Changing exhaust without a torque wrench
#31
11-02-2010, 07:35 AM
How much more difficult is it to grab your torque wrench instead of a generic ratchet? Takes five seconds to set the torque readng and a couple more seconds to use it. Wow, that's a tuffy.
Extensions DO influence the amount of torque you're applying through your wrench. In many (most?) it's not enough to make any difference. One one-hundredth of a percent of a foot lb isn't enough to get excited about.
Extensions can, and do, store what's called 'potential energy' because of the 'elastic' properties inherent in the metal. Yes, metal has elastic properties.
Torque works both ways. Tightening and loosening. I can't tell you how many times I've walked by a 'mechanic' just beating the hell out of an impact trying to get a lug nut off a truck wheel. I'll look at him and he's got a 12" or 18" extension on the GD thing. I'm like, 'Dood, take that GD 6 foot extension off and use a 4" or 2" or the shortest one you can." He does and the nut breaks loose. Amazing.
Yeah, that's at the far end of torque scale, but the principle applies all the way down and all the way up. If your extension can take 20 ft-lbs before it twists, then you're not going to lose anything at 5 ft-lbs. Common sense. Kinda like Torque Sticks. Sorta. Kinda. Except they don't snap when they reach their limit.
My buddy's shop has a couple 'old-timers' that don't like using torque wrenches. And I don't think they even know what torque stix are. He had customer whose wheel came flying off his truck at 40 MPH a few months ago after one of the 'old-timers' used a 3/8" drive impact to put the wheels back on. It's called 'laziness'.
I suggested some torque sticks but my buddy is kinda 'old-school' too. Now he makes his guys hand-torque every truck or big SUV wheel they put back on.
Me? I'm not a professional wrench. But I've been around a decent sized Independent Shop for 20 years. My brother owned it for fifteen and my buddy has owned it for the last five. It happens to be one of the very best in town. No doubt about it. But don't kid yourselves, mechanics are mechanics. They'll ALL cut corners once in a while.
Just ask the people here who have a lot of experience with dealers. Or even a lot of Independents.
I'm not on the clock. When I work on my own stuff, especially my bike? I pay attention to torque specs.
Extensions DO influence the amount of torque you're applying through your wrench. In many (most?) it's not enough to make any difference. One one-hundredth of a percent of a foot lb isn't enough to get excited about.
Extensions can, and do, store what's called 'potential energy' because of the 'elastic' properties inherent in the metal. Yes, metal has elastic properties.
Torque works both ways. Tightening and loosening. I can't tell you how many times I've walked by a 'mechanic' just beating the hell out of an impact trying to get a lug nut off a truck wheel. I'll look at him and he's got a 12" or 18" extension on the GD thing. I'm like, 'Dood, take that GD 6 foot extension off and use a 4" or 2" or the shortest one you can." He does and the nut breaks loose. Amazing.
Yeah, that's at the far end of torque scale, but the principle applies all the way down and all the way up. If your extension can take 20 ft-lbs before it twists, then you're not going to lose anything at 5 ft-lbs. Common sense. Kinda like Torque Sticks. Sorta. Kinda. Except they don't snap when they reach their limit.
My buddy's shop has a couple 'old-timers' that don't like using torque wrenches. And I don't think they even know what torque stix are. He had customer whose wheel came flying off his truck at 40 MPH a few months ago after one of the 'old-timers' used a 3/8" drive impact to put the wheels back on. It's called 'laziness'.
I suggested some torque sticks but my buddy is kinda 'old-school' too. Now he makes his guys hand-torque every truck or big SUV wheel they put back on.
Me? I'm not a professional wrench. But I've been around a decent sized Independent Shop for 20 years. My brother owned it for fifteen and my buddy has owned it for the last five. It happens to be one of the very best in town. No doubt about it. But don't kid yourselves, mechanics are mechanics. They'll ALL cut corners once in a while.
Just ask the people here who have a lot of experience with dealers. Or even a lot of Independents.
I'm not on the clock. When I work on my own stuff, especially my bike? I pay attention to torque specs.
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