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Introduction
For whatever reason, you're tired of your lug bolts. Mine were a pain for two reasons - one, they were rusty, and two, they were a nuisance for wheel work. For anybody interested, I have no idea what my wheels come from. As I've posted everywhere else, these are 14x5.5 wheels that are 4x100 because of my Aspire swap. Tires are some random 185/60-14's - they require rear spacers or Aspire struts.
It may be that you have aftermarket wheels that make putting your wheels on difficult, or that you need longer bolts to fit big spacers. Whatever the case, the conversion is very simple, and a great way to enhance the look of your Festiva.
A final note before I begin, I'd really appreciate respectful comments by you refraining from making jokes about lubrication, tightening, and studs/nuts fitting in the holes... it's just common courtesy if you don't mind. I'd like this to end up in the articles, and those sorts of comments won't help anyone. That said, here's how to do it:
Materials
1) (16) M12x1.5 Wheel Studs - Length 45mm (or more) - Order 17 if you want security
45mm provides between one-half and two threads exposed out of the lug nut, depending on the car. You could run larger ones for a variety of reasons - cosmetics, wide wheels, or big spacers.
2) (16) M12x1.5 Conical Seat Lug Nuts - Order 17 if you want security
I should note that having open-style nuts is very important, especially if you go with 60mm studs. Even the 45's will peak out the back of the nuts, so ensure you don't run closed, or you'll have to learn the hard way.
3) (1) Can of Penetrating Lubricant - Don't order 17.
WD-40 would work for this, but I used deodorized Liquid Wrench to avoid the smell. Buy at any hardware store.
4) (1) Basic Socket Set (14mm/17mm with Ratchet and Extension)
5) (1) 5.5mm Allen Wrench / Hex Key
6) (1) Rag
Here's my cooler work station midway through the job for visual learners.
Method
You can jack the car up and remove the wheels individually if you want to, but it's really not all that necessary. If you don't skimp on the lubrication, everything will bolt together without too much of a hassle. The wheels and studs will seat fine, and will require adjustment after a short amount of driving regardless.
Step One
Remove a lug nut using either your own tire iron or a 14MM socket. Obviously, hub caps and center caps may present obstacles that require removal. Spray the old bolt with lubricant liberally. This becomes an important piece of the puzzle.
Step Two
Clean out the lug bolt hole with penetrating fluid to de-rust it if needed. Lubricate the wheel stud, and pat down on the rag to remove excess fluid. Using the Allen Key, thread the lubed wheel stud into tight position. Just like a lug bolt, don't overdo it. Screwing up one of these would be a pain.
Step Two
Take your lubricated old lug bolt, and thread the new lug nut onto it completely. Doing this forces lubricant through all of the grooves - you'll see some come out the back of the lug nut. This helps remove anything that may have built up in the lug nut, ensuring the threads are easily spun and lubricated. Then hand-spin it onto the tightened and lubricated wheel stud. Tighten with your hand, wipe away excess lubricant, and tighten to specification. When you take your time with the lubrication, it gives you a lot of piece of mind. Don't rush this.
Step Three
Complete all four bolts/studs/nuts using the same lubrication process for both the studs and nuts. This is very important! Though anti-seize could work as well, my Google searching concluded that only some people support anti-seize, whereas everyone supports general lubrication. Once all four are spun and tightened, ensure that all are roughly the same tightness - either by using a torque wrench or tight-o-meter (also known as socket).
Here's a before and after. Front left is done, Back left is not. Don't mind my painter's tape and primer/bondo, I'm in the middle of doing some rust repair and replacing my side moldings.
Step Four
Finish the other three wheels. Optional: store the old lug bolts in a plastic container, then fill it with solvent/cleaner half way. I used Simple Green HD. Shake the bottle from time to time (foaming action), and check it in a few hours/days for completion.
This way, you can de-rust and clean out the threads of your old lug bolts in case you decide to switch back. Who knows... if you painted them after cleaning/drying, you might even find a buyer on the forum.
Step Five
This is optional, but useful. Give the wheels a wash... heck, just do the whole car. Might as well rinse off any remaining lubricant from your wheels. It only takes 10-15 minutes with a three-step wash anyway. My old lug bolts were surface-rusting, which left nasty rust deposits on my wheels every time they'd get wet. Now they're nice and clean!
Step Six
Test-drive - the best part. Drive around for a while, perform your daily duties with your Festiva. Keep your 17mm socket and allen key with you just in case. Personally, my 17th stud and nut stay in my glove box in case I need them. Could make a cool key chain as well haha. When you get finished with your test drive/day, recheck the tightness of the lug bolts. Resume regular maintenance schedules in checking tightness after this. When removing wheels, you could relubricate the wheel nuts/studs if you wanted to, but that's optional as well.
Step Seven
Enjoy being able to admire your non-rusty non-irritating studs that make aftermarket wheel changing easy as pie and make OEM center caps look really cool.
