[77 TRASHCAN]

I would assume the going to 1/2" on any car that has a 4-3/4" bolt circle (assuming they all use 7/16 stock). No brainer???

We have a couple of car events in my town. One has a cruise. A 67 or 68 Camaro performed a full throttle tap on the good old accelerator pedal. Half way down the block his huge right rear tire passed him going down the street. I only got to see it on a video. No telling why???

[RocktimusPryme]

I went to 1/2 studs but only because I bought Moser axles that were drilled for both sizes. I don’t know how necessary it really was.

For me, when I had to buy studs anyway, it really was a no brainer. I did have to take a drill to my brake rotors.

[ponyakr]

May have broke an axle.

We never broke any 7/16 studs, except on a dirt track car.

I used some long aftermarket 7/16 studs on most of my 455 bracket cars.

Used the stock 7/16 studs on our 12 sec 400 powered Stockers.

BUT, it's been my experience that most everybody, especially tire shops, always get the lug nuts WAY too tight. My guess is that years of over-tightening the nuts can make the studs very susceptible to failure. Not real sure what the torque is supposed to be. But I suspect that most tire shops put WELL over 100lbs on 'em, with the impact wrench. I tighten all mine to feel, with a 4-way. Been doing it that way since the '50's.

[promptcritical]

Will 1/2" studs fit through the holes in a stock wheel?

[Chief of the 60's]

Originally Posted by 77 TRASHCAN

I would assume the going to 1/2" on any car that has a 4-3/4" bolt circle (assuming they all use 7/16 stock). No brainer???

We have a couple of car events in my town. One has a cruise. A 67 or 68 Camaro performed a full throttle tap on the good old accelerator pedal. Half way down the block his huge right rear tire passed him going down the street. I only got to see it on a video. No telling why???

.....And there it is in a nutshell.

Did the studs break?
Did the axle break?
Were the lugs too tight?
Were the lugs too loose?
Were the wheels Uni-Lug?
Were the lug holes "egged" shaped?
Were the proper lugs being used?
Were they low quality studs?
Were the correct depth lug nuts being used?
Were they low quality lug nuts?
Were spacers being used?

I'm sure I can think of more.

I run ARP studs, McGard Tough-Nuts, Moser or Strange axles, would never run a spacer and torque my lugs periodically with a Snap-On torque wrench. Not once did I ever have a problem with 7/16" studs..

[Mike Davis]

Most people keep running the 50 year old studs that have been torqued hundreds of times and wonder why they break. New quality 7/16" studs are fine for 90% of the street cars. 1/2" for the other 10%. If it was mine and it had some sticky tires and big HP- 1/2 studs. If it was a true street car with street tires 7/16 ARP.

[Half-Inch Stud]

PY Name...and 5" pattern on the rear rims.

[77 TRASHCAN]

Originally Posted by Half-Inch Stud

PY Name...and 5" pattern on the rear rims.

Lol, now we know!!!

[ponjohn]

I ran 5/8" - surprised to see 7/16" recommended.

[77 TRASHCAN]

I've see those 5/8 setups, they look stout! I won't be needing that..

[goathead455]

Originally Posted by promptcritical

Will 1/2" studs fit through the holes in a stock wheel?

Yes

[First Bird]

For me the only downside to changing to 1/2" studs was having to tap threads in my aluminum front wheel hubs.
Peace of mind from the upgrade inspires confidence in action.
It didn't really cost more in parts. Labor about $100.

[Goatracer1]

Unless you have FWD there is no need to change front studs. And yes 1/2" studs will fit stock wheels. I have them on my car.

[PAUL K]

We've run OEM style 7/16 wheel studs into the nines on several heavy vehicles. The only studs we ever sheared were long (NHRA legal) aftermarket 7/16's.

[track73]

After a series of hot laps my son retorqued the wheels using a 4 way lug wrench on our sportsman stock car. A few minutes later we heard a Ping and then another ping. We looked at the left front hub and 2 studs were gone and they were laying about 3 or 4 feet away from the car. After that I instructed him to use the torque wrench.

[ponyakr]

Yeah, it's real easy to get well over 100 lbs with a 4-way, if you apply enuff pressure. Some think they need to get 'em as tight as possible, so they won't back off.

According to this Summit chart, only 55-65 lbs is needed for 7/16 studs, & 75-85 for 1/2" studs.

https://help.summitracing.com/app/an...l-installation

Again, it's real easy to get over 100 lbs with a 4-way. If anyone wants to they can use a torque wrench & a 4-way to get a feel for the correct torque. Many of those who haven't done this will probably be surprised as to just how little effort is required to get more than 75 lbs.

[OCMDGTO]

I asked Quick Perfomance about this since I wanted to use stock rims (Rally 2s) with their rear for street tires and slicks. They said stock size was good to 750hp.

[RocktimusPryme]

There is probably a lot too what was said earlier about using 50 year old studs. Getting new good 7/16 studs is probably a good preventative measurement that doesn't cost much. I had a wheel come off that Im still not sure it was my fault or not. Replaced the studs after that. Luckily I was able to get off the road when I felt the wobble and it happened at a stand still.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Half-Inch Stud

PY Name...and 5" pattern on the rear rims.

Originally Posted by 77 TRASHCAN

Lol, now we know!!!

Ha!!

K

[Formulajones]

1/2" studs on dads car, and had to open the holes a bit on the stock steel wheels to fit. Stock size studs on everything else here. We also torque all wheels, unless I'm on the side of the road with a flat of course.

Never once have we had a problem with sheared studs. When I was much younger and didn't believe in using the torque wrench on wheels however, there were several instances I'd snap the stud right off the car with a lug wrench.