What are wheel bolt and wheel stud?

Wheel bolts have a threaded shaft and a tapered head that matches a vehicle’s wheel insert. However, they go in through the wheel insert, through the brake rotor hat, and straight to the hub, locking everything in place. 

Wheel studs also have a threaded shaft, an unthreaded body, a ribbed neck , and a flat head that’s usually round. Wheel studs are usually pressed into the hole, where the ribbing grips the hole and holds them in place. The threaded parts of the studs don’t engage with the hole. They’re then paired with lug nuts.

What is the difference between wheel bolt and wheel stud?

Wheel Studs

• Insertion method — Wheel studs are mounted in the wheel hub, stick out beyond the brake rotor hat, and are then paired with lug nuts.
• Ease of use — Wheel studs stay in place when you remove a vehicle tire, so you don’t have to go through the process of realigning everything upon replacement. This makes for quick and simple tire changes. However, wheel studs can be a pain to replace because you have to get them back out of the hole they were pressed into without destroying the wheel hub.
• Additional parts required — Wheel studs need to be paired with nuts, so you have to purchase and obtain those additional parts. However, the nuts do help wheel studs maintain more consistent torque.

Wheel Bolts

• Insertion method — Wheel bolts are installed in the wheel insert from the front, through the brake rotor hat and directly into the hub.
• Ease of use — When wheel bolts are removed, the brake rotors can rotate freely. This means you have to realign the rotors with the wheel inserts whenever you’re replacing tires. It’s not the most difficult process in the world, but it does add extra time and hassle for regular tire changes. Plus, if any threads are stripped in the hub during the process, the entire hub must be replaced.