Loctite necessary for wheel studs?

[Absurdium]

After much debate, I've decided to go for a stud conversion as I'll have having a dedicated track setup, hence a lot of wheel changes; studs should make it slightly more convenient but also preserve the threads on the hub.

However my question is, is loctite (thread locker) necessary? There has been mixed opinions about this and after doing a search, seems like some use none at all, some use blue, and some use red. I've ruled out blue as from rennline's installation guide, blue has a lower melting point and if it melts on the track, it'll act as a lubricant instead of an adhesive which is not ideal.

However the dilemma is to either run red or non at all. Many argue that what's holding the wheel is the nut that goes on the stud, and if torqued down correctly, loctite is not necessary. With no loctite, I'd check the tightness of the studs with a torque wrench every wheel change however. This is the route I am leaning towards as I dislike the idea using red loctite for the following reasons:

-it's labeled as a permanent adhesive. Removal takes considerable effort and require heat torch, which is not good for the hub. I plan on replacing the studs proactively biennially so this is not ideal.

-I don't know if it's a good idea to cake up the inside of the hub threads with this stuff as cleaning the residue will be no doubt difficult.

-People often check the tightness of the stud by re-torquing. However this renders the loctite moot as whenever you retighten the stud, any movement will actually loosen the loctite, as it is an adhesive. Therefore, if it ever becomes loose due to heat, and you re-torque it, the effectiveness of the loctite is gone anyways.

Looking forward to see what everyone thinks. I know this is not really a big issue but when it comes to wheels, you can never be too safe.

[Poiseuille]

thanks for putting the question, looking forward to the answers

[ashmostro]

I use a very small amount of Loctite 271. Its design use case includes “suspension fasteners and wheel studs”. It’s meant to be vibration resistant.

Is it absolutely necessary? No, I don’t think so. But it gives me a margin of confidence when I’m repeatedly removing wheels with an impact gun.

[junkbox]

I just installed MRG studs and they call for BLUE Loctite and no the more permanent RED. Just a touch. Also they only torque the stud to 20 ft lbs.

[Absurdium]

Originally Posted by junkbox

I just installed MRG studs and they call for BLUE Loctite and no the more permanent RED. Just a touch. Also they only torque the stud to 20 ft lbs.

Originally Posted by Poiseuille

thanks for putting the question, looking forward to the answers

No problem! Glad I'm not the only one wondering about this.

Originally Posted by ashmostro

I use a very small amount of Loctite 271. Its design use case includes “suspension fasteners and wheel studs”. It’s meant to be vibration resistant.

Is it absolutely necessary? No, I donÂ’t think so. But it gives me a margin of confidence when IÂ’m repeatedly removing wheels with an impact gun.

Ah okay. Upon doing more research, it seems like loctite red is not impossible to get off with a bit of heat and patience. Also loctite does dissolve with paint remover, so it seems like there are plenty of ways to clean the adhesive off. This may be the route I go. However my concern is still that you can't "check" the tightness later on as any applied torque is actually going to weaken the bond of the adhesive. Someone in another thread suggested marking the thread with a marker against the hub as a reference. This sounds like a decent idea.

Using loctite also gives a peace of mind when dropping off at shops as they may not check the studs as I would, so ultimately using loctite might be the most practical solution. My hesitation before is mostly because I plan on replacing studs every two years or so as it is a wear item, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to remove an adhesive that was labeled as permanent everytime.

Originally Posted by junkbox

I just installed MRG studs and they call for BLUE Loctite and no the more permanent RED. Just a touch. Also they only torque the stud to 20 ft lbs.

After my research, it seems like loctite blue is not a good idea if you plan on tracking. The wheel and hub assembly does get quite hot from the brakes and the loctite blue has a pretty low melting point of about 150 Celsius. Rennline's instructions specifically advise against loctite blue for this reason. Although their stud kit are for Cayman use, I believe the same logic applies here. The torque setting is spot on and Apex only calls for 25 ft/lbs as well. But for the above reason, I think I'm gonna stay away from loctite blue.

Thanks everyone for their feedback so far. The reason why I started this thread is due to the large discrepancies between opinions of different vendors and owners alike. The thought of losing a wheel during a hot lap scares me quite a bit so I'm using a lot of extra caution here

[junkbox]

I actually agree and would use RED as well if I didn't plan on ever removing them. I only used BLUE because I tend to go through cars quick and go back to stock. A buddy even had a hard time removing his studs with BLUE.

[ashmostro]

Red isn't as hard to remove as some think. I've done it easily without heat on wheel studs without needing a ridiculous amount of torque.