I hate Torx bolts/screws

Just wanted to complain. Who's dumb idea was it to use or invent Torx. What is so wrong with a good old 6 sided bolt or at most an allen head bolt. I am pulling my from axle out and the dumb upper arms use torx bolts for some reason and I am having difficulty getting them out. I can see them ok for lower torque type use but they are easy to strip out with any torque on them if you don'tget at them straight on.

Brett

Torx was invented (by Camcar Textron) to come up with an internal wrenching bolt design that could handle significant amount of torque. If memory servies, the Torx head can handle about 300% of the torque of the Allen/hex head of the same size.

It's all a matter of head design and the expected amount of installation tension of the bolt. The advantage of internal wrenching is the ability to recess the bolts readily and to tuck them into smaller recesses. Also, the smaller change in size between the bolt shank and the head outside diamater means that a stronger bolt can be made due to grain flow - the best bolts for tension applications have small heads and generous underhead radii, and are installed with washers with internal bevels to accommodate the underhead radius.

All in all, the Torx bolt is really a good design - it's downfall is that it requires a specialised tool that not everyone has (but if you have a Jeep, you should get them - internal and external!)

If you want to see an example of excellent bolt design, I suggest you look up the old Whitworth bolts - they're a huge pain in the arse to work with, but the Whitworth bolts feature what was probably the best thread design ever put into production! Those damn Whitworth wrenches were a pain to get, tho...

5-90

Brett make sure you've got the right sized Torx. If I remember correctly, those are a T50 or T55. If the one you are using has even a small amount of slop in it, you need to go up a size. I hate those things too.

They still suck! Doesn't make sense that while I am trying to take my axle out that everything is regular bolts and then they had to throw in 2 dumb torx bolts on the upper control arms. Thanks for the info though.
Brett

Measure and replace - the Torx head is usually found on top of a standard thread.

By way of a f'rinstance, the E12 external Torx bolts on the upper bellhousing are on top of a 3/8"-16 bolt (1-3/4" long, I think - I'd have to check) and if they're not inch, they'll be metric. Given that they're suspension, they'll probably be metric.

Either way, there's no reason you can't replace them if you want to - either with an Allen head (easiest) or with a hex head (probably using a reduced hex head - I don't know how much room you have.)

5-90

A regular old grade-8 bolt is going in it's place.....plenty of room...no need for a torx head.
Brett

The other reason for using Torx bolts is that the TOOLS that install them last a LOT longer on the production line.

The Torx is really an involute geartooth pattern, which is a fancy way of saying it spreads the stress of the contact between the tool and the fastener over a larger area that on an allen head or conventional hex head.

This is a big deal on the production line, where a pneumatic driver is attaching hundreds, perhaps thousands of bolts each day.

wow. good info. come to think of it, I don't think Iv'e ever stripped or rounded out a torx head bolt.

At the shop I work at all of our insert cutting tools( end mills, drills, boring bars) use torx screws. We grind the tip down on all our wrenches just enough to get a good tight fit with the torx wrenches . I've done the same with all my torx tools.

Hated 'em until I reluctantly invested in a set, now almost always have the one I need.

Necessity is a mother...

I forgot to add, having a GOOD set of torx bits is really important. I bought a cheap set from Autozone and the first time I used one on a tight bolt it stripped. I took the set back and got a refund. I bought a Craftsman set and the bolt came right out.

Another reason why they use Torx is to discourage poeple from tampering with it.

PstrKd4BrthCntrll said:

Another reason why they use Torx is to discourage poeple from tampering with it.

Click to expand...

Never seen the "Tamper Proof" Torx - the one with the little nipple in the middle? I don't know why they bother anymore - you can get the damn toolbits anywhere.

If you want to discourage tampering, use something a little more uncommon - tri-wings come to mind - so do Robertsons and cluch screws. There are ways to properly discourage tampering...

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