We converted the MINI Cooper using thread-in studs and lightweight aluminum nuts from The Tire Rack. The studs are $2 a piece, as are the aluminum nuts, for a total cost of about $64 before shipping. We chose the aluminum nuts for their light weight, but you do need to be careful threading these on and you shouldn’t use a the impact gun on them. By the time they start looking “beat up” —they are due for replacement. Figure a set of nuts every full season of autocrossing.
After the bolt hole is cleaned with BrakeKleen, we used threadlocker on the threads of the stud. The stud was then torqued in using two open-ended nuts to snug the stud in the hole. The two nuts are locked together so that when you turn the outer nut, you’re threading the stud further into the hole, not moving the nut down the stud.
This will make it a lot easier to change tires at an autocross, the bolts are a little tricky to thread in as you’re holding the wheel on. Also, we’ve heard reports of the factory wheel bolts breaking after repeated remove/installs. While the stud/aluminum nut combination isn’t any lighter than the steel bolt, it does give piece of mind.
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