Wheel studs are too short! What to do....

If I missed the answer somewhere, I apologize, (I read the thread 3 x to try and get an answer) but if I purchase the 16x8 steel rims with 4.0" backspacing from Wheelers and put them on my 2013 Taco AC; would I still need to worry about having studs that are too short?

 

I don't have personal experience with it, but according to Wheeler's description of the wheels, they specifically say the wheels don't have the clearance issues on the brake caliper I and others have experienced with other brands of wheel (in my case, Pro Comp). I should have got the Wheeler's wheels, but I wanted 3.75" BS because I thought I'd need it to run 13.50 width tires.

Oh, and the studs are only too short with a steel wheel if you have to run a .25" spacer under the wheel for it to clear the caliper. Aluminum wheels are a whole different issue.

 

Thank you I appreciate the reply.

 

Hello Forum,

If I go with these Toyota Matrix studs which are about .5"'s longer & I decide in the future to go back to my OEM FJ wheels which take shank type nuts like the Tacoma TRD wheels, will I have to install the original Tacoma studs back in?

Will the Matrix studs not allow the OEM shank nut to bolt down onto the TRD wheel? I'm asking because I may keep my FJ wheels & reinstall them in the future to sell the truck.

Thanks!

 

Your originals might fit,,but if they bottom out without seating on the wheel properly,,,STOP!. You will burn the end of the stud and ruin the mag style lug nut,,and it might not come off again,,which will require a cutting torch to get them off.

If they do bottom out,,pull those lug nuts off and source some open ended mag wheel lug nuts that allow the stud to pass completely thru. They are out there,,you just need to find them.

 

I bought a few of the matrix studs before I upgraded mine. I think they would be fine on the front, but it appeared to me that the knurled area would be too far past the drum, since the stock lugs screw in nearly to the drum/rotor. For what it's worth, I went with these, and trimmed them a bit. I called Fred and asked about trimming them. He said to trim them with a sawzall on a slow setting to keep the heat down. They are working great so far.

 

LOVE THAT PIC!

Good point. I think the older model Camrys & Lexus SC300/400 had the the open end shank lug nut.

Why did you have to trim them if they are only .5"'s longer or is the difference more than .5"'s? I just ordered a set from Fred about 15 minutes ago so I am curious.

 

usually it is only the front studs that are short (because of the rotor), the rears should be fine as they are about 1.125 inches, the front protrude only about .875 inches...


I got different nuts that look a lot like the mag wheels nuts without the cap, they have a extended shank like the mag nuts, gripped the studs threads more than sufficient to hold....

 

Cool bldegle2!

I didn't know that.
BTW, do you have any pics or part # for those lug nuts?

 

BTW,
I see exactly what you are referring to with the studs thread exposure. They are the same part #'s (front/rear) but the rears do stick out more.
Thanks again!

 

They are a lot longer than .5" longer than stock. Keep in mind he lists those as fitting several vehicles. I called and asked him the exact length, and he measured it with calipers while we were on the phone lol.

This is true most of the time. However, I wanted maximum thread engagement on every stud, so I upgraded all of mine. Because I over build everything.

 

Here is a comparison of some of the studs from my build thread:
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-builds/247420-nimrod712s-08-build-thread-5.html#post6685476

 

I got mine off Ebay, you can also check Gorilla, they make many different types of lugs nuts...you have to make sure the flange angle is correct, they vary, some very specific, this is why Gorilla is a good place to go, you could call them to verify and get the right ones, my first attempt I got the wrong flange angle, and even though they bolted up fine, the contact patch when tightened was suspect...


Sorry, I don't have anymore information, they are presently on the truck, used with hubcentric spacers...

 

Those extended thread lug nuts are sometimes an option, but keep in mind that they can't be used on all wheels. For instance, they will not work on SCS wheels.

 

Man. This is awesome info!

Did you have to remove the front hubs & rear axles in order to replace the studs because they are longer?

Thank You!

 

I had my hubs already off for other reasons when I did mine, but the fronts should be no problem at all to do while still on the truck. And, you may just want to do those depending on how much thread engagement you have on the rear. In any event, the rear is not that hard either. It just takes a little finesse.

 

Cool I'll update you on my progress.

 

Here is another good source for the studs.

 

Erm...these aren't wheel studs. They are the ones that go on the top plate of your coilover and get bolted to the bucket on the frame.

 

Damn, you are 100% right, I was browsing Wheeler's site and saw "longer studs". I am still using the Dorman ones listed a few pages back, but recently noticed that they did not fully seat due to interference on the base of the stud, the "fins" are too big a diameter for the hub. Ran them fine like this, but when I put them back in I will need to figure something out (I removed them when I put my OEM wheels back on for the winter as the lugs are too long for the factory nuts).