So i've spent over an hour searching evom and buschur forums and decided to do arp head studs. even tho i didn't find one case where there has been any failures from the stock bolts. there's just been speculation that they MIGHT fail. even the biggest tuners for the evos really don't say directly the stock bolts are a problem. they've just said it's cheap insurance. i don't care about the money cause they're cheap but i'm worried about the install. i've found through my endless searches different opinions on whether doing them one at a time is good or bad. this is the only way i want to do it but if it might f things up i rather take the chance on the stock bolts holding up since there really isn't any record that there have been failures up to 23-25lbs of boost.

so my question is, ones that have done them one at a time, have any of you had any problems yet? i know there are a bunch of you out there, can you please chime in and tell me how your car is after you've had them done one at a time?

please?

 

I have heard of more than one case of the ARPs failing or backing out and I have never heard of stock ones failing except ONE case on the Internet.....

 

thats exactly why i havent done them yet. I have yet to see anyone on here blowing headgaskets.

 

exactly what i have found. that's what worries me. everyone only "speculates" that they (stock) might fail. i have contacted the "big boys" and they said they are just fine esp. for my combo. there's gotta be people out there that are running over 25lbs of boost on stock bolts. maybe not a lot but maybe some.

 

Just for the record I installed mine with no issues. Re-torqued the headstuds at 3,000 miles after the change and they had not backed out at all.

 

what's your combo?

only thing i can think of is that everyone running more boost has done the arp studs so they can't report problems with the stock bolts.

 

I dont have anything major or anything...I am seeing peak boost of 23psi in 5th on the stock turbo though.

 

I run 26 psi on race gas and 22 on pump. No problems "yet."

 

knock on wood.

 

I think the major problem is the lack of use of lock-tite. When i built up my b-16 engine for my civic (Sold) i used plenty of lock-tite when i put the studs in the block and let it dry before torqueing the head down. Just to test it, i tried to remove them and they wouldn't budge (8hrs. later). Bottom line is, just be sure to take your time and do it right. By the way DONT use lock-tite on the nuts for the head, this is only for the part of the stud that goes into the block. I've read these compaints also and i foundout this was the cause of the failures due to backing out.

 

imho, you don't need studs unless you're building the motor up.

 

Me too. I have run up to 26 psi on race gas and have yet to have a problem on stock head bolts. 2nd--- Knock on wood!!

 

I've had one customers OE head bolts fail at 20.5psi, no noticable knock activity, and basically a "stage two". I installed the ARP headstuds and he has never looked back. I also always install them with the "one at a time" method, as I did on my own Evo (the car MUST cool overnight for me to comfortably do it this way). I refuse to lift the head, and break the factory seal on a "good head gasket". The only catch is that you need to torque the ARPs 10 ft lbs over what ARP recomends... I did have a set lose seal at the recommended 75 ft lbs, but never at 85. If you ask around, some of your favorite "big" companies install them this way, at this torque. Where do you think I got the idea.

 

Not to be too much of an ***, but you better beat those knuckles bloody on the "wood", because one ping and they are probably going to be bloody-ed working on the engine...

 

thanks guys.... but bump for more advice.