Man, the guy in the first photo is reallllll good looking :)
Photography by David S. Wallens
Some of the most important fasteners on your car? How about the ones that secure the wheels?
And the wheel studs on our Mustang? A few looked suspect, with one in particular causing concern.
The fix? Install all new studs.
Considering this car’s future, including regular wheel changes, we went beyond stock and fit a set of ARP studs: longer and stronger than the originals with a bull nose for easily lug fitting (Part No. 100-7722 up front and Part No. 100-7723 out back). Street prices trend around $70 per wheel but we’ve seen some higher and lower.
The stock lugs are too short for these studs, so we paired them with Gorilla 13/16-inch, open-end lug nuts purchased directly from the manufacturer for $0.75 each.
Once we removed the brakes for access, we could start installing our new ARP studs.
Step 1: Pull the old stud. We used a ball joint separator. Wear earplugs as the pop will be loud.
Step 2: Install the new stud. We used a Lisle wheel stud installer.
Now repeat 19 more times and then reinstall the brakes. How do they look? Don’t want to spoil what’s going to cover those new wheels.
Man, the guy in the first photo is reallllll good looking :)
I went from 3/8" to 7/16" studs on my hot rod Mini, it's not that I'll be changing wheels on and off that much, but I am increasing the HP considerably.
Still I know guys running twice as much HP as the car came with thru the stock studs.....doesn't seem like a good idea to me tho.
Austin Cannon said:Man, the guy in the first photo is reallllll good looking :)
Stud-ception? 
While I have had success with the Lisle install tool and ball-joint press removal shown here, the gold standard is to remove the hub and use a press.
why? Because the installer puts more stretch on the stud than typical use to do the press fit, especially on a fresh set.
With ARP's wider window of strength, you are likely to be ok, but if hub removal is feasible, it is preferred. Pushing a stud through does not stretch the stud at all. And that's how the cars are originally built.
likewise, care must be taken with removal as significant forces can be imparted to the hub in ways it is not designed to resist. I've bent a hub ever so slightly using the hammer-whack method in a pinch at the track.
Upgrading wheel studs on Triumph Spitfire and GT6 is a must!
In reply to Andy Hollis :
Everything you said plus on solid axle cars damage to the dif is a real concern. On Chrysler cars hammering on the axle can change the pre load on the axles especially if you use the BFH and miss the stud or the stud let's go easy and you impart all the force to the axle flange.
But at the track I have done all sorts of not by the book things involving hammers. :-).
In my younger days I did the big hammer removal and the used the lug nut with flat side in to pull in the studs (no wheel). That was for street use and in the late 1900s.
I looked into installing studs on the R56 after having a tire shop mess up 2 hubs, but all the ones I could find are too long to work with the Mini x-lite wheels and center caps.
Maybe I'll spend the money of RBs some day and then go to studs, but for now I seem stuck with wheel bolts.
I just did a full set of ARP studs on the old civic. I thought the BFH method was the standard, but Andy's explanation makes sense.
These civics are known for having rear hub failures when tracked, and I may have heard a slight ticking sound from the rear when turning at parking lot speed last week. It sounded like when a front CV goes bad in a FWD car, just not as loud.
I guess if I buy new rear hubs, I also have to buy ten more wheel studs too. :-(
edit: and I don't own a press.
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:edit: and I don't own a press.
Neither do I.
I use one of these in a vise along with various sockets/drifts.
In reply to Andy Hollis :
I was wondering if there was a way to use my vice. What's the name of that tool? It looks sturdier than a regular C clamp.
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