question about wheel bolt pattern | GTAMotorcycle.com

question about wheel bolt pattern

SkyRider

Well-known member
so my car has a 5x114.3 pattern. does this mean i can buy ANY wheel that has the same pattern and it will fit on my car?

thanks.
 
Check the offset of the rim your buying as well.

Some are set for deep dish, ie rear wheel drive. Any wheel shop could tell you what will or wont fit your car.
 
http://www.roadkillcustoms.com/hot-...rn-Cross-Reference-Database.asp#axzz2g3humCQX

Good reference material to see what comes close.

regarding hub size. Bigger is okay as you can get hubcentric rings, but smaller is obviously no go.

Rim offset just means where the flange that bolts to the caliper is in reference to where the tire sits, further into the wheel well or farther out.

Too far out and you will rub the tire on the fender on bumps. Too far in and the rim starts to hit things like the caliper or strut.
 
so my car has a 5x114.3 pattern. does this mean i can buy ANY wheel that has the same pattern and it will fit on my car?

no, some cars have 16" wheels,,, and you won't be able to put 15" on even tho they are the same bolt pattern,,
for the same reason,, some offset won't fit either... as the calipers are in the way...

the wheels with the wrong offset may use plates installed to compensate, if the offset is too little..
too large an offset,, some wheels can be machined to fit..
small center hole, can be machined to fit as well..
the same wheel might have 12mm holes and your vehicle has 14mm studs,,, you can drill out some wheels to fit the larger ...

you might be able to borrow a wheel to check the fit... make sure you check front , and rear fit.. as drum and caliper can make a difference to the dimensions..
 
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the wheels with the wrong offset may use plates installed to compensate, if the offset is too little..
too large an offset,, some wheels can be machined to fit..

You've got it backwards. Offset is the distance of the flange face to the center line of the rim. Smaller offset (than stock) and the wheels will poke. Larger offset and you will need spacers. The offset numbers are usually cast into the inside of alloy rims or stamped in steel rims. It will be ET xx (xx being the distance of the flange from the rim center line in mm).

tech-offset-image2-300x204.jpg
 
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no, some cars have 16" wheels,,, and you won't be able to put 15" on even tho they are the same bolt pattern,,

No, in fact thats rarely the case. A lot of cars come with larger wheels but can easily accommodate a smaller rim and with winter tires this is often desirable as you will get a larger sidewall for a similar diameter tire. Now if your car has 19 inch rims with 15 inch brake rotors you obviously wont be able to put on a 15 inch rim as it wont clear the brake rotor or caliper.
 
another pet peeve-- call them RIMS, and Tires

According to what dictionary? The correct term is in fact wheel. A wheel is composed of a hub, spokes and a rim. The bastardised term began being used back when people put chrime rims on their wheels for style. They might say "nice rims" and other technically correct used of the word, but then the term carried over even after people stopped decorating their wheels with rims.
 
According to what dictionary? The correct term is in fact wheel. A wheel is composed of a hub, spokes and a rim. The bastardised term began being used back when people put chrime rims on their wheels for style. They might say "nice rims" and other technically correct used of the word, but then the term carried over even after people stopped decorating their wheels with rims.


so the tire goes on what ? a wheel ? no, a Tire goes on a rim.

everyone calls them rims. the majority of people do.
you are probably right, but people will think your stupid anyways.
 
I believe if you look up your car on tirerack.com they will tell you the offset on there during the wheel selection. You may need a small spacer, but there's so many variations you may never need it anyway. I got lucky where I had a sweet set of 17" rims (winter) for my Genesis, and they fit like a charm on my Elantra Touring (now summer wheels) just needed to replace the tires to a narrower profile. Completely different cars, but the rims and offsets were identical.
 
Check the offset of the rim your buying as well.