For whatever reason, you're tired of your lug bolts. Mine were a pain for two reasons - one, they were rusty, and two, they were a nuisance for wheel work. For anybody interested, I have no idea what my wheels come from. As I've posted everywhere else, these are 14x5.5 wheels that are 4x100 because of my Aspire swap. Tires are some random 185/60-14's - they require rear spacers or Aspire struts.
It may be that you have aftermarket wheels that make putting your wheels on difficult, or that you need longer bolts to fit big spacers. Whatever the case, the conversion is very simple, and a great way to enhance the look of your Festiva.
A final note before I begin, I'd really appreciate respectful comments by you refraining from making jokes about lubrication, tightening, and studs/nuts fitting in the holes... it's just common courtesy if you don't mind. I'd like this to end up in the articles, and those sorts of comments won't help anyone. That said, here's how to do it:
Materials
1) (16) M12x1.5 Wheel Studs - Length 45mm (or more) - Order 17 if you want security
45mm provides between one-half and two threads exposed out of the lug nut, depending on the car. You could run larger ones for a variety of reasons - cosmetics, wide wheels, or big spacers.
2) (16) M12x1.5 Conical Seat Lug Nuts - Order 17 if you want security
I should note that having open-style nuts is very important, especially if you go with 60mm studs. Even the 45's will peak out the back of the nuts, so ensure you don't run closed, or you'll have to learn the hard way.
3) (1) Can of Penetrating Lubricant - Don't order 17.
WD-40 would work for this, but I used deodorized Liquid Wrench to avoid the smell. Buy at any hardware store.
4) (1) Basic Socket Set (14mm/17mm with Ratchet and Extension)
5) (1) 5.5mm Allen Wrench / Hex Key
6) (1) Rag
Here's my cooler work station midway through the job for visual learners.
Method
You can jack the car up and remove the wheels individually if you want to, but it's really not all that necessary. If you don't skimp on the lubrication, everything will bolt together without too much of a hassle. The wheels and studs will seat fine, and will require adjustment after a short amount of driving regardless.
Step One
Remove a lug nut using either your own tire iron or a 14MM socket. Obviously, hub caps and center caps may present obstacles that require removal. Spray the old bolt with lubricant liberally. This becomes an important piece of the puzzle.
Step Two
Clean out the lug bolt hole with penetrating fluid to de-rust it if needed. Lubricate the wheel stud, and pat down on the rag to remove excess fluid. Using the Allen Key, thread the lubed wheel stud into tight position. Just like a lug bolt, don't overdo it. Screwing up one of these would be a pain.
Step Two
Take your lubricated old lug bolt, and thread the new lug nut onto it completely. Doing this forces lubricant through all of the grooves - you'll see some come out the back of the lug nut. This helps remove anything that may have built up in the lug nut, ensuring the threads are easily spun and lubricated. Then hand-spin it onto the tightened and lubricated wheel stud. Tighten with your hand, wipe away excess lubricant, and tighten to specification. When you take your time with the lubrication, it gives you a lot of piece of mind. Don't rush this.
Step Three
Complete all four bolts/studs/nuts using the same lubrication process for both the studs and nuts. This is very important! Though anti-seize could work as well, my Google searching concluded that only some people support anti-seize, whereas everyone supports general lubrication. Once all four are spun and tightened, ensure that all are roughly the same tightness - either by using a torque wrench or tight-o-meter (also known as socket).
Here's a before and after. Front left is done, Back left is not. Don't mind my painter's tape and primer/bondo, I'm in the middle of doing some rust repair and replacing my side moldings.
Step Four
Finish the other three wheels. Optional: store the old lug bolts in a plastic container, then fill it with solvent/cleaner half way. I used Simple Green HD. Shake the bottle from time to time (foaming action), and check it in a few hours/days for completion.
This way, you can de-rust and clean out the threads of your old lug bolts in case you decide to switch back. Who knows... if you painted them after cleaning/drying, you might even find a buyer on the forum.
Step Five
This is optional, but useful. Give the wheels a wash... heck, just do the whole car. Might as well rinse off any remaining lubricant from your wheels. It only takes 10-15 minutes with a three-step wash anyway. My old lug bolts were surface-rusting, which left nasty rust deposits on my wheels every time they'd get wet. Now they're nice and clean!
Step Six
Test-drive - the best part. Drive around for a while, perform your daily duties with your Festiva. Keep your 17mm socket and allen key with you just in case. Personally, my 17th stud and nut stay in my glove box in case I need them. Could make a cool key chain as well haha. When you get finished with your test drive/day, recheck the tightness of the lug bolts. Resume regular maintenance schedules in checking tightness after this. When removing wheels, you could relubricate the wheel nuts/studs if you wanted to, but that's optional as well.
Step Seven
Enjoy being able to admire your non-rusty non-irritating studs that make aftermarket wheel changing easy as pie and make OEM center caps look really cool.
It's a good thing you don't read the stickies, you might of learned something.
Poverty produces creativity
Good job on the write-up by the way :thumbright:
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