This seems harder than it should be... I just want to find longer studs for my stock top hats. I searched around, talked to a few fastener places, but haven't quite found it. The stock stud is an M8x16 - 10.9 All I need is the same thing with an additional 10-12 mm in length! I know a lot of people just replace them with standard bolts, but then you have to hold it from the bottom while you tighten it. I want something that presses in like the original! I've found two possibilities: 1. self-clinching 2. Serrated I hope someone has found this, I've looked all day til my eyes hurt! Surely, as many of us who are adding braces, protector plates and all the other stuff, someone has solved the lack of enough threads! HELP!!! :mad2:
Just pop them & replace them with bolts, the "studs" are there for more of a convience than structure. You can either pop & replace one at a time if everything is together or if you have them out & still want studs, have someone weld the new bolts in place, viola, new studs. And really any bolt will do, they don't "need" to be hardened.
You most likely won't find them... These are typically used by manufacturers for quick production installation... Eliminates the need for tapping the hole or using a nut... And the fact that it's metric makes it even harder for a direct replacement... Probably your best bet is to do what BlwnAway suggested.... If you are familiar with the Ireland Engineering fixed camber plates.... They come with longer studs... But even they used countersunk flat head socket drive screws that are tig welded in place to prevent turning.... Basically do the same thing....
I actually have the IE Fixed plates now, and yeah, the stud length is great. I was thinking of going back to stock top hats. If I go back to stock top hats, I plan to use the Craven UTI's and I want to keep my current strut brace. So, all of that leaves very little thread with the stock stud. I think I can see the next question coming... :wink: "Why do you want to go back to stock?" Well, it seems like inner tire wear was a bit excessive on my last set of tires. :eek6:
If you are experiencing tire wear from the camber plates you aren't driving it hard enough biggrin5 or you simply need to rotate the tires a bit more often. If you want to use the stock part and use the UTI I wouldn't worry about using the strut brace as it has shown to not really add any handling benefits, just some under hood bling.
Scavenger - Did you align your MINI after putting the IE fixed plates on. Adding negative camber to the front of a MINI makes them go toe-in. If that was not corrected with an alignment you'll wear the front tires. If you have had it aligned I'm with Scott, drive faster. My front tires wear pretty evenly with IE fixed plates.
I know, but I like the Bling :drool It was aligned, The plates have been on for 3 or 4 years now. I could be jumping the gun and the plates really will be Ok. I am lowered now, which I think has settled a lot, and part of this update is prep for new coil-overs, and actually a slight "heigthening". But, now that I've started this search, I'm really interested to at least see if I can find something. I know some other people that would like some if I find them.
I believe the the IE fixed plates may be giving you too much negative camber since your MINI is lowered. On my MINI with stock springs I'm at -1.9 -2.0. The only way for you to take out too much camber would be adjustable plates.
Yes good adjustable plates aren't cheap. That being said I'm going to say spend some money & buy them. :wink: