Which Wrench Set?

[Schrup]

I'm starting to spend alot of time under my hood & want to get a consensus on which wrench set will work best on my 911. I already have a good basic tool set ( 338 piece Husky), I'm just looking to make life a little easier. They all have lifetime warranty.

[kstylianos]

Paul,

Go for the ratcheting offsets or a real set of stubbys. That little bit of offset could get you out of a jam. The straight wrenches have their place, but you can do the same type of work w/ the offsets. The ratcheting stubbys are just cool. Again, they have their place, but you can't really get the torque you need out of them (especially the larger ones) to free a stubborn bolt. Plus, you probably already have the open end sizes in your larger kit. If you just want the ratcheting feature, then get it on both ends and have a wide array of diameters to work with.

I'd get the ratcheting offsets and just a regular set of stubbys.

[RoninLB]

I always have a cheap import set in the trunk.. any odd ball wrench that is used can be bought indivudally. and many sets don't have a necessary 14mm wrench. like one S&K or Snap-On for the good tool box.. and like an indivudal short flex head for the dizzy............Ron

[masraum]

Agreed, the middle set. I am going to be getting that set soon myself. Would have made a world of difference when I pulled my rear calipers the other day (that's actually what made me decide to get them.

[}{arlequin]

Not to change the thread too much, but in the same train of thought: what are the most common/necessary tools to have in an air-cooled car? I'm thinking along the "stuck-in-the-middle-of-nowhere" scenario. Besides common screwdrivers, are allen wrenches necessary? Some belts, clamps, open end wrenches 10-16mm? Maybe a vise grip to cover other eventualities? Any useful socket sizes?

[jmohn]

My Pop had a set of the off-set's (shown in the middle), the biggest drawback was the "bulky" end of the wrench. There are a lot of places there isn't room to get the wrench on. I'm looking at the wrenches similar to those shown in the top picture, I'm just waiting to find the brand that offers the thinnest configuration (lots of places on a Porsche are pretty tight).

Jerry M
'78 SC

[VincentVega]

I like the gear wrenches a lot. However, go for the version that's reversable and flexible. They help a lot and once you have them you wont use the other version at all. They are especially nice for the lower caliper bolt on 911 rear brakes.

[Teutonics]

Ditto what Chris said.

[Schrup]

Chris, What do you mean flexable? Are you refering to the ones that have a hinged offset at the gear end? I saw a set like that at Tool Town, Big $$. I am curious how durable the gear wrenches are. I know the rachet style have been around for awhile, I think the gear ones are fairly new.

[Jdub]

How are the gear wrenches different from the ratcheting types? That is, what is the mechanism in the gear wrench (they look like regular wrenches to me...).

John

[RallyJon]

Another vote for Gearwrenches. I have the metric single ended offset reversable ones and they're excellent. The cheap versions made from rivetted stamped steel (the big pic above) are pretty bad.

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

The cheap offsets from Harbour Freight are about 10 bucks and have a wide array of sizes in the set. They are fairly thin walled and I have not run into a location I could not use one. If you break one, who cares? A new set is 10 bucks...

[RallyJon]

I tried the rivetted version from Sears and there were two specific drawbacks--the clicks were too far apart and the reversing lever sticks out the side so it's easy to hit in normal use.

[350HP930]

Originally posted by Chris Martin
I like the gear wrenches a lot. However, go for the version that's reversable and flexible. They help a lot and once you have them you wont use the other version at all. They are especially nice for the lower caliper bolt on 911 rear brakes.

As a professional wrench turner I second this opinion.

The hinged ones are the best since you can use them either straight or angled.

[Schrup]

John, the gear type has a finer mechanism (72 teeth) than the ratcheting, they are slimmer in profile too. Here is another gear wrench picture, I hope it shows better.

[VincentVega]

Yep, the hinged version is the way to go. I work as a part time wrench sometimes and this is one of the wrenches I always grab. The gear wrench brand has a pretty fine ratches action, useful for tight spots. Not sure on the durability, we've only had them maybe a year. But, if you were concerned about durability, use a standard wrench to break the fastener loose, then the gear wrench for speed. That might be overkill, but might ease your mind.

As for price, if a tool saves me a couple minutes or more on any job it's worth the few extra bucks. It helps that I can 'make' money by using better tools though too. Lately as hot as it is in my garage every minute counts.

[91C2wrencher]

yep gearwrenches are the *****, can't torque with em but at least you can move a nut down to snug and then use your box wrench.

[don911]

I'm buying this set today to hopefully solve my lower caliper bolt access problem.

http://www.sears.com/sr/product/summary/productsummary.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0504711048.105 8467112@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccdjadcilgmfiehcehgcemgdffmdfko.0&vertical=TOOL&bidsite=&pid=00944350000

[Schrup]

Thanks Chris, I found a K-D 12 piece flex head gear wrench set for $127, with a lifetime warranty. That's about twice the price of the sets I posted, But what you said makes sense. Don, I think I'll get that deep offset set from Sears, Is that a catalog only item? Thanks all--Out

[kstylianos]

Don,

With those wrenches, you will have limited room to move them once you get them slipped onto the bolt.....I bought/used the same set for the rear calipers.

What I found works better is actually a 3/8" drive with a shallow 19mm socket. It will slip right down in there and get that bolt about half way out before it gets pinned against the trailing arm. You should be able to remove the bolt by hand from this point.