I recently upgraded my 95 Del Sol to 17in mags (see attachment).

My stock wheel studs don't come thru very far.. I would say they are borderline safe (I don't race it or anything).

So I looked into longer studs, and honestly, I'd rather avoid taking the hub off to do it. If it comes to that, I'll just buy new ones, and right now I'd prefer not spending $300. I'm not going to grind the head on the studs like the youtube videos show. I haven't cut any corners yet, don't intend to start now.

I was at the parts store the other day and noticed they have "mag lug nuts" that are long and thin on one end, and look like they may mitigate the issue I'm having. Are these type lug nuts designed to thread down farther in the 'play' area between the stud and wheel, or just to stick out farther so you can use a lug wrench on them?

 

Shank style I believe, and if it can seat properly then yes that's the way to go. My old SSR MKIII's require that style lug nut, that's the only reason why I know what you're talking about.

 

Use the type of nuts that the wheel manufacturer recommends. There are at least 3 kinds:
Dome style (part that touches the wheel is rounded) -- stock steel wheels
Cone style (part that touches the wheel is a linear tapered surface) -- stock alloy wheels
Others-- funky aftermarket stuff.

 

I would not recommend riding on those wheels if your lugs are not fully threading on.

Take a wheel to a tire shop that sells wheels and see if they will identify which lugs you would need.

 

They do thread on, just not as far as I would like them to with the stock lug nuts. I would estimate about 10 or so turns.

I bought a few different type nuts to try this weekend. I think it will be fine with one of the shank types. They look like they'll thread farther and better center the wheel.

 

Good News. The shank set I picked up did the trick. Good long threading and comes with a sleeve so I can use a regular lug wrench. Thanks

 

Ten threads would have been fine. If you have a new set of lug nuts that have a thin shank that fits into the holes on the wheel hubs and have a conical seat (angled face/step), you will do fine with those too.

 

Sounds to me like the wheels require the tapered cone style and not the rounded style Honda uses.

Using stock lugs on tapered cone wheels would not center the wheel properly nor hold it properly when driving as it is less likely to center up properly with the reduced contact surface of the nut.

Also if your wheel is not specifically meant for your Honda and you don't get the appropriate sized hub centric rings, then you will have to be sure to torque your wheels in the air with the tapered cone lugs. It's a good habit to do with lug centric wheels even when you do have the rings in place.

 

I was wrong about the number of turns. Even with the new lug nuts, it does 5 full spins. The nut is thoroughly threaded on, but barely. I still don't like this. I'm going to be frequently checking them to make sure they don't strip or come loose, and going ahead with a prioritized hub replacement. I know that I can just replace the bearing (or try to remove the hub and reuse the bearing). But let's be honest.... This car has nearly 300k miles on it, and those are likely the stock bearings. Also, the hubs themselves are probably not going to be in the best condition.

I'll just order new hubs with the bearings, longer wheel studs, and get them ready and just pull and replace.

If anyone reading this knows, how difficult is it to pull the inner bearings too once these are out? I might as well do it completely.

Joseph

 

 

You'll need a hydraulic press for the fronts.

 

Is this a loaner tool at AZ or Oreillys that you know of?

 

here's the kit or you can make one out of a nut/bolt/washer set-up if you look into it lol.

Pro Super Hub-Shark : Pro Super Hub-Shark

personally i just use two spare boneyard knuckles and drop one off with a new bearing at the local shop
that has a press when necessary. it's worth $20 labor charge to me. ymmv.

 

That's not a bad idea at all. Then I could have a spare too. I could preload them with new bearings and hubs, and replace them in less than 1/2 hour. 2 cotter pins and bolts, and the hub bolt, couple hammer bangs and it's loose. Thanks again Bro. It's good to have friends who think out of the box.

I'm not sure what they mean by requiring an alignment if you take it out. Unless it's bent, it's going in exactly where it came out. The upper and lower ball joints aren't moving. That would be the biggest consideration for going this route. I hate paying $80 for a 10 min alignment.

 

you could go with a lifetime alignment deal.
firestone is the only local option here in the ozarks boonies.
at $160 on sale plus tax etc i think it's too pricey.
went with a good local guy for $45 about 18 months ago.
when it went bad about a year later he said just replace
your crappy prothane inner lca bushings.
put in energy suspension and back to normal lol.

 

If you have adjustable suspension then the Firestone deal is well worth it. That's what I have and it's great.

 

I appreciate the input. I wasn't even aware lifetime alignments existed. Considering I average at least one a year for $70, even $200 would be a good deal.