Wheel Stud Removal

[e36clubracer]

I just picked up an e92 that has wheel studs on it that I want to replace for safety reasons.

I know about the double nut method which is a real bitch and time consuming. I have seen there is stud removers from Ko-ken and Assenmacher. Has anybody used these with success and can you point me to which size/model you need for the 12x1.5 pitch studs?

Also have you used the same tools for install and proper torque of the studs?

TIA!

[WhiteM3EMC]

Originally Posted by e36clubracer

I just picked up an e92 that has wheel studs on it that I want to replace for safety reasons.

I know about the double nut method which is a real bitch and time consuming. I have seen there is stud removers from Ko-ken and Assenmacher. Has anybody used these with success and can you point me to which size/model you need for the 12x1.5 pitch studs?

Also have you used the same tools for install and proper torque of the studs?

TIA!

Double nut method really doesn't take that long once you get a few down. Worth it to save some money on one of those tools IMO

[e36clubracer]

Originally Posted by WhiteM3EMC

Double nut method really doesn't take that long once you get a few down. Worth it to save some money on one of those tools IMO

Time is the key for me when you have three little ones at home.... I don't mind spending the coin on tools.

[WhiteM3EMC]

Originally Posted by e36clubracer

Time is the key for me when you have three little ones at home.... I don't mind spending the coin on tools.

Totally fair. I forget that kids are a thing sometimes

[ThunderMoose]

I just got a stud extractor from AutoZone and went to town.

[M43S7RO]

Dogbone posted about this one, its already in my Amazon cart. If its good enough for him then end thread:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0026...NrUmVkaXJlY3Q=

[e36clubracer]

Originally Posted by M43S7RO

Dogbone posted about this one, its already in my Amazon cart. If its good enough for him then end thread:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0026...NrUmVkaXJlY3Q=

That's basically what I am looking for, not sure if it is different from the Ko-Ken or Assenmacher stuff? I want something I can throw my impact onto and hopefully zip them right off.

[e36clubracer]

How about these?

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...2093_200002093

[chalbe]

Any tool can work and everyone has different experiences, but the cam style (especially the "adjustible" tools) have a history of damaging threads. The collet type are a better design, and that's what I use. You know the stud size and thread pitch, so, you can get the individual sizes from Snap-On, Matco or whatever tools you like for $15-$20 a piece. The individual pieces are economical if you don't want to buy a whole kit.

[e36clubracer]

Originally Posted by chalbe

Any tool can work and everyone has different experiences, but the cam style (especially the "adjustible" tools) have a history of damaging threads. The collet type are a better design, and that's what I use. You know the stud size and thread pitch, so, you can get the individual sizes from Snap-On, Matco or whatever tools you like for $15-$20 a piece. The individual pieces are economical if you don't want to buy a whole kit.

I believe they are the 12x1.5 size?

[Kelse92]

Originally Posted by e36clubracer

I believe they are the 12x1.5 size?

That's correct

[e36clubracer]

Also, anybody have a good method for holding the front wheels to get the front studs off?

Just replaced my wheels today and the previous owner had 10mm spacers F&R that I dont need anymore so I have 90mm studs all the way around...

[ppatel14]

Originally Posted by e36clubracer

Also, anybody have a good method for holding the front wheels to get the front studs off?

Just replaced my wheels today and the previous owner had 10mm spacers F&R that I dont need anymore so I have 90mm studs all the way around...

Best is a person to hold the brakes otherwise shove a flat head screwdriver with a rag into one of the brake vanes near the caliper to keep it from rotating. Also proper install of studs call for some type of threadlocker so you may have to heat it up for removal.

[pbonsalb]

Move seat forward onto length of wood onto brake pedal.

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by M43S7RO

Dogbone posted about this one, its already in my Amazon cart. If its good enough for him then end thread:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0026...NrUmVkaXJlY3Q=

I've been using this one for years now. Works well. You can pull all 5 studs from a hub with an impact gun in just a couple minutes. It does ruin the threads. But if I'm pulling a stud, I don't care about that. In 8 years, I've never pulled a stud and wanted to put that stud back in. Once it's out, I'm replacing it.

