installing extended wheel studs

[Piotrush]

Hi guys, I thought I'd try posting this in this forum since some of the regulars are more likely to know about the subject. Wondering if anyone has done this here on an 8th gen. Do you have to remove the hub? Or can you just hammer them out with the hub on the car and put the extended ones on by tightening them till they 'press' in? I've heard both responses, I just want to hear it from some one who has done it on an 8th gen. My extended studs are 10mm longer than stock. Thanks in advance?

Pete

[The Power of Dreams]

On a non-Si, you don't have to remove the hub.
On an Si, you need to pull the hub away from the steering knuckle with a slide hammer. Only pull it out as far as you need to, not all the way, or else you will need to remove the entire knuckle, possibly buy a new wheel bearing, and have everything pressed in and out on a press. When you try and hammer (air chisel with flat hammer attachment preferably) the wheel stud out, it will hit the knuckle behind the hub if you don't pull the hub away from the knuckle. I've replaced them before. If anyone says it can be done without pulling the hub away from the knuckle, they haven't done one before.

You need...

...which can be found here.

[Piotrush]

thanks for the post, in the other thread I didn't realize you've actually done it. I guess I'm going to try to find place where I can rent one.



so a slide hammer will move #6 away from #s 5 & 19 without completely removing it? On a scale of 1-10, how hard is this process? When I bought the spacers I didn't anticipate the it to be such a PITA, now I'm debating just getting a set of 15mm spacers with the 2nd set of bolts already pressed it. Especially if run the risk of screwing something up and needing a whole new bearing.

[The Power of Dreams]

Originally Posted by Piotrush

thanks for the post, in the other thread I didn't realize you've actually done it. I guess I'm going to try to find place where I can rent one.

so a slide hammer will move #6 away from #s 5 & 19 without completely removing it? On a scale of 1-10, how hard is this process? When I bought the spacers I didn't anticipate the it to be such a PITA, now I'm debating just getting a set of 15mm spacers with the 2nd set of bolts already pressed it. Especially if run the risk of screwing something up and needing a whole new bearing.

#6 is the hub. #5 is the hub bearing ("wheel bearing"). #19 is just a snap ring which keeps hub bearing from moving inside the steering knuckle. That parts diagram does not show the steering knuckle.

You are moving the hub away from the steering knuckle. The hub bearing will still be inside the steering knuckle as you do this, but the inner race of the hub bearing will be pulled out with the hub as you pull the hub out. But, as long as you don't remove the hub all the way, it will go back in, and everything will be compressed back together when you tighten the axle nut.

Anyway, if you're not sure what you're doing, you should let someone more experienced handle it. You don't want to screw up and then you will need a new hub bearing and you'll have to remove the steering knuckle and have someone press everything out and in.

If you're using the slide hammer, it's a 5. If you screw up somehow, it becomes a 9.

[The Power of Dreams]

Steering knuckle (#5/#6):



Hub bearing goes inside the steering knuckle. Then, hub goes inside hub bearing. As wheels turn, hub turns, and ball bearings and inner race of hub bearing turn/ spin/ rotate with the hub (outer race does not move because it is pressed fit inside the steering knuckle).

[Piotrush]

Well i work at a MINI dealership, and one of the techs said he'll definitely help me with it. I guess I just don't know if its something that is mechanical common knowledge, or if its something Honda specific.

Another concern I have is whether or not the studs that came with the spacers are of good quality. Someone told me I need to get ARP studs or tack weld the ones I have , otherwise they will not stay put and when I try to take off the lug nut, the stud will get loose and just spin, then I'm screwed. Is this something you ever came across?

[The Power of Dreams]

All right. If you use the slide hammer, just watch how far you pull the hub out. As long as it does not come out all the way, you'll be good. You won't need to worry about a press at all. Just slide hammer it out a little and see if it's out far enough. If not, do a little more until it is. Since you're a tech, you should be able to handle the job.

[Piotrush]

I'm not a tech myself but my buddy there is, so I think I'll let him handle the slide hammer part. Do you think the studs that came with the kit will be ok? Or do I need to get ARP ones?

[bossman]

if you got the studs with wheels spacers such as those that come with H&R spacers then you'll be fine.ARP makes great hardware but I've never heard of the studs ever being a problem unless you make it a habit of WAY over torquing them.

[Piotrush]

Yeah I was surprised to hear it too, but a member on H-T said any stud he's used aside from ARP would twist w/o being tack welded on.

[bossman]

well there ya go,some one from H-T said it,bunch of kids over there from what I hear.again,over tightening the lugs can twist the stud around in the hub as well.Just keep the threads on both the lugs and the stud clean and you should have no problems.

[Piotrush]

that's good to know. Just out of curiosity, if a stud was to get loose with the lug nut still attached, how could you get it off with the wheel still attached?

[bossman]

man..that would require some work.I'm not 100% but I guess you could drill out the stud(going through the lugs or possibly through the back side if there's room)but that's not something I'd wanna have to do.