La Grange Area Toyota Service Warns Drivers about Stripped Wheel Studs

Nov 14, 2014

Wheels and tires are responsible for safely transporting you and your vehicle. The wheels are tires are exposed to the worst weather conditions, tricky road obstructions, extreme temperatures, and wear and tear from the engine. Because the wheels and tires literally carry a heavy burden, it is important to make sure each component is in the best shape possible. A common safety concerns is stripped wheel studs. La Grange area Toyota service warns drivers about stripped wheel studs.

What are Wheel Studs?

When you put a tire on your vehicle, you mount it to the threaded fasteners that stick out from the hub. After you put the tire on, your thread the lug nuts over the wheel studs.

Dangers of Stripped Studs

If you over tighten a lug nut or try to remove a lug nut, you can either break the stud or strip it. If the wheel stud is compromised, it poses a serious safety risk. It may be okay to drive on four good wheel studs, but not three. If you do decide to drive with only four good studs, make sure you are headed to the shop to have the other one replaced. If the wheel stud is stripped or broken, the wheel will not be balanced or provide the vehicle with the proper amount of support. When one is compromised, the additional wheel studs have to compensate for the missing or damaged studs, which adds extra stress to the good studs.

Replacement is Easy

Replacing a wheel stud is relatively cheap and easy to do. When the stud is being replaced, the process will include the following steps: