VW = bass akwards wheel lugs???

[vi edit]

Excuse my lack of proper vocabulary - I'm not an uber car guy 🙂

Anywhoo - On most cars, the bolts/posts (whatever they're called) that you thread through the tire are actually part of the car and attached to the axle(or whatever the end of the axle is called) right? And you line up the holes in the wheel and thread those posts through, and then put on your lug nuts.

Welll, in my VW, those binding posts are actually part of the lugnut. The axle(or whatever it's called) just has holes in it that you screw the lugnuts into. Besides being a pain in the ass to try and do with only two hands - are there any advantages or disadvantages to doing it this way? Is this a normal German thing?

 

[Banana]

My old '84 GTI had the "regular" configuration, not the odd one you described for the Bug.

 

[NutBucket]

VW has done this forever. I don't quite understand why tho. I know Mercedes do as well. As for installing them, I know Mercedes come with a special "lug" that has no head, so you thread that into the axle, put the the wheel on that and then you can install the regular lugs as the wheel is aligned. Then you can simply remove the aligner and install the final lug. I would hope VW would include a $.50 piece of metal to aide you in this.

 

[blackdogdeek]

i think that's how the lugnuts are on my toyota rav4 - the lugs are the actual screws and there are just holes in the end of the axle.

i would think that's a superior design since the previous design seems like the lugs would be prone to getting knocked off or bent maybe?

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: 1YellowPeril
My old '84 GTI had the "regular" configuration, not the odd one you described for the Bug.

Actually, it's a Passat. But I'll forgive you. This time! 😉 😛

NutBucket - I don't remember there being an additional "starter" lug to hold the wheel in place when I changed it. I just had to put my knee under the tire and balance it as I got all the lugs started.

 

[Brutuskend]

The outies our called studs, the innies are called lug bolts. End of axle = Brake drum or rotor (for disk brakes)

Yes the older VW's (and I guess the newer ones do to) are like that, WHY dunno. Advantage dunno. 😉
Dissadvantage, pain in the ASS to get the holes lined up.

 

[Quixfire]

My Mercedes has that lug design and I don't have a problem with it. But if you stripped the hole out it could be more expensive than replacing a stud in a hub or rotor.

 

[Banana]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: 1YellowPeril
My old '84 GTI had the "regular" configuration, not the odd one you described for the Bug.

Actually, it's a Passat. But I'll forgive you. This time! 😉 😛

"Oops . . . " LOL--My recently retired neighbor just bought a new Bug, which really surprised me because I never thought he was someone who'd dig that kinda car. Maybe that's why I was thinking "Bug." 😱

 

[Stark]

Did you get a flat?

I recently had to change out my wife's tire on the passat. It was the most complicated tire change porcess I've seen. I don't think the below-average clueless driver would have a chance if they were stranded in the middle of nowhere. Silly German engineers.

Gotta love the full size spare though. 🙂

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Stark
Did you get a flat?

I recently had to change out my wife's tire on the passat. It was the most complicated tire change porcess I've seen. I don't think the below-average clueless driver would have a chance if they were stranded in the middle of nowhere. Silly German engineers.

Gotta love the full size spare though. 🙂

UHG! Don't get me started. Luckily I pulled over in a very friendly neighborhood and the owner of the house that I stopped in front of let me borrow his hydraulic jack. I think I need a mechanical engineering degree to figure out how to use the jack that comes with the car.

😕

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: 1YellowPeril
My old '84 GTI had the "regular" configuration, not the odd one you described for the Bug.

Actually, it's a Passat. But I'll forgive you. This time! 😉 😛

NutBucket - I don't remember there being an additional "starter" lug to hold the wheel in place when I changed it. I just had to put my knee under the tire and balance it as I got all the lugs started.

Well, you could always make one yourself. Get an appropriately threaded bolt that's longer then it need to be a chop off the head. Then just carry a set of pliers in case you can't get a good grip on it once the wheel is on.

 

[CraigRT]

OMG that would peeve me so much... that would be very hard to work with....

I lke the normal style... break a stud... hammer it out and replace with a new one..

works for me!