Wheel Studs

[Gary Smith]

I discovered a rear broken wheel stud today while working on my car, sheared off at base of lug . Usually torque them to 40-45 lbs. I think I got them through Moser but need to verify. Anyone with similar experience?

[Chad Rhodes]

45lbs? hell you're lucky they didn't unscrew. We run 85lbs on the 1/2 and 105 on the 5/8

[Alan Roehrich]

Yeah, 45 foot pounds is not enough for even a 7/16"-20 stud. More like 75 to 80 foot pounds. Studs rarely break unless they are loose.

[Gary Smith]

Thanks guys. But now I feel like a total idiot. Folks were saying never "snug" Weld Wheels (Draglites or Dragstars) with an impact and shouldn't be as tight as a steel or flat wheel. I used to "run them" with an air impact, then tighten to about 70 - 80 lbs. but was told that's bad for the wheels!! Guess I better stop listening to "street strokes".

[Alan Roehrich]

Gary, I've always felt Weld wheels were too soft. But you have to preload the wheel stud. A wheel stud is like any other fastener, it has to be stretched enough to have preload and clamping force, or the stud continually flexes until it breaks. I strongly suggest you take all of your wheel studs and your lug nuts out and throw them away. They've all been stresses like the one that broke, it just isn't worth the risk.

[442OLDS]

Originally Posted by Gary Smith

I discovered a rear broken wheel stud today while working on my car, sheared off at base of lug . Usually torque them to 40-45 lbs.

Thats kind of a scary thought......racing somebody in the other lane with their rear lug nuts torqued to 40-45 lbs.
Glad you found the broken stud before you got to the track.Its sure nice to have message boards like this on the internet to discuss things before they happen or to help prevent them from happening again.

[Redlight]

I have found with Weld wheels you need to retorque them alot. They seem to take longer to "take a set".

Not sure if it is the stud stretching, wheel expanding/contracting (aluminum) or a combination of both.

On a street car , after an install, I torque once a day for a week, once a week for a month and once a month thereafter.

The Bogarts on the race car don't seem to have the same issue?

[Chad Rhodes]

I assume on the Weld Wheels you are talking about the older style with the 3 piece center.

[Run to Rund]

I agree that you should replace all the studs with new grade 8 or better, and torque at least 75 ft lb. A lot of cars had wimpy 7/16" studs up front and they are 40+ years old. Then the car becomes a stocker and pulls the front wheels every run. If a GM A body, you already have the perfect hole size to tap them 1/2 x 20 after you knock out the studs. An M12 lockwasher will fit into the machined recess in the back of the hub so you can use hex head bolts.

[Gary Smith]

I actually pre-loaded them before mounting the wheels. I had previously used and impact gun, going in several circles before torquing them. Same as what I had done since learning on a set of Super Tricks back in the day (helping on another stocker of course). Should have known better, to trust my own judgment. But stupid me, I listened to some street stroke watching me who said "oh man, you're going to warp your wheels that way...you should NEVER do that...and 80 lbs is overkill"..

Yes, I'll replace ALL studs before next outing.