Wheel Wrenches

All of us had to change the wheels of our cars at one point or the other. Be it for an occasional checkup or when we got stuck on the road with a flat tyre. Wheel wrenches are like emergency kits. If you own a car, you will need them.

When you shop for wheel wrenches, it can be confusing to decide which one of them to buy. To add more complications, a lot of them look similar even though they have vastly different functions. It will be easier to decide if you have a basic understanding of the common types of wheel wrenches. Even though they all just turn the screws, some of them have special features to simplify the work. Our guide lists the most common wheel wrenches you will find to help you decide on the right one you need.

Different types of wheel wrenches

In simple terms, they are the tools used for turning the screws. As most cars and large trucks have hexagonal lug nuts, wouldn’t a hexagonal socket and a crowbar to turn it will suffice? If you get stranded in a deserted place and have nothing better to work with, the answer is yes. But if you want to do the work with a little less effort and without damaging the lug nuts, you should go for the proper wrench for each purpose. Here are the five main types of wrenches used in cars.

Breaker bar

This is the simplest wheel wrench out there. This is, basically, a lever and socket combination. The wrench socket varies depending on the vehicle. The lever will have a simple mechanism at the end that can attach to the wrench socket. To use it on the nuts, you have to fix them both together. With the right wrench socket, you can use a breaker bar combination on any vehicle from large trucks to small cars. But for nuts that require higher torque, the lever has to be longer. So, you might not be able to use a breaker bar that comes with the car on a large truck.

Torque wrenches

These wrenches are similar to breaker bars in look and feel. At first sight, you might not even be able to tell a breaker bar apart from a torque wrench. The difference between the both is that a torque wrench is used to apply a specific amount of torque to the bolt. Their application is mainly in tightening the bolt than unscrewing. Torque wrenches prevent the overtightening of the lug nuts. When the lug nut is tight, the wrench gives an audible click. You can stop tightening when you hear the click. Torque wrenches are always the preferred tool for tightening the nuts. But they might not work well when it comes to unfastening.

Lug wrenches

You will recognise them from the tool kit that comes in default with the cars. In-car toolkits, come fitted with the socket that works on those specific cars. And these are usually L-shaped wrenches. There is another type of lug wrench that looks like a cross with four different sizes of sockets at each end. These four legs also function as levers. The advantage of a lug wrench is that they are very cheap and durable. They can take a lot of beating and still works fine without any issue. No wonder they are the default tool in every car. They do not tell you when the screws are tightened enough, though. So, if you are not careful, you will damage the nuts.

Ratcheting wrench set

These are unidirectional wrenches. They only apply torque when you turn them in one direction. And if you rotate them in the opposite direction, they turn freely without any resistance. The advantage of a ratcheting wrench is the speed. You don’t have to take the socket off the nut and reattach it every time you complete a turn. Instead, you can rotate it back and tighten the screw again. Like the torque wrenches and breaker bars, these also come in two parts — a socket and a lever. It is the lever that houses the ratcheting mechanism. The sockets are the same as any other and are interchangeable.

Electric impact wrench

These days, professional car mechanics use electrical impact wrenches. They come with a slew of advantages that are essential for effective and efficient work. In these wrenches, you can dial in the torque you need when you tighten the bolt. And if the nuts are stuck, you can dial up the torque and loosen any unforgiving nut. As you might have guessed, they are not cheap. They operate using the air pressure from a compressor. A tube leading from one end of the tool connects to the air compressor. They let you do the task that would take at least five minutes in a matter of seconds. If you have a full set of impact sockets, you can literally use them on any vehicle. No matter how large or small.