very low price
- Decent torque range for light to medium-duty applications
- Ratchets in both directions
Cons:
- 18.5-inch-long handle
Best 3/4-inch Torque Wrench for Motorhome Lug Nuts: Neiko Pro 03710B 3/4” Drive Adjustable Click Torque Wrench
Why We Picked It:
If you have a full-sized Class-A motorhome (up to 45 feet long), you may want to check the lug nuts before a long trip, but their 450 foot-pounds torque spec is beyond the range of any 1/2-in drive torque wrench. To get both the torque range and leverage, you need a 3/4-in drive torque wrench with a long handle. There are less-expensive 3/4-inch drive wrenches, but the Neiko Pro 03710B is a whopping 48 inches (four feet) long, and can deliver and measure up to 700 foot-pounds of torque.
Pros:
- 48-inch handle
- 700 ft-lb upper range
- +/- 4% accuracy
Cons:
- Cost
- Weight (it’s heavy—18 lbs)
- 100 ft-lb lower range means you need another torque wrench for everything else
Best Torque Wrench For Small Fasteners: Bulltools 1/4-inch Drive Dual-Direction Click Torque Wrench
Why We Picked It:
If you’re working with small fasteners whose torque settings are crucial, you want a compact, easy-to-maneuverer, 1/4-inch torque wrench with as much accuracy in the low end of the range as possible. There’s a digital 1/4-inch wrench from ACDelco with +/- 1.5% accuracy, but at $180, it’s expensive for a do-it-yourselfer. Bulltools has a nifty 20 to 200 inch-pound wrench for $38 whose accuracy spec is +/- 3% (most of the other low-priced 1/4-inch wrenches are 4%).
Pros:
- 20 to 200 inch-pound range
- +/- 3% accuracy
- 90-tooth ratchet
Cons:
- None at this price
- Durable Ratchet Head: Made from Hardened treated Chrome Vanadium steel alloy (Cr-V) Corrosion-Retardant: Satin Finish. Made in Taiwan
- Easy Storage: A sturdy plastic storage case is included. Non-Slip Grip: Knurled handle
- Easy to Read: High Contrast & Dual Range Scale. Accurate: Pre-Calibrated to ± 4%
- Includes storage case and product manual with torque conversion chart
- Wrench emits a click that can be heard and felt when the preset value is reached
- High-contrast dual-range scale is easy to read, even in low light
- PRECISION - Ships pre-calibrated to +/- 4% accuracy and ready to use. Include calibration certificate with traceable serial number.
- DURABLE - Reinforced ratchet gear head constructed from hardened, heat treated Chrome Vanadium alloy steel.
- LONG-LASTING - Rust & corrosion protection with our unique and newly invented Electro-Black finish treatment.
- ACCURACY: +/- 2 inch/pounds up to 40 inch/pounds; 40 – 65 is +/- 5%
- EASE OF USE: Apply, repeatable, accurate torque settings to scope rings, guard screws, windage screws and base screws, which aids in accuracy and decreases the opportunity for problems in the field
- RELIABLE: Torque adjustment range from 10 inch/pounds to 65 inch/pounds
- PORTABILITY: 3/8 torque wrench has a durable case for portability or storage
- ADDED COMFORT: Bi-material handle for comfort and grip of the torque wrench 3/8 inch drive
- HASSLE FREE USE: Locking feature of the torque wrench adjusts quick and easily for hassle free use
- PORTABILITY: Torque wrench 1/2 inch drive has a durable case for portability or storage
- ADDED COMFORT: Bi-material handle for comfort and grip of the 1/2 torque wrench
- HASSLE FREE USE: Locking feature adjusts quick and easily for hassle free use
- [Advanced Technology]: 2 to 37 foot pounds torque range with LED flashing/ buzzer alarm when torque is reached. Easy to read LCD display with measurements (kg-cm, N-m, in-lb. ft-lb)
- [Multiple Setting Functions]: Torque, Measurement, and, Peak & Trace, Mode Settings. (Torque setting range: 10% of max torque value. Measuring range: 2 to 37 ft-lbs.)
- [Quality Assurance]: Meets or exceeds ASME B107.14-2004, ISO 6789 standards, individually serialized with matching certificate of calibration traceable to N.I.S.T.
- VALUE KIT – Our value packed Digital Torque Wrench Combo Kit comes with 2 digital torque wrenches: ARM601-3 (3/8” / 3.7 to 37 ft-lbs.) and ARM601-4 (1/2” / 14.8 to 147.5 ft-lbs.), a manual of instructions and guidance, and 2 individual hard-shell cases that protect and secure the tools once they are done using. Both tools are powered by 4 AAA batteries (not included).
- EASY TO USE – Our lightweight, heavy duty, and professionally calibrated digital torque wrenches are engineered with high-quality materials that display real-time torque values in ft-lbs. and Nm. Excellent tool for tiny, tight, and narrow working environment, but also reliable torque values that is ideal for professionals, automotive, motor bikes, and many other industrial uses.
- SUPERIOR QUALITY – ACDelco is long known for its stellar quality and this combo tool kit is no different. It offers speed, accuracy, and an easy-to-read LCD screen that beeps when a desired torque value is achieved. Our digital torque wrench is also highly efficient, with longer lifespan and industrial grade alloy metal engineered to last for years or even decades to come with proper uses.
- TOUGH: All-Steel Construction
- ACCURATE: +/- 4% Accuracy
- READABILITY: Quick Easy-Read Adjustments
- 48 tooth ratcheting mechanism
- Accurate to 3% Clockwise and 6% counterclockwise
- High quality internal components for professional performance
Methodology
While nearly every fastener on a car has a factory-specified torque, torque wrenches are most often used on nuts and bolts whose tightness is critical for safety, longevity, or performance reasons. Wheel lug nuts are torqued to spec so wheels don’t fall off yet can be easily changed if there’s a flat. For those who really work on their cars: Cylinder head bolts need the correct torque so the head gasket seals correctly. Proper torque on suspension bushings is needed to keep them seated as the car’s suspension moves.