You do need a pipe wrench or a locking hand vice to grab on to the outside of the shell to remove the stud from the tool once it's off the car because the tool tightens down on the stud and you have to reverse the tool off the stud by holding on to the outside of the shell.

There's also a C-ring on the back of the tool. If you reverse the tool too far, the C-ring can come off. I have found the C-ring to be unnecessary, so it's no big deal if it comes off.

Anyway, it's cheap and fast. Of course, I'm sure other tools are fine too.

I would not waste the time doublenutting to remove studs......that just sounds like a terrible waste of time. Get some kind of tool.

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by ppatel14

Also proper install of studs call for some type of threadlocker so you may have to heat it up for removal.

I don't know about any other tool, but the one I use linked on Amazon in this thread does not need any heating up of loctite. If you use an impact gun, it breaks red or blue loctite and removes the stud without any prep.

[e36clubracer]

Originally Posted by dogbone

I don't know about any other tool, but the one I use linked on Amazon in this thread does not need any heating up of loctite. If you use an impact gun, it breaks red or blue loctite and removes the stud without any prep.

Dogbone, have you had any trouble with the studs breaking with that tool and using a impact gun?

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by e36clubracer

Dogbone, have you had any trouble with the studs breaking with that tool and using a impact gun?

No. If the stud is healthy and it's just a regular removal to swap the studs out, I've never broken a stud while removing it. The loctite bond and the amount of torque holding the stud in is not that high. I would be very surprised if an undamaged stud broke from this kind of removal.

If the stud is damaged or cracked, then yes, this tool will mostly likely break it. I don't think there's any surprise there.

btw, I don't recommend using red loctite for studs. Blue has always been enough for me. If you break a stud, which I have broken many-----trying to remove a nub of a stud that's held in with red loctite---especally if it's broken inside the hub and there's nothing easy to grab onto---is sometimes IMPOSSIBLE. I've had to throw hubs out because of that. Even hardcore shops couldn't get the fragment out.

[chalbe]

Originally Posted by dogbone

I've been using this one for years now. Works well. You can pull all 5 studs from a hub with an impact gun in just a couple minutes. It does ruin the threads. But if I'm pulling a stud, I don't care about that. In 8 years, I've never pulled a stud and wanted to put that stud back in. Once it's out, I'm replacing it.

You do need a pipe wrench or a locking hand vice to grab on to the outside of the shell to remove the stud from the tool once it's off the car because the tool tightens down on the stud and you have to reverse the tool off the stud by holding on to the outside of the shell.

There's also a C-ring on the back of the tool. If you reverse the tool too far, the C-ring can come off. I have found the C-ring to be unnecessary, so it's no big deal if it comes off.

Anyway, it's cheap and fast. Of course, I'm sure other tools are fine too.

I would not waste the time doublenutting to remove studs......that just sounds like a terrible waste of time. Get some kind of tool.

No animosity here, just a friendly observation..... The amazon tool breaks parts and is also falling apart (maybe a little embellishment on my part, but not inaccurate). Pretty much the same risks with double nutting. You like it for how you use it, good, no more needs said.

Originally Posted by dogbone

I don't know about any other tool, but the one I use linked on Amazon in this thread does not need any heating up of loctite. If you use an impact gun, it breaks red or blue loctite and removes the stud without any prep.

While heat is your frenemy on track, it is your best, oldest friend in the garage. No stud remover requires the use of heat, but it makes life easier. The OP is likely going to be doing this work on a cold car. Using any of the tools available is the best recommendation.

The subject of thread-in studs is making press-in studs/hubs an easier decision for me.

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by chalbe

No animosity here, just a friendly observation..... The amazon tool breaks parts and is also falling apart (maybe a little embellishment on my part, but not inaccurate). Pretty much the same risks with double nutting. You like it for how you use it, good, no more needs said.



