converting from bolts to studs on the s3

[92683]

i plan to convert my bolts to a stud version.

i had already ordered my lug nuts and they just arrived. almost exactly what i wanted but only one thing is off. im ok with this little discrepancy as no manufacturer makes it that other way.

data:
stock pattern
M14x1.5


i have used aluminum lug nuts with open ended before and i am totally familiar those versions.
i did a lot of research and measurements and i came to the conclusion on what parts i want to purchase.
i am now sharing my process and thought here to help the next guy who might need some info on how to do this.

criteria;
lugs:
steel. no aluminum versions.
must be open ended.
round base. (they dont make this type)
non locking.
uses basic hex sockets.
dont care about color. simple and basic is preferred.

i did find a set that hits most of my criteria.
they did come in and they feel nice and weighty. remember they are steel and not aluminum.
i was only able to find one company that makes them in steel and a bonus is that they are USA made.
they dont have fancy color, just basic silver.

VMS lug nuts is what i ended up going with.
https://www.vmsracing.com/collections/lug-nuts




studs:
you will want high quality name brands for these.
branded version will most likely have better material vs cheaper ones. remember there is a lot of stress on these and you dont want them to snap off while doing hard turns.



not many companies make conversion studs with this thread for our cars. M14x1.5. ebay does have a few but remember i said to get quality brands.
i found that H&R makes studs for this car.
http://www.hrsprings.com/applications/quicksafe
therefore i ended up going with H&R studs.

because the lugs are exactly 45mm long i have decided to go with 40mm length. with 5mm to spare the studs should recess in the lugs and hide the end of the studs very well. the reason i want them close to the end is that if i wanted to add spacers i can still do it with a good marginal safety. with my measurements i believe i can do a 20mm spacer and still be safe. the lugs actually only have threads that go half way into the body of the lug so its fine to not thread it through the whole body as it was never designed to go to the end.
worst case i just buy a new set of longer studs. not that expensive for safety.

 

[GlacierS3]

Interesting project. What wheels are you considering?

 

[92683]

hey sup, i am keeping the stock wheels. this will give the stock wheels a bit more aggressive look.

i really like the stock wheels. there is just only one thing i dont like about them would be the width. i wish i was able to order them in a 9.5 inch width versus what we get 8.0.
other than that there are way more positives. like the quality is top notch, the design is great, the color is perfect.

i wont say i wont get aftermarket wheels down the road but for now ill be keeping these on.

i do have my eyes set on something different and i will say is im interesting in getting something with a size fitment of 19x9.5 or 18x9.5. i am more leaning on 18's as they will give the car a different look vs my stock. ill switch between them, so a spare set will be fun.


a dilemma i have is that with the 18 inch, i wont be able to go big on a bbk setup. so it has me rethinking but the look of an 18x9.5 will be amazing.
i have been looking at the neuspeed bbk and the stoptech trophy kit but both of these larger size kits needs a 19inch wheel. if get their smaller kit then it will work but the bling factor is no longer there. lol. always wanted to try the larger kits, more for curiosity than for function when i do this.

i like to research and sit on ideas i come up with before pulling the trigger. which has me doing installation on sections of the car slowly. by doing it in sections i can enjoy the new upgrade or changes and really see what transformations it does in each facets of the car. this car has so many parts that can be changed with custom modification. i think this car will take many years to complete.

usually i aim for a bolt on part but it tends to lead to a full modification to that part before bolt on as it sometimes doesn't fit right or how i like it to work. my last part was an upgrade to the dog-bone mount. needed to have the new part re-machined before finally getting it to fit properly.

 

[S3Fan]

Which wheel design do you have now? If you look at the Audi S4 wheels, their design is similar to ours but they are slightly wider. I believe they also fit as well.

