Just curious. When I recently bought new wheels for my Jeep Cherokee I found out this car doesn’t have lug nuts but rather lug bolts. Are there any particular advantages or disadvantages to lug bolts?
No advantage either way but it will cause another long thread here.
Bolts often on European cars, I think your Cherokee has Fiat roots…
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Lugs are nice to hang the wheel on. I think bolts are a PITA because you can’t hang the wheel to get the threads started.
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+1!
My father’s '59 Plymouth had lug bolts, and changing a tire on that car was a major PIA because of that design.
Why would anyone want to have to hold the tire/wheel in precise alignment with the bolt holes while inserting and tightening those bolts when it is just so much simpler to hang the wheel on lugs while you engage in the tightening process with the lug nuts?
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My GTI had lug bolts, at least the center hub helped hold the wheel up as long as I pushed on it. But a pain compared to lug nuts…
+2 to @SteveCBT
Lug bolts are the worst! Makes tire rotation a real pain. Hate 'em. Makes remounting wheels a back-ache.
If for some reason you bugger the threads up you are into a heli-coil to repair it. Bugger up the threads on a stud. bang it out and pop in a new one.
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They must be cheaper, because otherwise there’s no excuse.
@VDCdriver The plymouth & dodges from mid to late 50’s to early to mid 60’s had a guide pin on the hub & a hole on the wheel for alingment problem was the pin would get broke off after awhile for one reason or another.
+3 to Steve.
I ran into this “lug bolts” on a friend’s new Dodge this past year. What a PITA. 
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Lug bolts sure sound like a pain, What are the threads attached to for a lug bolt?
Gotta agree. When I replaced my trailer hubs, they didn’t have the hubs with the bolts like I’ve always had but got the ones with the bolts. It is a lot easier to mount tires that’s for sure. Only thing is I’m afraid of snapping the studs off which would be more of a problem than with the bolts. Don’t have to tell me to use a torque wrench.
Threaded holes in the hubs. And the bolts also held the hub caps on. Here’s a photo of the bolts.
A nuttier setup I’ve never seen (pardon the pun).
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It can’t possibly be cheaper to thread 5 holes in a hub rather than drill 5 holes and press in a stud and use a nut. Its gotta be convention. Europeans typically use lug bolts, North America uses studs.
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My old VW Rabbit had those lug bolts as I recall. 13 inch wheels weren’t that hefty a lift so I didn’t really have any difficulty getting the wheel on. Just used by boot as a fulcrum to match it up to the first bolt is all. But if you had big, heavy wheels, lug bolts seem problematic unless the hub/wheel designer provide a ledge or something to temporarily hold the wheel in place while fumbling with the bolts.
One advantage of the bolt method, if a lug bolt breaks or is otherwise damaged it is very easy to replace. Just buy a new one. If a lug-stud breaks replacing is a doable thing of course, but a little more difficult for a diy’er than just replacing the bolt. For smaller lightweight wheels, six of one, half dozen of another. For heavy wheels, not so much. For those studs are preferred imo.
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Thank you all for your responses. I agree, it’s much easier to align a wheel with studs than with bolts. Love the car otherwise, I don’t do my own maintenance so it’s no big deal for me.
There are lug bolt wheel guides (tools) available for use with lug bolts. The guides can be considered wheel hangers.
When loosening, remove one or two lug bolts all the way and substitute with wheel guide(s) before removing the remaining bolts. The wheel “hangs” on the guide(s) until you remove it.
For mounting, the guide(s) make placement of the wheel easy.
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To me, it is easier to replace the bolts than the studs. When it comes to convenience, I prefer studs.
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That’s my theory too.
I hope the Japanese never switch to bolts. I like riceburners!
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Lug nuts are a royal pain. Especially with a heavy truck tire/wheel