While heat is your frenemy on track, it is your best, oldest friend in the garage. No stud remover requires the use of heat, but it makes life easier. The OP is likely going to be doing this work on a cold car. Using any of the tools available is the best recommendation.

The subject of thread-in studs is making press-in studs/hubs an easier decision for me.

I've purchased a set of press-in 14mm hubs for my car from Core4 Motorsports. I believe that's the ultimate solution for this platform. I'm hoping trackside emergency stud removal is a thing of the past with these monster 14mm press-ins. I've had 14mm threaded studs on the front hubs for a year now and had no problems. I hope the press-in 14mm is even more peace of mind. They're even thicker inside the hub---14.7mm of solid non-threaded steel.

As far as my comments about the Amazon tool-----I don't think I could have been any more honest about it. I bought the tool years ago and it's been reliable when I needed it---better than other tools I've tried. If that doesn't work for everyone, then fine. Heck, I wasn't even the one that came on the thread posting about the tool. Someone referenced me and a link that I shared years ago.

If someone has a better tool for the job, please post a link to it so we can see it, understand how it works and where to buy it. I'm always interested in learning about new and better tools and techniques. I'm not a mechanic. On my build thread, I've always been honest that I've been learning as I've been going and sharing what I experience.

Bottom line with this tool----I can pull all 5 studs from a hub in 2 minutes. And that has saved me at the track. I don't care about the threads when I pull a stud. I only pull a stud because I'm done with it. And the C-ring thing happens because the impact gun reverses the core out of the tool so quickly when removing the stud from the tool. Sometimes, you just hold the impact gun trigger just a moment too long and it backs the core out too far. That's not really the fault of the tool. If someone has a better experience with another tool that can do the job just as quickly, I'm all ears.

[chalbe]

Originally Posted by dogbone

I've purchased a set of press-in 14mm hubs for my car from Core4 Motorsports. I believe that's the ultimate solution for this platform. I'm hoping trackside emergency stud removal is a thing of the past with these monster 14mm press-ins. I've had 14mm threaded studs on the front hubs for a year now and had no problems. I hope the press-in 14mm is even more peace of mind. They're even thicker inside the hub---14.7mm of solid non-threaded steel.

As far as my comments about the Amazon tool-----I don't think I could have been any more honest about it. I bought the tool years ago and it's been reliable when I needed it---better than other tools I've tried. If that doesn't work for everyone, then fine. Heck, I wasn't even the one that came on the thread posting about the tool. Someone referenced me and a link that I shared years ago.

If someone has a better tool for the job, please post a link to it so we can see it, understand how it works and where to buy it. I'm always interested in learning about new and better tools and techniques. I'm not a mechanic. On my build thread, I've always been honest that I've been learning as I've been going and sharing what I experience.

Bottom line with this tool----I can pull all 5 studs from a hub in 2 minutes. And that has saved me at the track. I don't care about the threads when I pull a stud. I only pull a stud because I'm done with it. And the C-ring thing happens because the impact gun reverses the core out of the tool so quickly when removing the stud from the tool. Sometimes, you just hold the impact gun trigger just a moment too long and it backs the core out too far. That's not really the fault of the tool. If someone has a better experience with another tool that can do the job just as quickly, I'm all ears.

Your posts on the core4 product is why I am going to use it. I appreciate what you do here. The amount of effort and time you put into finding things like core4, or other things like MDM/ABS/traction control applied at the front vs rear wheels, is probably the same effort and time I use looking for tools to save me time and broken parts. I am not a mechanic either, but I have no use for a tool that breaks things when it is used. Before I write anything else, I agree m12 thread-in studs are essentially disposable. I am addressing stud removal for re-use since that is the purpose of a stud remover, so, we are really talking about two different things. There may not be any of these situations for you, but they do exist.

As far as stud removers, my initial post indicated a type of stud remover called a collet. Used properly, threads aren't damaged, when the threads need preserved. You can google it, it's not new technology. Definitely not as convenient as finding something on Amazon, but most of the good tools require a little initiative to find. Snap-On, Matco, Assenmacher, Stahlwille....there are lots of companies that make them.

