Tacoma Wheel Studs
For some reason, Toyota chose to put very short lug nuts on the front of the '05+ Tacoma. I guess Toyota didn't plan on their customers putting aftermarket wheels on their trucks.....short sighted in my opinion. This creates some what of a hazard when putting thick based aluminum wheels on these vehicles, such as the MotoMetal wheels I currently have. According to Dorman's website information, the rear wheel studs for the Tacoma are longer than the front wheel studs. I found on my vehicle that my rear studs were the same length as the front.
DORMAN PROVIDED INFORMATION
Tacoma Front Wheel Studs specifications, PN 610-266.1::
Type: Serrated Stud
Thread: M12-1.5
Knurl Dia: 14.20mm (0.559inch)
Length: 40mm (1.575inch)
Shoulder Length: 8mm (.315inch)
Head Code: n/a
Brand: Dorman - Autograde - Bagged, ~ $2.00 online
Tacoma Rear Wheel Studs specification, PN 610-462.1:
Type: Serrated Stud
Thread: M12-1.5
Knurl Dia: 14.20mm (0.559inch)
Length: 44.10mm (1.736inch)
Shoulder Length: 17.02mm (0.670inch)
Head Code: n/a
Brand: Dorman - AutoGrade - Bagged, ~ $3.00 online
In looking for longer wheel studs, I wanted to go just a tab bit longer, but not excessive. I found that many people like to use the ARP wheel studs for a Lexus IS-300, PN # ARP 100-7715. These studs are very nice, very strong, and very pricey. For a set of 5 wheel studs, you will pay a little over $36 bucks at Summit Racing. Now, being that you will need to have at least 24 of these fine studs, you're going to pony up for 5 sets (5 lug nuts per set X 5 = 25, you only need 24 for your 4 wheels), which is about $181 bucks.
Here are the specifications on these ARP 100-7715 wheel studs:
Type: Serrated Stud
Thread: 12mm x 1.5 RH
Knurl Dia: 0.558inch (14.17mm)
Length: 2.6inch (66.04mm)
Shoulder Length: n/a
Head Code: n/a
Brand:
ARP - Set of 5 is ~ $37.00
In looking at the above wheel studs, you may think these are the ticket for your truck. But, I would not go with these, as they are too long to make the job easy. If you really feel that you need to have these longer wheel studs, you're going to either have to drill a hole in your Brake Rotor Dust Cover, or take apart the spindle to get these in. Look at the length of these studs, 2.6" as opposed to the stock 1.57". That's pretty long. So, I kept looking for the perfect set and found the ARP wheel studs:
Here are the specifications on these ARP 100-7718 wheel studs:
Type: Serrated Stud
Thread: 12mm x 1.5 RH
Knurl Dia: 0.565inch (14.35mm)
Length: 2.34inch (59.44mm)
Shoulder Length: n/a
Head Code: n/a
Brand: ARP - Set of 5 is ~ $51.00 (significantly more than the longer ARP studs)
So, it appears that these will work very well, but again, the price. To get a set of these ARP studs, you getting close to $300 bucks. I suppose if you are racing, then these may what you want. But, for a mostly street rig with some occasional trail use, they are not necessary.
So, in doing more research I found that a set of Dorman Wheel Studs from a 02-03 Toyota Corolla/Matrix would fit just right.
Dorman REAR wheel stud for 2002-03 Matrix, PN # 610-463:
Type: Serrated Stud
Thread: M12-1.5
Knurl Dia: 14.20mm (0.559inch)
Length: 55mm (2.165inch)
Shoulder Length: 26.60mm (1.05inch)
Head Code: n/a
Brand: Dorman - AutoGrade - Bagged, ~ $3.30 at NAPA
NOTE: NAPA PN# is different, if you get them from NAPA, use PN# 641-4208
Take a close look at these numbers and compare them to the Tacoma numbers, everything is a match except for the length. They are about 1/2" longer, which is exactly what I need to compensate for the thicker centers on my aftermarket wheels. So, I found the only place in town that could get their hands on them and ordered them up. For 24 of these, I paid about $76 bucks.
Here are the pictures I took of my work on the front wheel studs:
Here you can see the significant different between the stock wheel stud and the 2003 Matrix wheel stud.
Having the right size bolts really, really helps. The rotor was pretty much rusted in place, so these bolts and a little persuasion from a rubber mallet helped to pop the rotor off.
Here is another shot of the old and the new, against a tape measure. If you look very close at the old wheel stud, you can see how many threads the lug nut was able to grab....not enough in my opinion.
Here you can see how the new stud is being put into place. The six o'clock position was the only position where I had enough space to slip the new bolt into place. Any other position did not give me enough space. Any longer of a bolt and I think I would have had a difficult time.
After using the method of a lug nut to pull one stud through, I felt it would be better to use a press. This Ball-Joint press did the job very nicely.
 |
 |
 |
Here you can see the wheel studs in place, then the Brake Rotor in place
For comparison, on the is the stock wheel stud with a lug nut removed. Notice there is very little thread for the lug nut to grab onto. On the right are the longer wheel studs, and a lug nut installed.
June 13, 2009.
I finally got around to installing the rear wheel studs. Based on Dorman's information of the rear wheel studs being longer than the front, I thought I was somewhat safe. However, in pulling off the rear studs, I quickly discovered that the rear studs were the same length as the fronts....not good.
Again, being sure to have the correct size bolts in pulling off the drum is essential in getting to the studs.
One of the rear wheel studs compared to the replacement. Note, there was not much thread holding the rear stud on.
It should be noted that there is a backing plate behind the flange. When replacing the wheel studs, do them one at a time so you don't have to mess with a loose backing plate.
Here is the key spot where you can pop the studs out and put the replacements in WITHOUT having to remove any of the brake shoes.
Close up shot of the key spot.
Due to the brake shoes being in the way, I was not able to get a ball-joint press behind the flange. So, I had to use a lug nut and some spacers to pull the stud through the flange.
Nearly done.
The drum is back on and ready for the tire.
I'm very pleased with this setup, and it didn't cost me too much money.
Disclaimer: What you see on these pages are my own experiences and what changes I have performed on my vehicle. Should you choose to attempt these type of changes to your vehicle, I am not responsible for any consequential damages that may result from these type of modifications. I do not encourage any readers to copy these modifications to their own vehicle. Modifying your vehicle can be dangerous to you and anybody else on the roadway. Please take care in what you do with your vehicle.