ARP Thread Lockers, Sealants & Lubricants

ARP Thread Lockers, Sealants & Lubricants: The Chemistry Behind Proper Fastener Installation

When most enthusiasts think of ARP (Automotive Racing Products), they immediately picture the brand's legendary studs and bolts trusted by Formula 1, NASCAR, and NHRA teams worldwide. But building a proper high-performance engine isn't just about the fasteners themselves — it's about how they're installed. That's exactly why ARP developed its own line of thread lockers, sealants, and lubricants, purpose-engineered to work in concert with their hardware and deliver results that generic products simply can't match.

ARP Ultra-Torque® Fastener Assembly Lubricant

The flagship product in this category is the ARP Ultra-Torque® Fastener Assembly Lubricant. Most builders underestimate just how much friction variability affects torque readings. Because of frictional inconsistencies with oil, moly, and other lubricants, it takes multiple cycles of torquing the bolt, loosening it, and tightening it again to obtain the required preload or stretch — a phenomenon known as "preload scatter." Left unchecked, this scatter causes bore distortion, hampers piston ring seal, and leads to poor head gasket sealing.

ARP Ultra-Torque® fastener assembly lubricant has been specifically designed to reduce tension pre-load scatter and eliminate the need to cycle high performance engine fasteners before final installation. In practical terms, with ARP Ultra Torque assembly lubricant, a fastener need only be torqued once to get within 5 percent of ideal preload, and it remains consistent through all subsequent cycles — from race-prep machining through final assembly.

ARP Ultra-Torque® is a premier blend of extreme pressure lubricants combined with incredible anti-seize characteristics that perform amazingly well with all high-performance engine fasteners. Specifically, it:

• Obtains 95%–100% of all ARP recommended installation pre-loads on the first pull, without cycling fasteners before final installation.
• Stabilizes all ARP fastener installation pre-loads within 5% between a group of fasteners such as the deck surface of a cylinder block, the main web of a cylinder block, or across the cap of a connecting rod.
• Maintains all ARP recommended installation pre-loads within 5% on all remaining cycles, ensuring consistent and repeatable housing bores and/or cylinder bore dimensions during machining, mock-up, and assembly.
• Prevents rust and corrosion during the life of the lubricant.

ARP PTFE Thread Sealer

Equally important for wet-deck engine builds is ARP's dedicated thread sealer. ARP Thread Sealer is a premium grade PTFE thread sealer designed for use on all wet deck cylinder block applications in order to prevent coolant leakage past the head bolt threads, while duplicating the recommended installation pre-loads associated with all ARP cylinder head bolts and studs. Its versatility extends well beyond the engine bay — ARP thread sealer can also be used on pipe plugs, pipe fittings, fuel line fittings, or any fitting that requires a flexible leak-proof seal.

ARP thread sealer is designed for use on aluminum, steel, stainless steel, and plastic materials against coolants, water, gasoline, oil, natural gas, and LPG. Its PTFE-based formula includes rust and corrosion inhibitors and is effective across a temperature range of -30° to 550°F, with a sealant pressure range of 10,000 psi.

Why Trust ARP Chemistry with Your ARP Hardware?

ARP's lubricants and sealants aren't afterthoughts — they were developed alongside the brand's fasteners to ensure that torque specifications printed in ARP documentation are actually achievable in the real world. Using third-party lubricants with unpredictable friction coefficients introduces variables that can invalidate even the most carefully torqued hardware. By pairing ARP Ultra-Torque® and ARP PTFE Thread Sealer with ARP studs and bolts, builders can be confident that the preload they achieve at the bench is the preload they get when the engine fires. For anyone serious about engine assembly — from weekend street builds to full race preparation — these products represent a logical and proven extension of the ARP system.