Abstract: In a wheel support arrangement of a vehicle drive axle with a hollow axle housing having outer ends on which wheel hubs are rotatably supported by bearings transmitting the wheel loads directly to the axle housing and drive shafts extending through the axle housings and having at their ends outside the axle housing drive shaft flanges connected to the hubs and brake discs or drums mounted on the inner ends of the wheel hubs, the wheel hubs and the outer bearing race ring have essentially the same axial length and the drive shaft flanges and the brake disc or drum flanges have inner diameters smaller than the outer diameter of the outer bearing race ring so as to firmly engage the outer bearing race ring between the drive shaft and the brake disc or drum flanges.