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Wheel Studs - How to swap

9K views 64 replies 17 participants last post by  CT-MSRT 
#1 · (Edited)
Well, lately a number of us racing the cars in the Northeast have experienced failing wheel studs; stripped, spinning, snapping.

The wheel studs at the dealership are $16-$17.50 usd. :doh:

**edit - if you want to skip to the good stuff - the solution is here: http://www.lxforums.com/board/showpost.php?p=1933281&postcount=37
as well as some nicely written posted results here: http://www.lxforums.com/board/showthread.php?p=1947712#post1947712

The Wheel studs are 14mm x 1.50.
The overall length is 57mm.
5mm is the depth of the head
10mm is the length of the splined portion resident in the wheel assembly
32mm is the length of the threaded portion

21mm wide is the head
15mm wide is the splined portion (knurl)
There are 34 splines




So...the Manual well instruct one way. Here's is what I would do:

1. jack car up
2. place jackstand in place for safety
3. remove wheel
4. remove the two 18mm bolts affixing the caliper to the knuckle
5. pull the brake rotor off the studs (may be stuck - easiest to remove with parking brake ON) This pull tension on the outer hub and creates space for the rotor to pull off the wheel assembly.
6. put donor lug nut on stud to be removed
7. lightly tap the nut/stud to free the spline/knurled portion of the wheel stud from the wheel assembly
8. remove lug nut
9. take parking brake off and put the car in NEUTRAL
10. Spin wheel stud for removal to 6 o'clock (closest to ground).
11. push the stud out at an angle, carefully and slowly spinning hub left and/or right till you can JUST barely get it out.
12. put NEW stud in the same way...finesse it..it WILL go
13. Put 4 mag washers on the threaded portion and use a lug nut to draw the new stud into place
14. remove lug nut
15. Apply ANTI seize to studs
16. put rotor back on
16. reassemble caliper to knuckle. It may be necessary to open brake bleed line (15mm bolt on rears) in order to compress the piston and get onto the rotor. Be sure to close the bleed light immediately without getting air into the brakelines.
17. reinstall wheel to 110# tq.

Voila. Not hard at all...and likely not necessary unless you are spinning wheels off and on frequently.

So - I'd like to do 10 of these, 5 for each rear wheel but when they SHOULD cost $5....I'm now on a mission. Just took the specs to begin the hunt....i'll repost/edit when I find the suitable replacement.
 
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#5 ·
Thanks JR.

Looking for makers and specs that match up. Moser Engineering and ARP make a LOT of wheel studs.

Looked summit, jegs, etc....freaking amazing how many variations to a simple bolt there is.

And....I can not find ours so far. Sets of 10 run $17.50 to $28.00 for most I've seen, heck you can't buy 2 of ours for that price.
 
#8 ·
i dont agree with the manual on that. FSM or not, studs should be pressed or punched in.
i am not just a joe scmoe either, i am A3 & A4 certified, a member of various offroad websites that have great tech (which will also say pulling in via lug nut isnt the correct way either, ever hear of Pirate or CK5?) and rebuild axles on the side.
 
#9 · (Edited)
DodgeDude - you may in fact be correct, won't argue the point that pressing them in might be advantageous.

Without removing the complete wheel assembly the wheel studs could not be punched in - as we don't have an access point. What type of tool do you suggest to press in? The tool for removal (besides tapping them out) is the Miller Special Tool C-4150A - retails for approx $75.

More to the point - with your background and other resources, any idea where we can resource these wheel studs at a MUCH better rate than the dealerships? Thanks for the help!

Here is the manual using the miller tool:
 
#11 ·
Erik - I agree. Now my limited experience is only replacing two of these, but the shoulder on the knurl in front of the splined threads pretty well secures it. In fact, i didn't see or get any spin from what I could tell. Pretty straight forward.

Now - WHERE can we find these things cheaper? We are paying about 400% higher prices for these than similar studs.
 
