Install: Extended Wheel Studs - Studly Wrenchin'

For the NSX's rear, or a Civic's front for that matter, the axle assembly needs to be freed from the hub before going any further. There are a few methods for doing this, some of which can damage the axle end quite easily. Put away the hammer and get yourself a proper axle-removing tool. It works kind of like a bearing press-bolt it to the hub and crank the stud with your favorite socket or wrench. Each crank pushes the axle in a bit farther. Make sure the four bolts are loosened on the back or that the knuckle's ball joints are freed (depending on the application) to allow for the hub assembly to move outward-the axle itself can only move so much since it's still stuck inside the gearbox or intermediate shaft, so don't expect it to pop completely out.

If you have an NSX, this is what it'll look like once the rear hub is off. Notice that the axle stub is undamaged thanks to our special tool. If you have most any front-wheel-drive Honda and you're looking at your front suspension, the entire knuckle should be lying on the ground at this point. The three ball joints shown here need to be removed in order to get the NSX rear knuckle out. This is a dangerous proposition though since the suspension assembly is made of cast aluminum-NSX ball joints should never be removed unless they need to be replaced. If you need to remove the knuckle, then disconnect the control arms from the chassis and pull the entire member out as one piece. But you won't need to do that here.

Most Hondas' rear suspensions allow just enough room to finagle shorter, OEM studs into place without having to disassemble hub bearings. This is a good thing since most people don't have hydraulic presses in their garages and it's easy to damage wheel bearings when removing them. All of this can make a wheel stud install more expensive than what you had originally planned. However, most front-wheel-drive Hondas will require the hub bearings to be removed when installing extended length studs in order to free up clearance between the hub and the knuckle. As long as the bearings are greased properly and carefully pressed out and back in, they can be reused.

Of course, there are tricks for getting longer wheel studs to slide into place without taking apart the hub assembly. Take the NSX's rear hubs for example, where there was no way in heck an ARP stud was going to slide in without taking things apart. Or so we thought. One solution is to grind down each stud's head, which allows just enough clearance to slip past the four-bolt hub flange. While this method's been done, it can sacrifice the integrity of the hardware so instead we created a small notch in the hub itself. One notch allows all five studs to be slipped into place-provided you rotate the hub for each one-and won't throw the rotating assembly off balance since this portion of the hub doesn't spin. Unfortunately, this trick doesn't work for every application.

A hydraulic press also comes in handy when it comes time to get the studs seated but isn't absolutely necessary. A hammer, a good lug nut, and a wrench are all that are needed to seat any stud into a hub. Insert the stud by hand and slide it down until it hits its knurled portion, then tap its head with a hammer, followed by cranking it down with the wrench and lug nut.

If yours looks like this, you did it right. Some might choose to tack weld the studs in place at this point. This isn't a bad idea but you do need to square up all four or five studs with a wheel before welding anything.

Torque the axle nuts and spindle nuts to their proper specifications and tap their tangs back into their seats with a hammer and punch. Typically, you'll know you've got the axle and spindle nuts tight enough once their old tangs lines up with their slots in the axle or spindle.

Putting things back together is fairly easy, despite the car. Don't forget to securely torque the hub-mounting bolts in place if you have them. These are, quite possibly, some of the most important bolts on your car in terms of safety.