Ask Me Anything: Lug Nut, Bolts and Wheel Locks!

[Navi]

I used red loctite on my USP studs. I asked a shop to try and remove them (because I have a weird issue with them that I might have mentioned in a previous post) and they said I would need to replace the hubs if I went through with it. Wish I knew about that high temp blue loctite!

you can still remove them. I've had red loctite on my studs and they've come loose on their own after a year, which is pretty normal considering I impact everything on and off at least 10x a year. I would be surprised if you can't remove them with just hand tools. A ton of dirt, grime and heat get into the loctite at that location. You can always use a torch to heat them up. Don't waste your time with any blue loctite. Might as well put water.

 

[SonicBloom]

you can still remove them. I've had red loctite on my studs and they've come loose on their own after a year, which is pretty normal considering I impact everything on and off at least 10x a year. I would be surprised if you can't remove them with just hand tools. A ton of dirt, grime and heat get into the loctite at that location. You can always use a torch to heat them up. Don't waste your time with any blue loctite. Might as well put water.

I haven’t tried removing them myself but I don’t have a blow torch unless the Bernzomatic I use for searing sous vide counts...I figured the shop did but then they told me that removing all of them would damage the hub and require it to be replaced. Maybe the shop sucks idk.

 

[Navi]

They're just trying to cover their ass for liability. You'll never know until you try. All I know is that even with red loctite (and a lot), I can still remove my studs by hand without any torch. The hub is heat cycled so many times that the bond becomes weak.

 

[flipflp]

I haven’t tried removing them myself but I don’t have a blow torch unless the Bernzomatic I use for searing sous vide counts...I figured the shop did but then they told me that removing all of them would damage the hub and require it to be replaced. Maybe the shop sucks idk.

Removing studs installed with red loctite doesn't immediately damage anything. You need to heat the loctite up to/beyond it's failure temp and then they should remove like normal studs, then the loctite should be cleaned well with a wire brush. That's all.

 

[Raguvian]

I didn't use any thread locker on my Rennlines like they recommended and I had a few that would regularly loosen when removing the lugs. No big deal, except because the studs had no hex end it was a bit more of a chore to get them tightened back down. Never had any issues with them coming loose because the tension on the threads once torqued is enough to keep everything in place.

I used red on my ECS studs. None came loose, but more than a few just refused to come off. I probably need to invest in a real blow torch when I go to remove my rear studs, but I broke every little allen tool I had on my front wheels.

Blue high temp might be the answer, but regular blue I can't imagine doing a lot.

Why were you trying to remove the studs with Allen keys? You’ll strip or break them every time.

Just use two open ended lug nuts (or two regular nuts) jammed against each other with a real wrench or deep socket with breaker bar.

 

[Navi]

yeah the whole allen key thing is ridiculous... you can strip an allen key at much less than 30 ftlbs. Rennline instructions are the best regardless of any brand of stud. Double nut.

 

[flipflp]

Why were you trying to remove the studs with Allen keys? You’ll strip or break them every time.

Just use two open ended lug nuts (or two regular nuts) jammed against each other with a real wrench or deep socket with breaker bar.

Because they have an allen end

I only feel a little embarrassed that I didn't even consider that as an option in the moment. Well, my rear studs will definitely give me less trouble now, thanks for the obvious tip there haha.

 

[MiamiBourne]

Because they have an allen end

I only feel a little embarrassed that I didn't even consider that as an option in the moment. Well, my rear studs will definitely give me less trouble now, thanks for the obvious tip there haha.

That was one of the two lessons I learned with my stud conversion after snapping two allen sockets...then getting a stud stuck in the hub (bad studs from ECS) and having to run a tap to fix the one hub thread. Other than that...It went smooth.

Oh and except for the part that I'm going to remove my studs at some point in the near future and reinstall them with red threadlocker since I used blue threadlocker.

Aside from those things...It's been great! Wait...yeah I did put a slight dent in the center of the hub.

Ok, that its...my build thread in my signature has the details but I didn't want to clog up this thread with a bunch of pics of my recent dumbness. If you want to humor yourselves then by all means take a look...

 

[flipflp]

And these last half dozen posts should be proof enough that stud conversion kits aren't for everybody. Seriously.

 

[Raguvian]

yeah the whole allen key thing is ridiculous... you can strip an allen key at much less than 30 ftlbs. Rennline instructions are the best regardless of any brand of stud. Double nut.

I didn’t have any issues torquing my Urotuning studs to 25 lb-ft using the Allen ends and a 3/8” drive Allen socket. It’s much faster to install the studs using the allens, which is why I’m guessing they’re there. It’s probably a little silly having them there though if they can’t be used to remove them.

Because they have an allen end

I only feel a little embarrassed that I didn't even consider that as an option in the moment. Well, my rear studs will definitely give me less trouble now, thanks for the obvious tip there haha.

No worries! Good luck with the stud removal. I’ll be removing and replacing mine over the summer.

 

[flipflp]

I think that's where I got screwed up. They are awesome for installation, when you're basically just snugging them down before the loctite does anything.

On the other side of things, they should really include a little note or recommendation to not use them for removal, at least if loctite was used.

I know H&R (which is a reputable company) has a pre-applied red thread locker of some sort on their studs, as well as an allen socket end. They include a tool for install, but I can't find any instructions online. I wonder what they recommend.

 

[RopeJumper13]

Gorilla was on backorder till December so ended up getting McGard Lug Bolts (no locks).

Not sure if they're worth the money over everything else out there.

Unfortunately they only come in packs of 50, so if anyone wants to buy 20/25 of them, let me know. Got the black ones. I'll probably post it in FS when I get them.

https://www.amazon.com/McGard-69700BK-Chrome-Black-Thread/dp/B0066M2AMC

Maybe I'm missing something but why do these carry such a high price tag? Even McGard has them listed for a crazy price. Is it related to the multi piece design or the coating?

 

[flipflp]

Maybe I'm missing something but why do these carry such a high price tag? Even McGard has them listed for a crazy price. Is it related to the multi piece design or the coating?

You got it, all of the above. That bolt is 3 pieces, 2 coated in a highly corrosion resistant low friction coating, and the cap is a chrome plated then PVD plated black, then assembled.

It's borderline excessive, and prices getting near Chinese sourced Titanium parts, but they are very nice.

 

[Desslok]

yeah the whole allen key thing is ridiculous... you can strip an allen key at much less than 30 ftlbs. Rennline instructions are the best regardless of any brand of stud. Double nut.

I try to double nut every time, but now in my mid-50s, it's not always possible.

 

[Navi]

cardio