Wheel stud question

Last weekend's rallycross was the first time I tried those MR2 wheels I bought from craigslist. I had the original two VW wheels still and used two of the new one's for the event.

I'm glad I took my other lug nuts with me! Being stock wheels I didn't even think to test fit, but when I mounted them up front I barely had any thread engagement! Well, I had SOME, but not enough to be comfy.

Those lugs were given to me when I bought some snow tires a few years ago, left over from a Toyota Yaris I think. They worked better than the ones I had would have.

The above lugs I use with the street wheels, which have deep openings and are a real pain in the ass to change because they are basically hidden inside the rim.

So, am I using the wrong lugs on the MR2 wheels? The wheels sit flush as they should, wae even noticed the rust-line on the wheels and hub matched perfectly. Did the previous owner put shorter studs in? If so, and I put longer ones in will that berkeley up the lugs I normally use with closed ends?

Depends on how much longer you go and if there is still enough threads inside the nut. This is the reason most race cars use long studs and open ended nuts.

tr8todd wrote: This is the reason most race cars use long studs and open ended nuts.

+1 this is the easy fix.

But would longer studs and open ended work with the street wheels in the last photo? They're pretty much flush inside the wheel.

I use long impact sockets, but on some wheels, there just isn't enough room. On those I have to use a regular chrome plated deep drive socket. It's a big problem on my 2002 since I switched to 1/2" studs and 1" open ended nuts. Stock wheels, or shop rollers as I call them, have very little space, so I have a deep socket that is ground down a hair to fit. If the open ended nuts you buy are the same size as the closed end ones you have, where's the problem?

In reply to tr8todd:

I'm concerned the longer studs would not let the closed-end lug nuts tighten far enough down, the stud might hit the inside of the nut before they cinch down on the wheel? Or would there be plenty of extra room inside that lug nut as it it?

That is a potential problem, and why you should switch the lugs you use with those street wheels to open-ended.

In reply to GameboyRMH:

I'm not sure open-ended will work with the street wheels. They sit buried inside the wheel (& I pretty much hate changing them at events!)

I'm confused; why would an open ended nut not work with those wheels? Apart from having a hole at the end for excess stud to stick through, there shouldn't be any difference...

I think maybe you are needing a long shanked nut, like the factory Toyota ones. Like this: http://www.sfxperformance.com/parts/GOR73138TXL-24.htm

If you can get a socket on the stock nuts you can get one on open-ended nuts. If the MR2 ~has~ to use those perverted nuts w/ the female threaded boss on the wheel end, machine the heads off so they're open.

I'm partial to Vorshlag studs - I've had them on the M3 for years and a million wheel changes and they're nice.

I think you will find the wheels don't have a tapered seat to accept the nuts. Use shanked nuts, or have the wheels machined to accept a tapered nut.

This is my concern. The street wheels (used 96.78% of the time) have the closed end lugs and are completely sunk into the opening on the wheel. I don't think the other lugs will work on these wheels, and afraid if I replace the studs with longer then these lugs won't completely tighten down.

My options seem to be replace studs with longer AND new street wheels, replace studs with longer and grind off the closed end? I wish I could see the OEM lug nuts the MR2 would have had.

http://www.sfxperformance.com/parts/GOR73138TXL-24.htm Or similar.

I'm sure dorman makes an open ended lugnut that will fit you street wheels, and probably longer studs too.

In reply to Kenny_McCormic:

I believe my local MR2 guru and source of parts/knowledge just gave me a link to what you mention: Toyota MR2 lug nuts

98-02 corollas/prizms take a nut like that with an open end so you can use long studs.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: 98-02 corollas/prizms take a nut like that with an open end so you can use long studs.

Wish I had known that. I put extended studs on my Mk2 MR2 and went through some very expensive lugnut options trying to find shank-seat open-ended lugnuts.

I ended up simply drilling out the ends of the stock-style lugnuts.