 

[92683]

thanks for the heads up on that. i had no idea that they could be the same.

im not sure what these are called. its pretty common on the s3's.

if they arent at least 9.5 width, i dont think its worth the effort to change for half an inch. im also really aiming for 18x9.5 or even 18x10. the 10inch width would look very interesting but im not sure i want the headache of trying to get them to fit without rubbing or way too much camber. (i have done the over camber setup before and i dont want to do that again).

with measurements (using my tool) and researching other peoples setups, i feel a 9.5 width with et45 offset will fit perfectly.

but right now im interested in getting these studs and lug nuts to fit first.

the next thing i just ordered, because they are one sale, are some rear differential bushings. race versions. thats going to make the rear end feel really solid with the shifts and accelerations. i already have the blackforest trans and engine mount stage 2 in the car. wish they had a stage 3.



https://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-8V_S3-Quattro-2.0T_Sedan/Drivetrain/Differential/


https://www.ecstuning.com/b-powerfl...-mounting-bushing-type-race/pfr85-525bx2~pbs/

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-powerfl...nt-mounting-bushing-type-race/pfr85-524b~pbs/

 

[GlacierS3]

Can we even fit 9.5" or 10" wide wheels on the car?

 

[92683]

9.5 seems to be successful on a few cars. here is a rule of thumb, when up sizing rims width you can always go up by 1.5 inches safely without too much modifing. anything above that will need it. caveat is you need proper offset and the rims your going off of are from stock sizes.

there are a few factors that will allow 9.5 or even 10.0 wheels to fit.

1. the offset needs to be just right. i have measured for my own knowledge that the 9.5 with proper offset will fit just fine and i have read others have had success with it.
2. if you give it enough camber then it can tuck under the fenders. i have done this before with another car and it works. the negative about doing this is that your tires start to wear in the inside a lot faster. even with a proper alignment it will still do this. its just physics, the patch of tire that touches the pavement the most will be the inner side. so i prefer to avoid this at all cost, cause it will cost a lot down the road. i was able to extend the life a little bit more with having a tire shop rotate the tires on the rims themselves (basically flip the tires). it still will not net you the normal lifespan the manufacturers offer.
3. dont lower the car so much if you plan on getting coilovers, springs will not work here. you need full control of the height. stay with spring rates that are hard. say above 10k all around.
4. i know of a few tricks to get the 10.0 in addition to the above ideas to make it work but i was only able to find a part to do this for the fronts. which should be fine. i am tempted to do 18x10 but im not sure i want to do heavy moding again on this car so my objective will still be 18x9.5. a 10inch width will look awesome tho.

all these help but you need to be willing to modify the heck out of it and agree to some sacrifices.

 

[92683]

i got all 20 pieces but here is a pic of one. they feel like they have more strength in them because they are steel and heavier by a few more ounces compared to aluminum.

these will look exactly like most aluminum ones you see. if your curious, the aluminum ones when removed and reinstalled a lot feels like they could strip the studs. now mine never did but i sure felt like it could. so i had to be extra extra careful. this is one reason why i opted for a stronger metal, such as these.

 

[snowman81]

I'm thinking of going the same route, thanks for all the research. Did you install them already? I'm also probably going with 15mm spacers all around, so I'd be curious to see if you think they'll fit after you install. I know you said you think you could go with up to 20mm, but just curious on your thoughts after install. Thanks again, this is much appreciated.

 

[92683]

hi. thanks for the courteous message. i enjoy sharing on a site that have polite people sharing ideas and thoughts. ill keep doing it as long as its a friendly atmosphere.


its awesome your thinking of doing this.

funny you should post today, as the studs just came in today. this is why i havent done any posting for this mod yet.
my warehouse received the wrong size from H&R so it took some time to get the right ones in. hence the delay in receiving them. so if your curious, the printed mm length is the usable threaded length. so for mine its 40mm. the back is not what you measure (back threaded 5mm) which goes into the hub or the complete total length. the kit will come with an allen wrench. no extra cost for that. the pieces feel solid and of quality material. i cant say i have used other brands but what i can do is say that H&R is a larger company and if there is an issue i feel they would be there to cover the problems vs ecs tunings or any other smaller companies.

there is also pre-applied red lock-tite on the threads that go into the hub section, in addition to the included allen key. i feel this is truly a high quality set.

ill be installing them soon. maybe tomorrow.

 

[92683]

so these are pics with the lugs all the way down on a stud. it sits flush but again i dont have a wheel on it so i dont know how much of it will actually recess further. but for now i know the stud will not protrude out of the lug further than this, unless thats the look your after, which is also cool. but for me i wanted to hide the studs.

for any future miscalculations, this is why i decided on open ended lugs so in case it needs to come out for any reason and i wont need to buy new lugs again.