Selection criteria included drive size, cost, user ratings, torque range and accuracy. The torque wrenches selected ranged in cost from about $25 to about $275. Commercial-grade products used by professional garages were excluded due to high cost. Beam-type wrenches (see FAQs) are the lowest cost but were excluded due to being supplanted by easier-to-use click-type wrenches.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What is torque?
Torque refers to the amount of twist on an object like a nut or bolt. In the United States, torque is measured in units of foot-pounds. If you weigh 150 pounds and stand on the end of a two-foot wrench attached to a lug nut, you’d deliver 300 foot-pounds of torque. Many lug nuts have an 80 ft-lb torque specification, so they can be tightened properly by, for example, hanging an 80-lb weight on the end of a 1-foot wrench. Most people don’t keep calibrated 80-lb weights in their garage, so they use torque wrenches. (Foot-pounds are also a measure of engine power.)
What is a torque wrench?
A torque wrench is a wrench that delivers a pre-set amount of torque to a fastener, and tells the user when it’s reached that value. To do this, it uses one of three primary methods. “Beam” torque wrenches employ a simple pointer on a scale. The downside is that you have to look straight at the pointer and scale to read the torque value, which is difficult while, say, tightening a wheel. Beam wrenches are still available, but they have largely been supplanted by click-stop wrenches which use an internal spring, ball, and detent. When the specified torque has been reached, the ball pops out of its detent, and a sharp “click” in the handle is felt. Electronic wrenches instead use a strain gauge and report the arrival of the target torque via vibration, beep, indicator lights, or all three.
What size torque wrench do I need?
Torque wrenches are primarily referred to by the socket drive size. Like ratchet wrenches, they come in 1/4-inch, 3/8-inch, 1/2-inch and 3/4-inch drives. The bigger the drive and the longer the handle, the more torque they can deliver. Most home mechanics will find that a torque wrench with a 1/2-inch drive and at least an 18-inch handle is the best choice for lug nuts, cylinder heads, suspension bushings, and other likely uses. If you’re rebuilding an engine, a 3/8-inch drive wrench is a better size for rod and main bearing end caps, but its shorter handle isn’t optimal for delivering torque to truck lug nuts, trailer hitches, or other high-torque fasteners. Fine assembly work such as small fasteners on critical pulleys, or compression of cork gaskets on finicky vintage cars, may require a 1/8-inch torque wrench for accurate low-torque delivery.
How do you maintain a torque wrench?
On click-style wrenches, it’s important that, after using it, the torque setting be turned down to relive tension on the internal spring. The calibration of most click-style wrenches is claimed to be good for 5,000 clicks. It’s also important that the wrench not be dropped. Torque wrenches can be recalibrated, but the cost usually exceeds that of a consumer-grade wrench. If you have questions about a wrench’s accuracy, an effective method is to test it against another torque wrench.
Do I need anything else?
Nearly all torque wrenches are ratchet handles, so you need a set of sockets to go with them. If the wrench has a 1/2-inch drive, you need 1/2-inch sockets. An extension is sometimes needed to reach a lug nut without having the wrench scrape against the wheel or tire. Drive adapters can be employed to use, for example, 3/8-inch sockets on a 1/2-inch drive torque wrench, but the higher the torque, the better it is that the drive sizes of the wrench and socket match. If you are replacing a cylinder head, certain head gaskets require an “angle torque” method where you torque each fastener to a specific value, then tighten it further by rotating it a specific amount (e.g., 90 degrees). Some high-end digital torque wrenches have this functionality built in, but for others, an inexpensive torque angle gauge is necessary.
Do I need special sockets?
No. The stronger thick-walled, six-point sockets you read about are needed when you use an impact wrench, as the whacketa-whacketa force of the impact can crack a standard thin-walled six-point socket. In contrast, when you use a torque wrench, you’re applying the torque smoothly, not with repeated sharp impacts. Standard sockets will work fine for DIY use.
What is the torque setting for the lug nuts on my wheels (I can’t find it in my owner’s manual or online)?
It varies with stud size. Consult the table below, but it is only a guideline. It is strongly advised that you use the manufacturer-specified value, and you really should be able to find it in the manual or online.
Typical Torque Ranges
Stud or Lug Bolt Size
12x1.25mm or 12x1.5 70-80
14x1.25 or 14x1.5 85-90
7/16 inch 70-80
1/2 inch 75-85
9/16 inch 135-145
Source: Tirerack.com
If you’re in the middle of nowhere changing a wheel on a car and you don’t know the stud size, go with 70 foot-pounds for 13-inch or smaller wheels, 80 foot-pounds for 15 and 16-inch wheels and 90 foot-pounds for 17-inch wheels. Many crossover SUVs and light trucks use 100 foot-pounds of torque for their 18 and 19-inch wheels. Heavy-duty and super-duty (dually) trucks typically call for 140 foot-pounds of torque, but you really don’t want to be wrong about the difference between 100 foot-pounds and 140 foot-pounds. So, as soon as you’re back in cell phone range, look up the correct value and use it to re-torque the lug nuts.
Should I tighten the lug nuts in a star pattern?
Yes. Thread all the lug nuts on the studs, and snug them all in place. Then use the torque wrench in a star pattern to tighten them to spec. That is, tighten one, then tighten the one more or less opposite. If there are four lug nuts, the pattern is 1-3-2-4. If there are five, the pattern is 1-3-5-2-4. If there are six, the pattern is 1-4-2-5-3-6.