EF1

It was getting dark when I finished and couldn't get good pictures of them on the car. I will try and get some tomorrow. I got a late start and was installing FRPP front hubs with ARP studs and ARP studs on the rear.

5.M0NSTER

EF1

It isn't too bad. I had all four wheels done in under 4 hours taking my time. This included jacking up the car, gathering tools and looking up torque specs online. The front went a bit quicker since I was replacing the hub assembly with the ARP studs already pressed in. The backs are pretty easy. You remove the wheels and brake calipers/rotors first. Then you tap the studs out one at a time with hammer while lining them up with the hole in the mounting brackets that let you remove the studs out the back. It helps if you run a nut down the stud you are working on until it is about a 1/4 inch from the axle flange. This will keep you from knocking the stud into the abs ring and damaging it. Don't forget to use a second lug nut on the top of the stud to protect the threads, so the first lug nut will come back off. To install the new studs feed them through the back and use a stack of 1/2 inch washers and an open under lug nut to pull them tight to the axle. I used an impact wrench to draw them in tight.

5.M0NSTER

Thanks for a good explanation EF1, I always assumed you had to pull the axles to do it, glad to hear there is an easier way!

EF1

I finally got around to taking a couple of pictures of the new wheels.

Mustang Freak

5.M0NSTER

I like! Those look good!

EF1

Thanks, I was looking at the bright silver finish, but it wasn't available in the 19 x 10 so I went with the gunmetal. I didn't want black and didn't want to step down to an 18" wheel.

PJRManagement

---
Nice!

EF1

A little update on the Nexens. I did my first track weekend of the year at CMP this past weekend. The changes made in the off season were the wheels/tires, GLOC R10/R8 brake pads, and Maximum Motorsports lca relocation brackets. The car is a completely different beast on the track. The overall handling and balance of the car are almost perfect. Braking distances are much shorter and I am able to get on the throttle faster without the car getting tail happy. The tires are a bit loud, but for the track who cares. They stop and turn so much better than my last set that I am willing to overlook the growl. The weekend really boosted my confidence on track.

5.M0NSTER

Awesome, glad to hear your strategically chosen parts are making a positive difference. Was it a full weekend event? Did you notice more grip from the tires the second day?

Also glad to hear the R10/8 combo is making a difference.

EF1

Two day event with NASA SE. I did not notice a change in grip from Saturday to Sunday. I put about 200 mostly highway miles on the Nexens as well as some hard acceleration/stops to bed the GLocs before driving them 300 miles to the track I had plenty of grip from the first session to the last.

5.M0NSTER

Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like the Nexens were a good buy!

I had a hard time heat cycling the Hankooks. Could not get them hot enough on the street and say out of jail. Firs day at the track was a bit faster than before (0.2s) but at the cost of a lot more work behind the wheel. They were quite skiddish at the limit.

Second track day they were a much more hooked up time. Since then all smiles.
The next tire will be either Hankook R-S4 or Potenza RE-71R or whatever is on sale for $120 a tire

EF1

I got the Nexens last fall when they were marked down to $199. Not as good a buy as you got on the Hankooks, but still a good buy. Luckily there is no shortage of back roads down here in East Tennessee. I did around 15 near stops from 70+ down to around 15 to bed the brake pads. All within a few miles of my house. By the time I was done I could smell the brakes and the tires and rims were hot.