Wheel Studs: You Can Do It
There are a few reasons why you might want to swap your factory wheel studs for something different. Certain wheel offsets and widths, as well as some big brake kits, often require wheel spacers, which as a result can leave few threads exposed on the OEM studs. Some racing organizations, like the NHRA, require wheel studs to protrude a certain amount past the lug nuts-OEM Honda wheel studs are typically not long enough to meet this requirement. Or maybe you've simply found yourself in a situation like we did with our NSX project where a few of the car's studs were stripped and a few others snapped clear off the first time we removed the wheels. It's nobody's fault, really. Studs do wear over time and several thousand heat cycles and improper torque-downs will finally take its toll. A lack of antiseize can do it too. Most extended length wheel studs are stronger than OEM ones, especially if you go with hardware from ARP, an expert in the field of automotive nuts and bolts. ARP's studs are manufactured from 8740 chromoly steel, are cadmium plated, and have a tensile strength of 200,000 psi. Studs like these can easily handle the types of shock loads and lateral forces normally associated with hard launches and cornering-things you do when you're racing. Oh, ARP extended wheel studs look nice too.
 Swapping short-length OEM...  Swapping short-length OEM wheel studs for longer and stronger ARP ones isn't hard and, fortunately for Honda peeps, the process is similar from car to car. Despite how difficult most procedures are on the NSX, wheel stud replacement is relatively easy. In fact, the installation procedure for the NSX's rear studs is quite similar to most front-wheel-drive Honda's front's. Same thing goes for the other end. No matter which end you're starting on, it all begins with removing the braking assembly. Take off the calipers, pads, caliper brackets, and rotors. |  There's no need to disconnect...  There's no need to disconnect any brake lines. When removing the calipers, simply tie them to a control arm to avoid damaging the lines. |  Some Honda hub assemblies,...  Some Honda hub assemblies, like the NSX's, are fastened to their knuckle assemblies with four 10x1.25mm studs. The knuckle can be left on the car on these cases, which means you won't need to hassle with disconnecting any ball joints. Use a 14mm wrench or socket to remove the nuts along with anything else that'll get in the way or keep the hub from sliding out, like the ABS sensor that should be unbolted from the NSX's fronts. Most other Honda hub assemblies are pressed into their respective knuckles with large spindle nuts, covered by dust caps. Removing spindle nuts is similar to removing axle nuts-get a good impact gun or your favorite breaker bar and get yourself access to a press. |
 NSX front hubs-like Civic,...  NSX front hubs-like Civic, Integra, Accord, or pretty much any other front-wheel-drive Honda's rear hubs-don't necessarily need to be taken apart to swap wheel studs. In fact, when swapping OEM ones for OEM ones, they won't. That means this large spindle nut can be left alone along with the wheel bearings, which is good since NSX wheel bearings aren't cheap. Notice one of the four 10x1.25mm flange nuts that hold the hub to the knuckle-these are NSX-specific. When installing extended length wheel studs in other applications though, there's sometimes just not enough clearance between the hub and the knuckle to work with. This is why the two must sometimes be separated. |  You're looking at NSX front...  You're looking at NSX front wheel hubs. Of course, the ARPs have already been swapped over to the unit on the right. They're longer, stronger, and will allow us to do anything from running some fancy open-ended lug nuts to sticking on some fat wheel spacers, should we need them once it's time for a big brake kit upgrade. |  A wheel's backing surface...  A wheel's backing surface is what holds the rotor to its hub assembly, but these two small screws will still need to be removed before the rotor can come off. The NSX's rear assembly actually looks more like a Civic's front. That's because the NSX uses a transverse-mounted drivetrain-it looks more like a front-wheel-drive engine and trans stuffed in the trunk than a typical rear-wheel-drive configuration would. No matter what you're swapping studs on, the axle nut (front or rear, depending on the application) will need to be removed to get the hub assembly off. Use a punch or screwdriver to bend the set tab out of the way and find the biggest impact gun or breaker bar that you can to bust it off. |