ARP vs. Stock Wheel Stud
 

Since I bought my Fr-S, my wheel studs have been a constant nightmare. The last shop or owner must have used an air tool because every time a wheel comes off I am replacing a wheel stud. Are the factory studs particularly soft? Is it worth my money to switch to ARP? Or, if I get all new OEM studs and insist on hand tools only will this problem go away? TIA!

ARP studs are stronger. But properly tightened by tools/at specs OE studs also should be more then sufficient to last reasonably long. So frequent stripping of OE ones imho is 99% fault of lazy tire or service shops (of course, if it's not oneself that did overtorquing).
Normally: 1) one should use powertools only for untorquing lugnuts and just quick torquing back without real "final" force, 2) good practice to clean thread before torquing back, 3) before using any other tools (including wrenches, not just powertools) to torque nuts back, hand tighten nuts few turns, which will ensure no cross-threading, 4) "end" torquing with dynamometric wrench if you have, if not, use from boot stock one from emergency kit, it's as long, that by it's "lever length" it tightens reasonably close to needed spec (of course, if one doesn't do "wonders" of stepping on wrench or putting tube to lengthen lever, to torque much stronger), 5) i wouldn't use antiseize, simple cleanup of threads should do in most cases. Anything that reduces friction, modifies with what torque one needs to torque nut to ensure same wheel-hub friction, by a lot (IIRC +25-30%), so one can either overtorque, or have less secure connection.
As for good quality shops that care about their job and customer satisfaction .. they usually do have dynamometric wrenches and use that to final tighten, even w/o reminding (though later won't hurt). One of signs, if you should go to that shop in future again, or maybe vote with wallet for other shop :)

I don't let air or power tools touch my wheels ever. Tire shop employees usually groan about it and I understand their frustration. I just got new tires and when the tire shop called it sounded like the world was ending. They said at least two studs had broken and more were stuck. They did follow my request, it was all previous damage.

Imho properly used powertools are great timesaver, so completely not using them seems overkill. See nothing wrong in using where they help, in way for possible cons/illefects to not appear. Wireless torque wrench is from things i certainly don't regret buying.

Rather than having to insist on hand tools with new OEM studs, I say take the small hit now and just replace all four corners with ARP studs. I had to do it a few months back when one of mine sheared off, and I had locking lug nuts all the way around, so I had to change everything in one shot because the stud snapped off in one of those lug nuts. But now I'm pretty sure those ARP studs will outlive the car, they're a night and day difference from stock and they fit right in. Be careful not to get extended length ones if you don't need them, the stock sized ones work perfectly if you're sticking with stock setup.

Someone would have to work pretty hard to mess up an ARP stud IMO, so I don't think you'll have to be worried, but just the same you can still request that no power tools be used on them. It's your car, and if they want your money they'll do what you ask. I think for ~$120 to cover all four corners it's worth it for the peace of mind.

Drawback of extended length studs (some are putting to enable using of thicker slip-on spacers) one needs to get rear hubs off to replace them in rear, which if with bit seized/rusted wheel hub that may need hammering to get off which may damage bearing, which may mean replacement of rear wheel hub with it's bearing. So yeah, +1 on getting OE length studs if you do replace.

You can get ARP studs in OEM length.

get the ones that are 5mm or whatever longer. you can angle them in without takeing off the hub and you get a few extra mm of stud.


but yeah oem studs suck. i broke 2 and yielded 1 before i decided to replace them. ive swapped my tires probably 20 times since then at least and 0 issues

If you're smashing and wacking with your hammer directly on the face or edges of the hub, you can damage it, I agree. Going all ugga dugga on components which house bearings is never a smart idea.

Otherwise, using a freezer spray or an inductive heater coil around the flange area of the hub carrier and tapping the outer edges of the hub carrier, you will not damage the bearing or the carrier. Works with corroded/seized flanges.
Acetone + ATF mixture also works wonders penetrating corroded joints/threads.

Well, i wasn't one doing install, and i expected that dealership's service guys should know also such hacks to get it off .. but they didn't manage to get that hub, that's been on car for 5 years including salty winters, off w/o hammering. Or maybe they didn't try to go to great lengths and to try hacks to get it off (given that by advise as precaution i bought spare rear hubs).
Still, if one will not use thick spacers, see no need for going for extended studs, and using normal length ones one can get in rears aswell w/o removal of hub. In addition it will also allow using stock closed ended lugnuts too.

That's why I avoid dealerships for this particular work :D

If I'm being perfectly honest, going to greater lengths to avoid damaging a component like the aforementioned seized on hub requires time, time most customers are not willing to pay, so ugga dugga strategy is employed :P

If I bought a BRZ that already had extended length studs, and am running stock size wheels, are there any disadvantages I should be aware of? Is it worth replacing them with stock length studs?

Not only changing to, i guess changing from extended also may require rear hub removal. (unless you cut off half of extended studs to ease pressing them out w/o removal of hub).

Stock lugnuts won't fit on extended studs, but as you bought car with already upgraded to extended, most probably you already have set of longer or open ended lugnuts, so won't need to buy new, not an issue. There are some splitting-hairs extent small drawbacks like extended studs and lugnuts being slightly heavier and some may not like looks of long studs/lugnuts sticking out of wheel, but imho these "cons" are more then offset by having stronger/less prone to strip studs. And some shallow socket wrenches might be unusable on them. And on open-ended lugnuts some dirt/moisture can get on threads. And will be harder to convince future buyers of car that it's unmoded stock, and, and..

I tried REALLY hard to think out of disadvantages/issues/drawbacks. As you see, most ar not really an issues just unimportant things my feverish mind managed to imagine and they don't justify switching to stock studs imho :)

[emoji23][emoji23] Thanks! Definitely eases my mind.

Now, there's a "clicking" noise from back there (over bumps, and when the car articulates), and since it's not stock I can't tell Subaru to keep chasing the noise on their dime... But if other than that it's okay, we're good :-)

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