Longer and Much Stronger Wheel Lug Studs Upgrade

Since I changed to the Rubicon Moab 16" alloy wheels my factory wheel studs have been too short. The hub of the Moab wheel itself is thicker.

I kept breaking and stripping the lugs because I did not have enough thread purchase to properly torque the wheel nuts down.

I tried to change to a 9/16" x 18 lug stud but the lug stud shoulder was just too large in diameter to fit through my axle hub holes.

After several attempts with some various studs and looking through the Dorman products catalog I found a great solution that should have been clear as a bell to begin with.

All Cherokee, Grand Cherokee and standard Wrangler has the same lug studs from the factory. They only change to a different stud if the vehicle came with and alloy wheel.

The factory studs are 1/2 x 20 threads, 1 5/8" long with a front knurl diameter of .623 and a rear knurl diameter of .621 thousandths.

The replacement stud I found to work very well is the studs from the 2003 Wrangler Rubicon.

These studs are 1/2" x 20 threads, 1 15/16" long and have a knurl diameter of .627 thousandths. The larger diameter of the knurl still pulls through the axle hub easily enough and makes a very good tight fit that won't work loose. The longer length is perfect.

The Dorman part number 610-449 is also a hardened stud with a black industrial finish.

Solid find.


Tapatalky

I checked further and this stud should work with Wranglers and Cherokees with drum brakes on the rear. The difference is in the knurl diameter. The rear drum setup uses a stud with a knurl diameter of .618" thousandths. This may make it difficult to pull the new studs through but I think it will work.

The length of the factory stud is 1 15/32" compared to this new stud at 1 15/16". You would gain a little length even on the drum brake application.

The late model XJ unit bearings use a longer stud.

RCP Phx said:

The late model XJ unit bearings use a longer stud.

Click to expand...

And that is probably because of the use of the later model alloy wheel.

Another possibility if you don't feel like changing wheel studs is to use extended thread lug nuts. 'Gotta give credit to Stu Olsen for this tip:
http://www.stu-offroad.com/axle/hubconv/hub-6.htm

The links on his web page are out of date, but the lug nuts themselves are still available.

Used the ARP wheel studs (they are 3.5" long) on an old K5 truggy for years. Decided they should be used on the old rustang with drag slicks and then found they fit on the XJ. They are much stronger than stock and you can run open ended lug nuts with them. Not a fan of the acorn style lug nuts--but they do work for some. I like the McGuards open end. You can buy them at summit or jegs. Not that costly and always in stock thanks to NHRA rules. The downside is they stick out with some wheels and could become a catch-all. But damn they are strong and last a long time. The threads aren't as weak so less chance of cross threading. I pull my wheels a lot because I like to replace the stems, inspect brake rotors, shafts, bearings, etc. once every few months. Which reminds me: Some genius even stole the valve stems off my XJ one night. (Austin Powers voice) Who steals a valve stem? Honestly... (/end Austin Powers voice)

how easy is it to remove and replace wheel studs...?

ive never done it

Thanks for the info. I was just about to buy all new studs and lugs so this helped out.

On another note my 92 came stock with the 10 hole alloy wheels and I gave them up in the purchase for a better price. After installing the stock steels provided I never gave thought that the stock acorn nuts bottomed out on the studs.

A few months latter I developed a wobble when coming off the throttle. upon inspection I notice that the rear wheels where lose on the studs but the lugs where tight. The steel rims wore oblong on all the lug holes and half way through the studs. Now that would have sucked if they all broke broke off on the highway.

NAPA's part number for this stud is 641-4265. Nice find I'll add the info I found on em in the catalog system at work


here is all the info I have on them:

Attributes
Wheel Bolt Head Marks : 449 ABN
Wheel Bolt Knurl Dia. : .627"
Wheel Bolt Overall Length : 1 15/16"
Wheel Bolt Shoulder Length : 11/16"
Wheel Bolt Thread Size : 1/2"-20
Wheel Bolt Threads : Right Hand



Make/Model/Year(s)
Jeep/Cherokee/2000 - 2001
Jeep/Grand Cherokee/2000 - 2001
Jeep/TJ/2000 - 2006
Jeep/Wrangler/2000 - 2006

spencer elliott said:

how easy is it to remove and replace wheel studs...?

ive never done it

Click to expand...

Remove the wheels, drive the old studs out with a big fawkin hammer. Put some oil or grease on the stud knurls and on the threads for lubrication. Pull the stud through the back side of the axle hub into the stud hole. Using a "larger than the stud" sacrificial nut as a spacer for the lug nut to pull against, use a standard lug nut on a good 1/2" drive air gun and pull it through until the back flat side of the lug stud head is seated against the hub flange. You will need several 1/2 x 20 lug nuts as they will only be good for a few pulls and the ends will start to mushroom.

