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Longer Wheel Studs Installation - May 30, 2008

When I installed the Team Dynamics wheels, I saw that the stock studs weren't long enough to allow for full lug nut engagement. The picture shows how the lug nuts do not go all the way onto the studs.

There was enough engagement (about 10 turns) that I felt like it was safe to drive on. At the same time, I ordered 16 Peak Performance 60 mm wheel studs ($84) from frsport.com. I placed the order last Friday and just got it today. Here are some pictures of the new studs. The fourth picture shows the difference in length between a Peak Performance stud and an extra stock stud that I had laying around.

1. I started on the back of the car. I removed the wheels and the rear brake calipers. Each brake caliper is held on with two bolts.
   
   
2. With the calipers off, the brake disks can be removed.
3. Then, the stock studs can be knocked out with a hammer.
4. I inserted one new stud at a time. After putting the longer stud through the hub hole, I placed a large nut and washer over the stud and flush with the hub. Then, I used an old stock lug nut with the flat face towards the hub to tighten on the stud and pull it into the hub.
5. The procedure for the front is the same as for the rear. The right front brake disk didn't want to come off at first, but I got it off after hitting it with a hammer a few times.
6. When replacing the rear studs, I found that one of the rear brake caliper sliders was siezed on each side. I took the car to my dad's shop since I couldn't remove it with any tools I had. I put the bracket in a vice and heated the caliper and slider. Then, I used vice grips to twist and remove the seized sliders.
7. I cleaned the slider shaft with a wire wheel and the bracket with a file. Then, I covered the slider shaft with anti-seize compound and re-installed the brakes.

The new studs are more than long enough to fully engage the lug nuts. There's probably another 10-15 mm of stud that sticks out past the lug nuts. This should be useful in case I want to use wheel spacers in the future.

It's a good thing that I decided to get the open-ended Gorilla lug nuts because there's no way that closed-end lug nuts would work with theses studs. Hopefully, the parts of the studs sticking out past the lug nuts won't rust. I'll probably be changing wheels often enough that there shouldn't be much rust buildup.