#12 ·
What are the odds of getting a set of calipers(not brake calipers:wink:) on one of those studs? I would bet there is an aftermarket supplier such as dorman, arp, etc. that makes a stud in the size we need. I googled "wheel studs 14x1.5" and found a set of 10 Moser Engineering studs for $26 (close to the size measured in the original post) at Summit Racing...

http://store.summitracing.com/partd...863804+4294863803+4294900388+115&autoview=sku
 
#13 · (Edited)
I modified a C-clamp to press some longer studs both out and in. I did this on the front of an RT. This shows how I pressed them out and to press them in, I inserted them from the back and pressed on a sleeve around the threaded part of the stud, on the outside of the hub.


I am not sure where to get same length studs, but here are some that are about 1/4" longer that I have run for a couple of years and have had no problems at all. They are Dorman 610-435 and purchased them for a couple dollars at a NAPA store. The only modification needed on this and the next stud is to grind/machine a flat on the head of the stud. Once you see the OEM stud you will see what I am talking about.


These are a bit longer that should work also, which I found for $1.99 at Autozone. They are Dorman 610-236.
 
#54 · (Edited)
These are a bit longer that should work also, which I found for $1.99 at Autozone. They are Dorman 610-236.
ok well, bringing back an old thread, im disappointed in what happened... i ordered a set of the 610-236s from summit and got the package today. was hoping to see the big beasts on the left side of that pic but i get a tiny box with these midget ****ers in it...


apparently they changed the part numbers......... i cant even use these on a lawnmower
 
#14 ·
Good Info- Thanks PA!!!!
 
#15 ·
MAGFX - great find. I see you did the fronts....there may be more room in the wheel assembly to fit those longer ones...hmmm.

The OEM replacements from DODGE do NOT have the flat edge btw. So doubt it's necessary to flatten those unless there is something in the way on the fronts. I can tell you with certainty that the rears don't need the flat spot.

The only issue other than fitment on the rears of those studs would possibly be the shorter splined knurl portion. Have you taken the wheels off and on quite a few times? Just curious. Great POST!

Doug
 
#16 ·
Yes, on the front the stud needs the flat due to the shape of the inner side of the hub. I did (do not have that car now) pull wheels quite a few times since I was always changing my suspension and what not. I am sure a rear would go through a bit more abuse though.

As I remember the knurled diameter is a bit larger (than OEM) which was good, as they were pressed back in used holes. They went in nice and firm. I think that they are absolutely fine, but if you think that you need more spline, you could use the second ones. The extra spline that sticks out is not a problem either.

Let me know what you do.
 
#17 ·
Well, day 10 of the "great wheel stud" search. MAGFx certainly has some great alternatives posted. I hear tales that Legmaker too may have found the secret to "less expensive wheel stud" happiness.

More to come...er...I hope!
 
#23 ·
That looks like a pretty good match. The knulled diameter is a bit smaller than the ones that I used, but very close. Actually, I am not at home and cannot remember what the stock diameter is.
 
#27 ·
we are freaking stuck Stell.....Dave, Erik, bunch of us have been banging away, making calls, countless hours of searches...SKUNKED!

Well, i just ordered 10 of these http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/raframecatalog.php?catalog=42&partnum=610432&a=FR42-610432

Specs show them as 52.7mm, but couldn't get a straight answer if they were underhead or overhead. So...I ordered some. I'll post back in a few days when they are here and I can compare them.
 
#30 ·
You might also check with DSS (Drive Shaft Shop) since they supply new studs for the hubs that fit their 1000hp axles. Not sure what the knulled dia. is.
Same. When I lunched one at ETown we put a factory one back in.
 
#31 ·
Guys - not to be cheap, but at $11-$16 per stocker, the goal here was to try to find the best replacement. In my mind that is a solid fit, safe choice, appropriately priced and that wasn't soooo long that it required disassembling more than pulling the rotor and swapping studs. Nothing worse than paying your $35 to get into the track and then spending 2 hrs on a lousy wheel stud.

So....i think we are close with the ones coming from Rockauto. At $1.13 a piece...it becomes an affordable project as preventative maintenance.

Sounds like a petty project or item to be seeking, but honestly there are quite a few of us who, like Dave says, "have munched" a stud or two.
 
#32 ·
I have an even cheaper solution . . . .I had to break three studs on one wheel to get the lugs off so I needed a solution fast. The DSS axles come with a new hub and studs! Only two grand!!:mrgreen:
 
#34 ·
Not yet and I don't think I can wait much longer

I may just make a barstool racer with the motor . .LOL
 
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