Inspecting Wheel Studs?

[Estoril]

To the question: You cannot inspect studs for impending failure - short of having a metallurgy lab (in fact I plan to send my current studs to a University metallurgy lab for inspection - arranged by a friend). As noted earlier - studs are wear items. Change them on a schedule. If you wait for failure - you'll get the failure you were waiting for.

If you beat on studs with an impact wrench, cut your change interval in half.

After looking extensively at all options - I went with MSI. Buy once, cry once.


This is what semi-regular impact wrench beating with no torque stick gets. All of these failed mid-turn with costly damage (not my failure/car). Note the internal corrosion on all of them due to hairline cracks.

[timmo]

I've used a bunch of different studs, and luckily never had one fail. This time around I'm using Motorsport Hardware studs/nuts through FCP Euro and plan on replacing them every 2 years through their warranty program.

Huh, I've noticed that FCP has started selling aftermarket parts fairly recently. I may have to do the same!

[S14]

I've used a bunch of different studs, and luckily never had one fail. This time around I'm using Motorsport Hardware studs/nuts through FCP Euro and plan on replacing them every 2 years through their warranty program.

[eacmen]

TBH, that just makes me wonder if the red Loctite I applied on install even held up... though I haven't had a wheel fall off or a stud back out. Yet.

I have removed wheel studs who used red loctite and it's a bitch! Gotta sit there with a torch for 45-90 seconds and you need to chase the threads with a tap before installing new studs.

These studs def did not use loctite when they were installed.

[r4dr]

TBH, that just makes me wonder if the red Loctite I applied on install even held up... though I haven't had a wheel fall off or a stud back out. Yet.

[eacmen]

[CrookedCommie]

Unless BW changed suppliers, they used to be GLS Top Stud, not MSI.

[r4dr]

I went with the BW Premium Race Studs. Will be installing in the next few weeks. The installation torque values are much higher than the Turner studs we installed on a previous car.

In this case I am okay paying the premium price for peace of mind.

It's interesting because those seem to be MSI studs sold by BW, but actual MSI studs for sale on another site (https://www.moreheadspeedworks.com/p...d-wheel-studs/) say to only torque to 20 lb-ft into the hub which matches my experiences with studs more.

[eacmen]

I went with the BW Premium Race Studs. Will be installing in the next few weeks. The installation torque values are much higher than the Turner studs we installed on a previous car.

In this case I am okay paying the premium price for peace of mind.

[BigRussia]

My car came with Apex extended studs, its been 2.5+ years nearly 8k miles and 5 track days and 1 AutoX on them, with two different sets of wheels ran with wheel spacers ranging from 5mm to 12mm. Thankfully no issues yet, I always torque to 88lbs/ft and clean them with a wire brush anytime I take off wheels; I do this with the thought/assumption that it's good for the life and health of the studs, also cause I had put anti-seize on them during my initial ownership of the car and then realized that's a no no cause it can affect the torque rating when bolting down the wheels (and might end up over torquing).

But even still I've actually had this same thought as the OP in the back of my head all this time, wondering if I should be weary of the studs life and be thinking of replacing them soon?

[foolio]

I change mine (Apex) every two years on a dedicated track car seeing 1500-2000 track miles per year. Also, never torque hot, or even warm, for that matter. No failures knock on wood.

[eacmen]

BW's instructions say 75 lb-ft but I've always torqued my MSH nuts to 88 lb-ft.

Same here I use 88. However the studs/nuts I had did not have dry lube on them. Any kind of dry lube and the torque setting should be lower.

[r4dr]

BW's instructions say 75 lb-ft but I've always torqued my MSH nuts to 88 lb-ft.

[Slideways]

Are you guys using the stock 89ft-lbs to torque these like the factory bolts?

[bigjae46]

A stud is a wear item. You cause wear every time you torque the fastener. When the wheel is torqued to the hub, there is no wear unless the wheel is not properly mated to the hub. Common causes for improper mating is dirt and corrosion on the wheel/hub. Especially on the lip of the wheel hub and the hub bore in the wheel. Need to keep those clean.

Wear is accelerated when the faster is overtorqued or if the fastener is so loose there's movement between the wheel and hub.

The more you remove wheels, the more often you need to replace studs.

I've had Vorshlag, Turner and BW studs...have never had one break. I've ran them for years. On the other hand, I got my first set of Apex studs and I twisted one off a couple of weeks ago...6 months old. I was pretty disappointed. Not saying Apex is bad but I'm going with something that I know works.