Wheel studs broke
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Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2010
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Wheel studs broke
I bought a C5 4 weeks ago (Love it) However, while driving yesterday i turned a corner at about 20 and all of a sudden i heard this bird chirping sound (It could actually be mistaken for a bird) And a really loud knocking. I thought weird, but okay. I was going to have my dad look at it when I got home. I got home and let it sit for a bit, and drove it around the neighborhood, problem still persisted. So my dad looked at it and found the most obvious thing, the wheel studs were sheered off, 3 actually. I'd gotten extremely lucky considering my wheel was held on by 2 bolts, wobbling back and forth.
So I'm going to do some research, but I could use some help figuring out which wheel studs are the best. I also have aftermarket ZR1 rims that came with the car with the person I bought it from.
So I'm going to do some research, but I could use some help figuring out which wheel studs are the best. I also have aftermarket ZR1 rims that came with the car with the person I bought it from.
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Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,036
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From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
If all you are doing is just driving around on the street and highway the stock studs do just fine. I have been running track events for 18 years with stock studs and have never had an issue with them that I didn't cause.
It may be a good idea to check all of the wheels to make sure they are fitting on the hubs and studs correctly. Breaking 3 studs at one time sort of indicates the wheel wasn't seated on the hub properly and was probably wobbling around a little before the studs snapped.
Bill
It may be a good idea to check all of the wheels to make sure they are fitting on the hubs and studs correctly. Breaking 3 studs at one time sort of indicates the wheel wasn't seated on the hub properly and was probably wobbling around a little before the studs snapped.
Bill
Last edited by Bill Dearborn; Nov 6, 2010 at 12:39 AM.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
If all you are doing is just driving around on the street and highway the stock studs do just fine. I have been running track events for 18 years with stock studs and have never had an issue with them that I didn't cause.
It may be a good idea to check all of the wheels to make sure they are fitting on the hubs and studs correctly. Breaking 3 studs at one time sort of indicates the wheel wasn't seated on the hub properly and was probably wobbling around a little before the studs snapped.
Bill
It may be a good idea to check all of the wheels to make sure they are fitting on the hubs and studs correctly. Breaking 3 studs at one time sort of indicates the wheel wasn't seated on the hub properly and was probably wobbling around a little before the studs snapped.
Bill
I've heard that ZR1 aftermarket rims have problems with stock wheel studs, but I'm not entirely sure. My dad wants to buy the best possible, considering i could have totaled the car, I was lucky enough for the wheel to hold..
Thanks ~ Alex
Last edited by Beeman4266; Nov 6, 2010 at 12:47 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 3,003
Likes: 89
From: Indy IN
Rather than being overtorqued, it is far more likely that they weren't properly torqued in the beginning. The noise you heard was the wheel being loose and when your lugs aren't tight you put cyclic loading on the studs which can break them in a hurry.
Inspect the wheel and make sure the hub centering feature on the wheel isn't damaged from wallowing around. Make sure the wheel surface is clean and isn't corroded, and make sure the disk hat is clean of rust and surface crap.
Replace ALL of the studs on that hub. The two remaining studs have seen cyclic loading and are no longer safe and must be replaced. The stock studs are more than adequate.
Do that and you will be fine.
You were very lucky not to have lost the wheel.
Inspect the wheel and make sure the hub centering feature on the wheel isn't damaged from wallowing around. Make sure the wheel surface is clean and isn't corroded, and make sure the disk hat is clean of rust and surface crap.
Replace ALL of the studs on that hub. The two remaining studs have seen cyclic loading and are no longer safe and must be replaced. The stock studs are more than adequate.
Do that and you will be fine.
You were very lucky not to have lost the wheel.
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Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 40
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Rather than being overtorqued, it is far more likely that they weren't properly torqued in the beginning. The noise you heard was the wheel being loose and when your lugs aren't tight you put cyclic loading on the studs which can break them in a hurry.
Inspect the wheel and make sure the hub centering feature on the wheel isn't damaged from wallowing around. Make sure the wheel surface is clean and isn't corroded, and make sure the disk hat is clean of rust and surface crap.
Replace ALL of the studs on that hub. The two remaining studs have seen cyclic loading and are no longer safe and must be replaced. The stock studs are more than adequate.
Do that and you will be fine.
You were very lucky not to have lost the wheel.
Inspect the wheel and make sure the hub centering feature on the wheel isn't damaged from wallowing around. Make sure the wheel surface is clean and isn't corroded, and make sure the disk hat is clean of rust and surface crap.
Replace ALL of the studs on that hub. The two remaining studs have seen cyclic loading and are no longer safe and must be replaced. The stock studs are more than adequate.
Do that and you will be fine.
You were very lucky not to have lost the wheel.
And yes, my dad has told me a few times that I was incredibly lucky the wheel stayed on and I didn't total the car, i'm thankful it held.
Thanks
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 8,077
Likes: 4
From: Scarborough ONTARIO
Iam a mechanic and i see cars with broken and threads chewed due to previous shops over torqued, we always torqued wheel nuts no matter what vehicle, its mandatory in our shop. Well replace with stock stud and you be fine with it.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 8,077
Likes: 4
From: Scarborough ONTARIO
Pro
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 608
Likes: 70
From: Richmond, VA
Torque sticks work well, we use them in our shops and have for years. Most limit torque to 80 Ft. Lbs, and the remainder is done by hand with a torque wrench. The amount of air pressure supplied to the impact gun can effect how tight the lugs go, even using a torque stick. They're not fool proof.
ZR1 replica wheels should be hub centric. This problem could also be caused by using the wrong size lug nuts, or lugs with the wrong seat. You may want to see what thread pitch lugs are on the car, it's usually stamped on the lug itself.
Our cars use a 12mmX1.5 lug, with an acorn(conical) seat.
The stock wheels studs are fine to replace them with.
ZR1 replica wheels should be hub centric. This problem could also be caused by using the wrong size lug nuts, or lugs with the wrong seat. You may want to see what thread pitch lugs are on the car, it's usually stamped on the lug itself.
Our cars use a 12mmX1.5 lug, with an acorn(conical) seat.
The stock wheels studs are fine to replace them with.
