Informational Post About CRX/Civic/Integra (and others) Wheel Stud Options

In my quest to tweak nearly everything I get my hands on, I often have to think outside the box in order to find something that works "better" than stock parts. I have been asked a few times to post about the following information, so I will, and will discuss a few other options that are popular but are less than ideal, in my opinion.

So, why does a body need longer studs than stock in the first place? There are three reasons that come to mind. 

1. Brake Clearance

If you have larger than stock brakes installed, or are trying to fit the smallest possible wheel and tire combo on a car (for example, running 13" slicks on a drag car), you may run into the issue where the diameter of the brakes and calipers might clear the inner surface of the rim, but the spokes foul on the caliper. Yes, sometimes you can grind a bit of the caliper shoulder to gain the needed clearance, but other times, it is better to run a thin spacer. (Side note: ALWAYS RUN HUBCENTRIC SPACERS!) While it is possible to run a thin spacer with stock length studs, it is NOT advisable at all. Just don't do it. You want more than a few threads engaged, especially if the roads are as bad as they are where I drive. 

2. Tire Clearance

If you are running wider tires and rims and the wheel offset isn't exactly perfect for the particular combo, you may get some tire rub when turning, especially at the ends of steering travel. A thin spacer can prevent this from happening, keeping your paint or splash guards intact.

3. Competition Requirements.

Many competition sanctioning bodies have rules in place that require the ends of the studs to be visible past your lug nuts. This is to make sure that the nuts are threaded on enough to keep the wheels on the car. If the wheels come off the car, you are now a danger to everyone else and yourself on the track/strip. While stock studs MIGHT meet this requirement depending on the wheel nuts used, having longer studs will remove and doubt about meeting this requirement.

Now, lets get in to some available options!

Here are some part numbers for you:

Stock replacement:Dorman PN: 98436

M12-1.50 Serrated Wheel Stud 

12.22mm Knurl, 36mm (1.42") Length

Link: Stock replacements from Dorman

Longer replacement:Dorman PN: 98501

12-1.50 Serrated Wheel Stud

12.80mm Knurl, 54mm (2.125") Length

Link: Longer replacements from Dorman

The .6mm difference equates to about .024” difference. This is not an issue if you have a decently sized press, as they should press in nice and securely without any need for tacking. 

In my research on replacements that are longer than stock, I came across people using the stock studs from the Acura TL. While these are a very good quality option, there are some issues that prevented me from advocating these as a viable replacement. Let's look at the specs:

Acura TL replacement:

Dorman PN: 98518.1
12-1.50 Serrated Wheel Stud
12.34mm Knurl, 48mm (1.89") Length

However, the knurl on the the OEM TL stud does NOT always press in correctly, leading to a wobbly stud or one that may spin in the hub, preventing the nut from coming off easily. The fix for this requires tacking to secure properly. If you don't have a welder handy, this isn't safe. I also do not prefer to have a stud welded on a street vehicle, since they will eventually need to be replaced at some point (if you actually keep and drive your cars regularly). These Dorman parts should press in just fine, though.

Let's look at the next option:

ARP wheel studs, AKA The Roman Chariot Blades of Doom/Calf killers:

ARP Part Number: 100-7711 (4 pack)

12-1.50, 12.34mm Knurl, 72.4mm (2.85") Long

These are the things you seen on nearly every track car. They are extremely strong and have features not commonly found on most OEM studs. Firstly, there is a projected, smooth nose. This facilitates rapid nut installation. (ALWAYS SPIN THE NUT ON A FEW THREADS BEFORE APPLYING A POWER TOOL TO A WHEEL NUT!) Second, the threads are roll formed. Here is a video I found that explains many of the benefits of roll formed threads:

I don't know if ARP uses this exact type of process pictured in the video to form their threads (I wouldn't think so, as that looks optimized for doing longer bar stock and not shorter studs), but, the explanation of the benefits is very good.

The extra length also helps get wheels on faster, and the rounded nose of the studs really does help align the holes in the wheel hub, which can be important if you are doing fast tire changes in an Endurance race or any race where pit stop time is critical. 

I generally won't run these long ARPs on any street car since they just get annoying when working around the car since I nearly always seem to smack my legs on them as I walk and work around the car. That might just be a personal problem, but, well, it is there. 

So, there you have some options with various pros and cons. I usually order stuff through amazon, but most of the part numbers don't come up. You can get these studs at nearly any parts store, even if they don't have them in stock. 

Let me know if you find any other options that might work. I did see a few others in the Dorman catalog that could work, but I think the ones above are what are easiest to find for most situations. 

