Let me preface this by stating that I am not a mechanic or and engineer. I take my 2001 Xterra off-road and work on it now and then.
That said a word or two about wheel studs and lug nuts in relation to my Xterra…

Most vehicles marketed to the public for personal use have studs and lug nuts rather than the bolts and nuts used on large commercial vehicles. This is because it makes taking off and putting on a wheel much easier.
Studs are not as strong and “give” a bit (this is why I don’t need a lock washer or nut to secure them). As such I need to torque them properly for them to work as intended.
If I torque them down too much (as most tire shops do with an impact wrench) I can stretch them out (weakening them) or break them.
If I don’t torque them down enough they can back out.
If I don’t torque down each lug nut to the same proper spec I risk stretching or breaking a stud by putting more stress on the one or two tightened correctly rather than spreading it out evenly among the six as intended.
Keep in mind that this stuff would most likely go un-noticed if I only used my Xterra to take the kids to soccer but I don’t! My truck was not designed to run over-sized tires, aftermarket bumpers, slam into rocks, climb tree stumps, etc.
If I take my truck off-road I need to torque down my lug nuts when I air back up.
If I have done any modification to my OEM set up I need to check the torque on my lug nuts more than the FSM suggestion of “periodically”.
Since I have aftermarket rims my OEM lug nuts were not deep enough so I needed aftermarket extended lug nuts.

When I break/cross thread/strip a stud it’s not that big a deal unless I’m doing it all the time. I can replace them individually.

I do not run my truck for any length of time with a missing stud/lug nut and do not off-road or drive at highway speeds with more than one stud/lug nut missing from the same wheel. I’ve seen it done more than once without incident but I don’t.

With the front I have to remove the rotor and hub assembly to access the back side. I have repacked my front wheel bearings before, so this is not that hard.

With the rear, I need to release parking brake lever fully, then remove drum. If the drum is hard to remove I consult the FSM starting on page BR-23 for the procedure (http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Xterra/2001_Xterra/br.pdf).

I hammer the bad stud out, then put the new one in as far as I can (I put anti-size on it) then put it all back together. When I put the rim back on and torque down the all the lug nuts, the new stud it will seat itself. I re-torque all lug nuts after around 100 miles.

A good source on process of how to remove/install the rotor/hub can be found HERE
Torque specs HERE.
I torque my lug nuts down to 90 ft-lb (87 - 108 ft-lb is the FSM spec.).
OEM Part # 40222-22001
M12 x 1.25 is the lug thread pattern (I got the extended ones for my soft 8's).

Is this the homework for today professor?

Just some info for my friends to use or not...

Im gona do the rear stud on Saturday, if u free to show me how to do the fronts i'd appreciates it. Im also gona pass thru Nissan and cop lug nuts and a shiny new oil stick, if u need anythin lemme know.

What time? If you haven't repacked your front wheel bearings in a while (or never) we can do that while we are in there. If so pick up 2 rotor seals, Nissan part number 40232-8B500. Also, while you're there see if they have "SEAL-O RING,FREE RUNNING HUB", part #40290-8B400. Should be around $3 each, get me 4 if they have them.
Text me your address again.

Nice write up Tom
I try and do a PM on a regular basis.
and go over the rig a week before a run just incase I need to replace something.
something as simple as a loose lug can allow a wheel to destroy studs and lugs.
loosing a wheel on the trail is no fun.

A buddy of mine didn't check his lugs after wheeling and lost his front drivers side wheel driving on a public road. Yikes.

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Very nice, thanks Tom. This answers a question that's been on my mind that I haven't looked up yet. I'll be replacing ALL of my wheel studs soon, but wasn't sure what all had to be done/removed to remove the rears.

Torque info is nice, too.

Local tire shop went ahead and broke one stud, stripped another, and stretched at least 3 more. My guess is the guy wasn't happy to see me or my truck 4 times in 2 days.

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Well I’m glad the info was useful. The quick clue that the shop did not torque your lug nuts is when they don’t tell you to re-check them in a hundred miles or so. Nissan service is famous for this even though you’d think they’d but the most vigilant. I think they do it to get the extra business when you break. The only shop I’ve ever been to the properly torqued them was OK4WD in NJ. But then they could never properly align the truck…ah, you can never win…

Thanks for the info Tom, and for the links as well. My front drivers side tire is missing 2 studs(tire shop snapped them) and I need to replace them asap. For now I have checked them every morning and whenever I get back home. So far so good, but I will not wheel with it in this condition. All this info is going to come in handy very soon

I think 2 ...
lol