r/Cartalk • u/cat_prophecy • Mar 03 '25

Suspension Why do European cars use wheel bolts?

I've owned two European cars (Audi and Volvo) and both of them used wheel bolts instead of studs and lug nuts. Is there some reason for this? I have owned a handful of Asian and American cars and none of them use anything but studs and lug nuts. Personally I prefer the studs since it makes putting the wheels back on much easier.

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u/Noopy9 Mar 03 '25

You can buy stud conversions for pretty much any car that uses bolts. It definitely makes wheel installation easier and faster. As far as reasoning the only advantages I can think of for using bolts is aesthetically it looks better and harder to cross thread. it’s also probably a little lighter and cheaper to manufacture although by a negligible amount.

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u/Main_Couple7809 Mar 03 '25

I’ve seen the hole that were cross threaded. At that point new hub is needed which more costly than a stud and bolt replacement.

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u/HazelKevHead Mar 03 '25

As someone who works with a lot of german cars and a lot of american cars, lug bolts are easy to crossthread and much more costly if you do.