Quote:
Originally Posted by slicer
Did you ever try MSI M12 studs? Curious as I know you tested a bunch of options. I have learned that BW themselves use MSI studs on their M4 GT4 race car - not their brand of studs.
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We started using MSI around 2015 when things got so competitive in IMSA that a second or two on a pit stop meant the difference of several positions. The studs we use on our cars since then are specific to the exact car configuration (and axle) with another trick or two tossed in for the fastest possible pit stop - and we can buy them 100 at a time.
The studs we sell were designed back in 07 or 08, and we used them successfully for a decade with 1-2 broken studs the whole time, and all in endurance racing with hot pit stops and wheel guns. But we couldn't get the axle-specific studs we need for this level of racing (that have some features that club guys would NOT want) without ordering 1,000 at a time - that's more than we will use in the life of the car model - and we tweak the design occasionally when setup changes.
A production run machine shop is set up for high volume. We deal with one for a part we make that won't do less than 25,000 parts because of the machines they use and their configuration. But you can also set up a machine shop for shorter runs and more custom work. It's not a quality question, it's about what it takes to get the job done that you need. And specific to wheel studs - I can produce something top quality for a bit less money using a shop set up for volume - and even we can't afford to have them do our custom work.