Traded my torque wrench for a beam style on my brake job - worth it?

I was about to do my front brakes on my 2012 Civic last weekend and had to pick between my old click-style torque wrench and a beam style one from AutoZone for $25. Went with the beam style because it didn't need calibration and I heard the clicks can drift on cheap ones. Anyone else switch types and notice a difference in how tight they feel?

2 comments

2 Comments

wilson.jana1mo ago

Look, I've done plenty of brake jobs with a regular old harbor freight click torque wrench that was probably never calibrated from the factory. Never had a rotor fall off or a caliper bolt loosen up on me. I get that beam styles are simple and all, but honestly for caliper bracket bolts and slide pins you're usually torquing to like 80 foot pounds max. At that range most click wrenches are close enough unless you bought the absolute cheapest one at a pawn shop. A beam style will do the job fine if it makes you feel better but I wouldn't say it's some huge game changer. You're probably overthinking this whole calibration thing for a Civic brake job that's way simpler than people make it out to be.

brian_kelly911mo ago

@wilson.jana what about the variance from one click wrench to another though? I borrowed my neighbor's husky brand one and it clicked way earlier than my old craftsman at the same setting on a bolt. That difference matters when you're dealing with aluminum calipers or cheap hardware that strips easy. Beam wrenches have that nice property where you can see the needle bending in real time and adjust. But you raise a fair point about most brake jobs being pretty forgiving torque wise. I guess my concern is more about the guy reading this who buys a $15 click wrench from a gas station and thinks it's fine for 10 years. If you're doing your own work and paying attention to what the bolt feels like as it tightens, you can usually tell if something is off. But not everyone has that feel yet.