Dieter,
I can't tell you WHY this design is used but I do know that Mercedes
Benz and some other German manufacturers STILL use it today.
To make wheel changing easier, MB includes a handy little tool along
with the jack and lug wrench. It's a long threaded rod that you
install in the brake rotor after removing one of the lug bolts. Then,
when you remove the other 4 bolts the wheel doesn't fall right off --
you slide it off the rod. Same for installing a wheel. You eyeball the
rod location and then position the wheel to line up with it during
installation. You may want to buy a 4" long bolt that fits the drum
threads and saw the head off to make a similar tool.
Pete in PA
(who just took the snow tires off his MB yesterday)
From: Dietz800@xxxxxxx
Just the other day I had to pull of the wheels of my 55 Newport. What
threw me a curve was, that the front wheel {drivers side } was
fastened with left threaded lugnuts. I had another suprise coming - the
rear wheels, also left threaded, are mounted with BOLTS going INTO the
drum instead of studs sticking permanently OUT of the drum like on the
front wheels. Remounting the rear wheels is therefore so difficult to
do, one has not only to lift the wheel {50 LBS}, hold it in place and
then trying to find and thread the bolt into the brake drum.
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