Please leave me feedback either here or on my Facebook page, which you can find by clicking this link: Beaver Built on FaceBook

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Thanks for reading and I hope you find this stuff useful or amusing or both. =) 

Justin's "Bisi Beaver" beader. (His name, not mine, if there are any lawyers reading this.)

And now for something that is a total tease, because Justin is a goober:

Justin's "Bisi Beaver" header idling. And nothing else. Because he sucks at video. LOL!

Justin apologizes for the sucky video. He thought he had revved it on camera, but didn't. He will get a better video tomorrow, so check back in the evening tomorrow.

Justin also reports that so far, it sounds completely different (It sounds quiet in the video because his phone sucks) and that the throttle response is "mega better!" so far. Mega better. Yeah. I like the sound of that.

I actually got a bunch of welding done yesterday! (Justin, this pertains to YOU!)

I was going to upload these pics and write up a post last night, but I had a wicked headache and went to sleep very early and slept it off. Meh. I am mostly fine today, so, here's a quick and dirty lunchtime (PB&J with clementines!) update!

I welded up the new downpipe and the divergent and convergent cones for Justin's Bisi header that I have been working on:

I don't have many pics of the process, as it required both hands to hold things in place while tacking the pieces together, and after that, I just welded stuff. LOL! 

I am finally starting to see something resembling beads that I really like:

That's as far as I got with that, but welding all the pie cuts took a good long while. I didn't grab any inside shots, not because I am afraid to show what they look like, but because I forgot. I got interrupted by helping my friend move some cabinets he sold to a dude, which frees up more space for me to work in and actually set up a little shop area. I'll eventually be able to have one section of the garage to call my own and not have to disconnect every freaking thing and then reconnecting it every time I want to set up. Hurray for eventual efficient working! It takes me over half an hour just to get things set up and ready for working. After setting up a little work shop area, I will be able to get more work done during the little time I have there. That is very precious to me! 

The next thing I worked on was taking this:

Which is an Acura Integra dual ben shift lever; then doing this to it:

(That's not the same shift lever as in the first picture, but I forgot to get pics of that one after I chopped it to bits.) And then, welding the extended bits onto the stock parts, like so:

In order to make the final product look like this:

Why? Putting the shift knob closer to the steering wheel greatly reduces the time it takes to complete a shift, and increases the time the driver's hands are on the wheel. Both of these things are excellent for drivers who value the details of making the car faster and safe. It looks ridiculously long, because, well, it is. The customer asked that it be positioned to a certain height, with the bend placed a bit farther back and towards the seat. Mission accomplished.

And here is something you won't see on a lot of other people's blogs: Mistakes. I am not perfect. If other people can learn from my mistakes, then I won't feel so bad. 

Look at where the feet are. Look at where the cross supports are. Yeah . . . The outside dimensions of the base for the welder are dead on to what I wanted for it. I wanted a good amount of overhang on the front and back to protect the hose and line connectors. The sides have a bit of overhang so I could make it easy to lift the welder up and out (if I need to move it) when I add some odds and ends to the sides of the cart. So, I measured the outside of the box, came up with my plan, then executed it pretty darn perfectly. But I forgot about the dang feet. In fact, I never even looked at the bottom of the welder. Dur.  So, I have a couple of options. I can cut the supports out and start over, or weld in some new supports. Given limited material, I am not going to waste material and make the cart heavier by welding in new angle. I have some 1/8" strapping I could use, but, I'd rather not "waste it" on correcting a mistake. One thing that makes me pause from doing that is that if I cut the supports out, it will twist the frame. It's pretty effing square right now. (I had to learn to make things square within 1/16" while I was in the Army, or my "boss" would kill me. It pays off, for sure, since a lot of guys can't even keep things within 1/4" on small stuff.) I might just weld on some strapping and call it a day.

Another possibility is putting a plate on the top, but . . . I don't have the sheet metal, and the feet would still need support unless I go with way too heavy plate. I also don't like plates, as horizontal surfaces collect dust and dust isn't good for the insides of the welder. I prefer to keep things open, or with grating/thick mesh, as that cuts down on the cleaning you need to do. Since I've worked in super dusty environments (I will post up a pic of some sand in the air eventually), I know a few things about keeping equipment functional. 

The reason why my material selection is limited is that I am using an old bed frame I got for free off of Craig's list. I love (almost) free stuff. I have to find a few more to complete the whole thing, but I have enough from one frame to get the basics of the cart made up. I also scored some free hard rubber wheels so this sucker will be rolling pretty eventually. =) 

And that is my quick lunchtime update. =)