PSA: I've been over-torquing lug nuts for years without knowing

A customer came back with a cracked wheel stud and I realized my old torque wrench was off by almost 30 foot-pounds. Anyone else had a tool calibration wake-up call?

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3 Comments

karenhenderson6mo ago

That cracked stud story hits home. People forget that cheap extensions or a worn socket can throw off the reading before you even click the wrench. The angle of the handle matters too, it's not just the tool's fault.

3

river_rivera455mo ago

My old shop teacher showed us a torque wrench calibration sheet from a local race team. Every single wrench was off by at least 5% after a season, even the expensive ones. The tool IS the main fault if you don't check it. Extensions and angle are a factor, but they don't make a good wrench go bad. You have to send them out to get checked, it's the only way to really know. Trusting the click without testing is how you break stuff.

1

hall.alex6mo ago

Oh man... my torque wrench is probably just a fancy clicker at this point. I've been trusting that thing for way too long.

1