I keep hearing that "studs are better". I think wheel studs are more convenient for tire changes, but is there something fundamentally stronger about having a stud screwed into a hub, and then a nut holding the wheel to the hub versus a 1 piece wheel bolt?

I'm trying to understand - because it seems like a 1-piece wheel bolt is the equivalent of a a stud with a nut welded onto it. If you tighten a wheel bolt to the same torque as a wheel nut on a stud, what's the difference?

I'm just wanting to understand the materials science / engineering behind it. Perhaps it's not any stronger, it's literally the convenience factor for changing tires that makes studs a superior choice.

~Mitch

 

I don't think one is inherently any stronger than the other, but wheel bolts make running spacers much easier. Just have to get new bolts, instead of having to remove and replace the studs.

 

It's just the convenience factor.

The studs I bought from WMW are designed to use up to a 15mm spacer. When I bought my 949 6UL wheels I had no idea what size spacer I would need, so the studs allowed me to play around with it without having to buy new bolts all the time.

 

Easy to swap wheels for the track. Thats a big benefit. Also if you are always swapping wheels from season to season.

 

I'll go out on a limb and suggest that it is cheaper to manufacture the car with bolts over studs. I much prefer studs but not enough to make the change.

 

Thanks for the input. Other than convenience someone in another group was implying there is a strength or performance benefit.

 

Now that I think about it, probably safer if you have after market wheels that require slightly different stud lengths. If you have capped nuts, they might not tighten/torque correctly. Open lug nuts aren't going to be as nice looking on wheels that no longer have hub caps hiding the stud ends poking through. So aesthetic reasons prevail.

I'm buying my explanation!

 

Good point Minnie! Hadn't considered some non-factory wheels require the bolt/stud length to be different than stock