 

[snowman81]

Good timing and thanks for the quick reply. I'm with you about the end of the stud not extending past the lug nut. I'd go with the same setup as you, except in black if I can find it. I wonder how much space you'll have from the end of the stud to the end of the lug nut once installed. But that will vary based on wheel thickness too. I have the black optics wheels, which I don't particularly care for. I like the standard S3 wheel design more, but like you, it's not worth buying that wheel because I'd like a wider wheel as well.

 

[92683]

i just heard of a wheel brand that i didnt know existed.

they apparently have a huge amount of customization when it comes to wheel sizes and offsets. the designs dont look half bad either.

they are called BC forged.
i dont know much more than that but they are not cheap.
my other options is gram lights from Rays wheels. rays 57c6
these are only 5x114.3
in the case of these, i would have to have the hubs redrilled to incorporate these new sizes.

im no where near ready to buy new wheels but keeping my eyes open to options is always fun.
as an example, i like their RZ10. under their selection they have soo many options, it crazy. and i want their extreme concaved profile.
if i do new rims i am looking at something thats different. if you look on the forums, everyone does pretty much the same exact brand and style, so i am trying to be as different as possible but with nice designs.

the size i want to go for is, 18x9.5. this size is safe and pretty wide on an 18inch wheel. you lose the width perspective if you go with 19inches, the illusion is not a pronounced.


http://www.bcforged-na.com/monoblock/rz10/

this is an example of how concaved they can be, but i would just get the normal silver color.

i cant find our cars with these specs but something close enough. small body (compact), 4 door, and in blue
18x9.5
definitely not for everyone but i dont mind trying it as 99% of audi s3 owners are doing 19inch and up.

 

[snowman81]

Those are some good looking wheels. And yes pricey, but you gotta pay to get good wheels. 18? rims are not such a bad option, I?ve seen a few setups that look good with the right tire wheel combo. And honestly, I?d welcome the extra sidewall. And although 19?tires have come down in price from what they were a few years ago, I think 18? tires are still considerably cheaper. What color is your car? I?ve got Navarra blue and thought I wanted black wheels, but that silver looks good on that focus. For me, wheels are about the most difficult decision I could make. I?m in no rush though, gonna wait for the tires to wear for sure.

 

[92683]

i have the sepang blue. pretty common but still enjoy that blue. the color is pretty close to the focus. i am not able to find many audi 8v mbq s3 modified on the net that has the 18inch look, let alone ones with sepang and 18inches, lowered properly, and with similar wheels.



i agree the wheels are very difficult and expensive to replace if you feel you made the wrong decision. once you have your tires worn down it makes more sense to get new tires and wheel at the same time. for now i plan on seeing how far i can go with stock tires. with the proper alignment and tire care i feel they can go pretty far.

i feel that wheels will be close to the last item i plan to do to the car. suspension (for looks, driving feel, and handling) and downpipe (for sound) will come before wheels. im not so much in to getting more power from the car. the hp so far seems ok, of course more is always fun.

another item that i had on my past car was a carbon fiber drive shaft. i have to say it does work and really helps with going from a dead stop. i may add that to my list of things to do.

 

[GlacierS3]

Ive heard of BC wheels before, but I didn't know they make it for our cars. Those are great looking wheels.

 

[92683]

here is another good pic.
the color is not my style but it looks very nice.

 

[snowman81]

I really like those wheels, I don't know if I'd go as deep with the pad though. I really can't find fault with anything in the design and I'm kinda picky.

 

[92683]

just finished the install of the studs and lug nuts. looks very nice near and has a slight oem look to it. but i havent washed the car yet so i didnt want to take photos of the final product.

measurements.

the area where there is no thread on the stud is the space where the brake rotor thickness will come into play. the stock wheel takes up about 7mm-9mm threaded space. after that the rest of the outer threads is where the lugs covers. so i would say about 31mm goes into the lugs. if you use these stock wheels you can count on that much to add for wheel spacers and get longer studs. as a reminder my lugs have about 20mm of thread inside them and the rest of it is unthreaded..

 

[92683]