[Adagosto]

Hi all,

I'm confused as to which route to take with buying a torque wrench. I have my eye on the AC Delco digital 1/2" TW with a range of 4-99 ft/lbs. The sweet spot of this tool seems to be right where my work will be with oil changes and brake work. The problem I am seeing is getting the sockets that fit the 1/2" male. For instance, the oil plug needs an 8mm hex socket and the appropriate tool is kinda hard to find whereas, the 3/8" drive 8mm hex is very common. Likewise, the M12 needed for caliper bolts is super easy to find for a 3/8" drive but not so much for the 1/2" drive.

So, how do you feel about using a 1/2" TW with the adaptor/reducers to get these jobs done?

My concern is that when you start adding additional fittings you do two things, you increase the distance the force is applied at the bolt and there may be some inherint inaccuracy introduced to the torque process.

Does any of this matter? Am I just being psyco anal and over analyzing this or is there merit to my concern.

It seems to me the most appropriate ft/lbs range I need to be in for this work is between 10-80. That's a reasonable range for a 3/8" TW. Its just that the AC Delco 1/2" TW had a slightly larger useful range and added a bit of power and leverage for some harder stuff. I would not use it for lug nuts, I'd get a dedicated one for that.

Thoughts?