Are lug bolts or lug nuts better?

All true points. If it's a vehicle which sees frequent wheel changes, studs are very convenient, particularly bullet nose studs which don't require starting each nut - nice if you're swapping off hot wheels and nuts.

Read more

Another thing to consider is that that the active threaded interface is replaceable. I replace the nuts every year or 2, studs every 2-3 on my M3 track rat. The threads in the hubs only see use when the studs come out, and the studs and nuts are coated for prevention of corrosion, and are designed to withstand the cycles. The typical German bolt-into-hub is robust, but doing a cars lifetime of assembly/disassembly cycles every season wasn't what Fritz had in mind when it was designed.

As I've said often in design review meetings "There are no bad materials - only bad applications"

I don't have time this minute to go look up what Carroll Smith has said about this topic, but I seem to recall him opining that a stud is the way to go when frequent disassembly is likely.

Page 1 of 2

1

2 >

 

03-14-, 09:09 AM jimmy  

1,166 posts, read 875,960 times

Reputation:

Advertisements

IMO, I'd rather have regular lug nuts like domestic and Asian vehicles use vs the lug bolts that European vehicles use.

SO much easier to just line up the holes with the studs, start the lug nuts by hand and buzz them on. And if a stud gets stripped or broken, just hammer it out and run a new one in with a few washers and a new lug nut.

OTOH, with lug studs you either buy the special tool that threads into one of the holes on the hub to help line them up easier, or you sit there with the wheel barely on the lip of the hub spinning it, trying to line up the holes. Plus if the hole gets stripped or the bolt breaks off, it might come down to replacing the hub instead of just banging out an old stud and installing a new one.

So, fellow techs out there, would you rather have lug nuts or wheel bolts? And what makes you prefer one vs the other?

 

03-14-, 09:25 AM Me007gold  

Location: San Antonio, TX USA

5,251 posts, read 14,236,028 times

Reputation:

Rather have studs, everything is much easier.

 

03-14-, 11:59 AM easy62  

Location: Metro Detroit Michigan

6,980 posts, read 5,411,027 times

Reputation:

Studs easier to line up tire especially if you have a big tire like the ones on a pickup with bolts you have to use your front toes to hold tire in position to line up with rotor.

 

03-14-, 12:04 PM topher  

Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan

2,259 posts, read 4,750,068 times

Reputation:

I had an older VW Jetta, and usually I can change the tire pretty quick, but changing the tire on this car in low lighting took a lot of guess work.

 

03-14-, 12:37 PM blktoptrvl  

Location: SC

8,793 posts, read 8,157,503 times

Reputation:

Up until I did a little research today, I had never heard of

I prefer lug nuts. I have personally never found any advantage to bolts. I especially am weary of bolts when having to lift my 60+ lb wheel/tire combo. It's not too bad in the garage, but out on the highway... on the side of the road, I'd prefer the studs.Up until I did a little research today, I had never heard of wheel hangers ... I definitely will be getting a set.

 

03-14-, 12:49 PM Vic Romano  

Location: NNV

For more information, please visit yiyuan.

3,433 posts, read 3,746,637 times

Reputation:

I don't care. I'm used to bolts and never had any problems with them.

 

03-14-, 02:07 PM easy62  

Location: Metro Detroit Michigan

6,980 posts, read 5,411,027 times

Reputation:

It&#;s much harder imo to use bolts if the car is in the air on a hoist.

 

03-14-, 02:37 PM Electrician4you  

Location: Riverside Ca

22,146 posts, read 33,503,954 times

Reputation:

The wheel bolts are actually imo better than studs.

 

03-14-, 03:01 PM J Baustian  

Location: West Des Moines

1,275 posts, read 1,246,724 times

Reputation:

Quote:

jimmy

Originally Posted by

OTOH, with lug studs you either buy the special tool that threads into one of the holes on the hub to help line them up easier, or ....

I have one of those "special tools" aka wheel hanger pins, in the toolkit I keep in my car all the time. I think I paid $3 or $4 but a repair shop I use occasionally hands out free ones to customers. They now retail for $6 or so but in bulk they probably cost a dollar apiece.

 

03-14-, 03:42 PM Katana49  

3,754 posts, read 4,233,863 times

Reputation:

Wheel bolts are the better option in terms of performance and strength. Galvanic corrosion is less of a problem, vs a lugnut. You reduce the number of components involved, and the number of components that can be a problem.

Almost all high performance vehicles utilize wheel bolts. For your average passenger car, it likely doesn't make much of a difference.

Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.

Page 1 of 2

1

2 >

City-Data Forum Message  
Quick Reply The following errors occurred with your submission

Message:

 Posting Quick Reply - Please Wait
« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Automobile Tire Bolt.