The $D$-wave admixture in quarkonium wave functions is acquired from the photonlike structure of $V\to Q\overline{Q}$ transition in the light-front frame widely used in the literature. Such a $D$-wave ballast is not justified by any nonrelativistic model for $Q-\overline{Q}$ interaction potential and leads to falsified predictions for the cross sections in heavy quarkonium production in ultraperipheral nuclear collisions. We analyze this negative role of $D$-wave contribution by comparing with our previous studies based on a simple non-photon-like “$S$-wave-only” $V\to Q\overline{Q}$ transition in the $Q\overline{Q}$ rest frame.