The proper way to do it is to take the hubs and axles to a shop and have them pressed in.

Remember, the correct torque for thr wheel nuts are for un-lubricated lugs and nuts.

I have installed dozens of wheel studs and have never used grease or any form of lube whatsoever. With the axel in place you will need a/some spacers a good quality nut of the correct size and an impact wrench.

I always re-torqued the wheels after a few miles.

techno1154 said:

Remember, the correct torque for thr wheel nuts are for un-lubricated lugs and nuts.

I have installed dozens of wheel studs and have never used grease or any form of lube whatsoever.

Click to expand...

I don't usually use it either but in this case you are pulling a .627 knurl diameter through a hole designed for a .621 knurl diameter. I don't see how a little lube would hurt and you are not going for final torque here. That is for when you are bolting the wheels on after you are done.

thanks for the help. i will be replacing them with the stock size. i have no need for longer studs. i was just curious if this could be done at home or if i needed someone to install them for me.

sorry for the mini thread jack OP!

carry on

GrimmJeeper said:

NAPA's part number for this stud is 641-4265. Nice find I'll add the info I found on em in the catalog system at work


here is all the info I have on them:

Attributes
Wheel Bolt Head Marks : 449 ABN
Wheel Bolt Knurl Dia. : .627"
Wheel Bolt Overall Length : 1 15/16"
Wheel Bolt Shoulder Length : 11/16"
Wheel Bolt Thread Size : 1/2"-20
Wheel Bolt Threads : Right Hand



Make/Model/Year(s)
Jeep/Cherokee/2000 - 2001
Jeep/Grand Cherokee/2000 - 2001
Jeep/TJ/2000 - 2006
Jeep/Wrangler/2000 - 2006

Click to expand...

When you say "this stud", you are referring to the OP's Dorman stud, right? (and not HoneyBadger's ARP studs)
This is good info for me because I recently went to aluminum wheels and I lost some lugs due to what I now realize to be that problem.

Mighty.Mighty_XJ said:

When you say "this stud", you are referring to the OP's Dorman stud, right? (and not HoneyBadger's ARP studs)
This is good info for me because I recently went to aluminum wheels and I lost some lugs due to what I now realize to be that problem.

Click to expand...

yes, that was in reference to the OP's stud. The dorman number 610-449 interchanges to a napa number 941-4265. They should be readily available at any NAPA store.

spencer elliott said:

how easy is it to remove and replace wheel studs...?

ive never done it

Click to expand...

It is not easy. Usually they require heat and a lot of force to remove. Nothing a 20 ton press can't handle. But if you're attempting at home...good luck. Need more than just a BFH.

You should never heat any wheel related component, because heat causes warping, especially when beating on it with a hammer. if you can't get them out cut them off with a 1/4" or so of the stud still showing, then drill out the centers and use a chisel to fold them in on themselves. Unless they are rusted into the hubs or axle flanges you really shouldn't have that much of a problem getting them out :dunno: an easy way to get all the studs out of the rear axles is to pull the shaft out of the housing and smack it studs down on the concrete. i imagine this would work just as well for the front hubs but I've never tried it.

Built2Flex said:

It is not easy. Usually they require heat and a lot of force to remove. Nothing a 20 ton press can't handle. But if you're attempting at home...good luck. Need more than just a BFH.

Click to expand...

I hope this was you making a sarcastic remark?? I have never ever ever in 30 years needed more than a hammer to remove a wheel stud. And I have never ever used anything more than a 1/2" air gun and a sacrificial nut to pull the new ones through.

Were you working on a semi-tractor or something??

GrimmJeeper said:

You should never heat any wheel related component, because heat causes warping

Click to expand...

I'm sure glad my brakes don't heat anything up. Wait a sec...they do. In fact they prolly cause a lot more heat than what I use to remove a stubborn stud.

Tally_XJ said:

I hope this was you making a sarcastic remark?? I have never ever ever in 30 years needed more than a hammer to remove a wheel stud. And I have never ever used anything more than a 1/2" air gun and a sacrificial nut to pull the new ones through.

Were you working on a semi-tractor or something??

Click to expand...

No semi. I don't have to use heat all the time. But on a couple I've had to. I never heard of someone over 30 years of experience not hear of that before. At the garage I work at it's a regular thing. I've never experienced warpage from doing this.