Has anyone experienced the nuts getting loose when the strut tower reinforcement plates are installed (e.g. M7, Craven) or STB due to the nut being partly seated in the bolt? Should I put loctite just to be safe? Thanks.

 

Loctite wouldn't hurt, but I've always just tightened the nuts to 24 lbf-ft and have never had a problem

 

I put Loctite on mine, used the red stuff. Total overkill btw, if anything it may make them impossible to get off. If you are gonna use Loctite you probably want the blue stuff.

 

The IE fixed plated i have came with a lock-nut. Not the mechanical one mind you the Teflon variety so it's not a big concern with me. But with some vibrations the stock nuts could loosen a bit. Re torque after a week and you should be fine, if your still worried a dab of blue loctite and you'll never have to worry again.

 

Could it be that you are taking out some mushrooming? I had to adjust my M7 strut brace a few times before it stopped needing it. Much easier than a 2x4 and hammer.

 

Blue loctite.

That should do it. (That is what I used on my m7 strut bar).

 

This is the reason why I have always been skeptical of these plates. I would have a hard time feeling comfortable knowing my suspension is attached by a nut that is only partially threaded onto the bolt.

 

I completely understand your skepticism - as I said "that ain't right" when I installed mine... 23,000 hard miles ago...

I'm curious, have ANY failed? I'm not aware of any...

 

About 25,000 miles on my M7 strut bar. No they haven't loosened. I checked them last week, still tight. No problem.

 

80k on mine, never a problem. Once the towers have flattened as much as they are going to, the nuts stop getting loose. If you have severely mushroomed towers it can take a while. Just keep torquing them to 35 Nm until they stop changing.

Steve

 

Thanks for all the input. I do not have mushrooming but decided to get the plate as preventative measure as fellow NAM members attest. I will check it periodically but would really like to put blue loctite...for extra peace of mind.

 

Had a bad case of mushrooming, banged it back and installed the M7's . Nuts baking off are not the problem, the reinforcement plates are!!! they are.... Mushrooming! . Passenger side is pretty bad! No surprise there, as the reduction in material thickness over the ridges is realy drastic and sudden. I just didn't expected it so soon.
Don't try to fix the "mushroom" with the plate itself, you'll bend it. Use the 2x4 method as recommended by M7. Once you get the plates it is obvious why you shouldn't.
The Craven are a bit better design as the bridge part is as thick as the plate, still, a 45% angle at the edges of the bridge would transfer loads better. Problem is the strut tower studs are even shorter than for the M7.

 

So, carbonized would you recommend m7 or Craven Speed?

 

No problems here as of yet with the M7-on-short-studs. I periodically check for looseness, never encountered any.

 

No problems here either. Totally thought that something was wrong when the bolts were on so few threads, but not one problem yet.

 

Saw this thread bumped today, so naturally I had to overreact and immediately run out to the garage, pop the bonnet, and check on the security of my M7 STPs.

Thankfully, the nuts are still as snug as the day of installation (about 8K miles ago). No loctite used or planned.

 

The big thing to keep in mind is not to over tighten. 25 ft lbs max torque on the stock studs.

 

I used Yamabond on those nuts. It is gray, smells good, and remains somewhat rubbery. This reveals my moto background.