Some are set for deep dish, ie rear wheel drive. Any wheel shop could tell you what will or wont fit your car.
Not 100% true but they can probably tell you what WILL fit. When it comes to what won't you might have to try it. There are so many tire widths and heights along with different offsets that MIGHT work. Usually hard to tell without trying it or at least making some measurements.

For example, on a WRX most places will tell you no 15" wheels will fit. But there are about 2 brands that will. I've got a set. Gives you a little more rubber to absorb pot hole impacts in the winter. Plus I could use one of the 3 sets of 15" snow tires I've got laying around since you get peanuts for selling them. And since I had to order them direct from the factory I had them made to fit both my cars so I can swap back and forth if I'd like.
 
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OP, why don't you tell us what you are trying to do?
(car make, model, fitting bigger wheels, fitting smaller wheels, aftermarket, etc)

Then people here can direct you to specific resources...
 
"Originally Posted by meester_jamie no, some cars have 16" wheels,,, and you won't be able to put 15""
No, in fact thats rarely the case. A lot of cars come with larger wheels but can easily accommodate a smaller rim and with winter tires this is often desirable as you will get a larger sidewall for a similar diameter tire. Now if your car has 19 inch rims with 15 inch brake rotors you obviously wont be able to put on a 15 inch rim as it wont clear the brake rotor or caliper.

well , we'll have to say,, better check then,, my experience has been 16" fit,, 15" won't go past the caliper.... and I have never found one the other way around... of course I know there is a situation as you describe... I am not arguing... I know a million dollars exists,,,, but I have never seen that either! lol
:)
 
You've got it backwards. Offset is the distance of the flange face to the center line of the rim. Smaller offset (than stock) and the wheels will poke. Larger offset and you will need spacers. The offset numbers are usually cast into the inside of alloy rims or stamped in steel rims. It will be ET xx (xx being the distance of the flange from the rim center line in mm).

tech-offset-image2-300x204.jpg


Thanks for pointing that out!

Jamie
 
You won't find a 15 inch steelie that will clear the brakes on a WRX. It comes with 17s and 16 is recommended for snows. There are 2 companies that make 15" allows that fit. Braid is one. Forget the other but I think it's commonly referred to as "TD". Just an example of when you can't always just go for the lower size.
 
Offset is one major thing overlooked by people searching for rims. Hub size another.
The most neglected factor is lug seat type. Honda and VW use ball lug nuts for example, which are rounded, as opposed to conical type used by most manufacturers and aftermarket rims. Ball and conical are NOT compatible. Another common type is mag seat lug nuts, found often on newer Toyotas with aluminum rims.

lug_nut_seat_types.jpg
 
Offset is one major thing overlooked by people searching for rims. Hub size another.
The most neglected factor is lug seat type. Honda and VW use ball lug nuts for example, which are rounded, as opposed to conical type used by most manufacturers and aftermarket rims. Ball and conical are NOT compatible. Another common type is mag seat lug nuts, found often on newer Toyotas with aluminum rims.

lug_nut_seat_types.jpg

Can't you get around that easily by just using different bolts?
 
Can't you get around that easily by just using different bolts?

Absolutely. However ball lug nuts are difficult to find aside from dealerships. They are also manufactured in several different cuts/radiuses. Certain companies even make ball adapters for conical nuts.

So if you want to use a Honda or VW O.E. rim on your car, it may be difficult to find a corresponding lug nut unless you're willing to spend big cash (some dealers charge up to $5 a lug...) Toyota style flat/mag lugs are generally the most expensive type.

Going the other way (as in putting other manufacturers' wheels on Honda, VW and Toyota) is easy though as conical lug nuts are extremely common and popular. I've seen them as low as 30-40 cents a piece.

Vast majority of people do not notice a difference between conical and ball seat types resulting in a situation when you have lugs that have minimal contact with the seat or lugs that damage the seat.
 
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^ +1 on this. For my VW, I used the stock wheels for winter and had an aftermarket set for summer, and I had two complete sets of wheel bolts. (German cars use bolts, not studs and nuts)
 

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