Below are two links to Snap-On products. I have the first tool set. I have used the second tool type, but I do not own it. The Amazon tool probably saves less than 1 minute per corner over the first tool, but for you that's 4 minutes that saves you for the day or you could use better elsewhere.

These are used with two combination wrenches, and a hex bit socket or an allen key. Individual pieces can be bought for pretty cheap (less than $20 for M12x1.5). Good and reliable to use, but not the speed you are looking for. Looks a lot like a double nut, right? This tool won't stretch threads like a double nut will.
https://shop.snapon.com/product/Stud...ler-Kit/MSKM10
Here is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnrQcIuN-RM

This next tool is more expensive, and can be used with an impact, but I wouldn't. Since the collet housing is chrome, I'd probably use an electric ratchet, break it free by hand and run it off (likely a little slower than the amazon tool with an impact). Replacing all four corners, seconds may still be the difference between starting or not for you. Since most wheel studs aren't that tight it would get you close to the speed you are looking for. If spending $150 on a tool to do something well is too much then I guess spending $150 on studs every time they need removed (while replacing a hub or bearing) is okay.....
https://shop.snapon.com/product/Dowe...ousing/CG513-1
https://shop.snapon.com/product/Stud...ollet/CG500-49

I am realizing right now, at the end, this is kind of a ridiculous post.....I guess it's a little too late for that, ha. I hope this helps someone.

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by chalbe

Below are two links to Snap-On products. I have the first tool set. I have used the second tool type, but I do not own it. The Amazon tool probably saves less than 1 minute per corner over the first tool, but for you that's 4 minutes that saves you for the day or you could use better elsewhere.

These are used with two combination wrenches, and a hex bit socket or an allen key. Individual pieces can be bought for pretty cheap (less than $20 for M12x1.5). Good and reliable to use, but not the speed you are looking for. Looks a lot like a double nut, right? This tool won't stretch threads like a double nut will.
https://shop.snapon.com/product/Stud...ler-Kit/MSKM10
Here is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnrQcIuN-RM

This next tool is more expensive, and can be used with an impact, but I wouldn't. Since the collet housing is chrome, I'd probably use an electric ratchet, break it free by hand and run it off (likely a little slower than the amazon tool with an impact). Replacing all four corners, seconds may still be the difference between starting or not for you. Since most wheel studs aren't that tight it would get you close to the speed you are looking for. If spending $150 on a tool to do something well is too much then I guess spending $150 on studs every time they need removed (while replacing a hub or bearing) is okay.....
https://shop.snapon.com/product/Dowe...ousing/CG513-1
https://shop.snapon.com/product/Stud...ollet/CG500-49

I am realizing right now, at the end, this is kind of a ridiculous post.....I guess it's a little too late for that, ha. I hope this helps someone.

It's not a ridiculous post. It's exactly the kind of post I was requesting. No doubt someone on here will find it useful and act on it. I would be more interested in the first tool kit for the installing aspect of it. However, after watching the video, I'm thinking about it, and the wheel studs I use are always bullet nose, where there is more than 3/4 an inch without threads. I wonder if the tool could still install on a bullet nose stud where the threads don't go to the edge. You can't go too far because you have to use an Allen wrench to loosen the tool at the end of the stud.

(I'm not sure I understand the second tools, but that's ok.)

Anyway, in the end, I think the little Amazon tool is good if you don't care about the threads because you can mash on it with the impact tool. If you do care about threads, then now you've given us options for that. All good.

Side note---I replace front hubs every two years. And usually, I replace studs every year. So, I keep those schedules coinciding with each other. So, given my swap schedule, I would never be removing studs and then putting them back on a new hub. When the hubs need replacement, it would be time for the studs to go too. (My stud replacement schedule might change with these 14mm press-in monsters.)

Anyway, this is the kind of sharing information that is useful. Thanks for posting it.

btw, the tool for installing press-in studs is different than all this stuff. Core4 can give you guidance on what to buy if you go that route.