What Are Wheel Studs and Wheel Bolts?

Wheel studs have a threaded shaft, an unthreaded body, a ribbed neck (usually), and a flat head that’s usually round (but not always). Yes, there are a few ifs and usuallys in that sentence, but that’s the complex nature of the fastener industry for you.

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.

Every characteristic listed above describes the most popular type of wheel stud: press-in. However, there is another type of wheel stud that is used pretty commonly as well: screw-in.

Screw-in wheel studs are a bit different and a little less common. They have a continuously threaded shaft all the way up to the head, which is usually a hex head. They’re installed by screwing them directly into the hole where the threads directly engage the hole and holding them in place.

Wheel bolts also 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. They aren’t generally paired with nuts.