The Chevy Cruze nameplate, despite being only around 2 decades old compared to other models, has undergone a lot of changes in its design and specifications.
One such specification is its bolt pattern, which would be the main focus of this article among other relevant things.
If you plan on changing your Chevy Cruze’s wheels, then it’s important to consider the specific bolt pattern of the Cruze generation that you have.
We’ve also included details of the Suzuki Ignis-derived Cruze to complete our list, which was originally sold in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
What is the bolt pattern of a Chevy Cruze?
All gasoline-powered and 1.6 diesel-powered Chevy Cruzes have a bolt pattern of 5×4.13 inches (5x105mm).
2.0 and 1.7 diesel-powered Chevy Cruzes were fitted with a 5×4.53-inch (5x115mm) bolt pattern.
Suzuki Ignis-based Cruzes from 2001 to 2008 all had a 4×3.94-inch (4x100mm) bolt pattern.
As seen above, just knowing whether or not your Cruze is gasoline (petrol) or diesel-powered can already narrow down the possible bolt patterns that it may have by a lot.
Only the Cruze from the early 2000s tends to stick out like a sore thumb, as it used a smaller 4-lug pattern due to its overall dimensions being shared with the Suzuki Ignis platform.
But when it comes to explaining the other bolt and wheel specifications of each Chevy Cruze, it’s not going to be as straightforward as its bolt pattern.
Since these other specifications are also very important to consider when fitting new wheels, we’ve listed all of them according to the generation for you.
Wheel and Bolt Specifications for the Chevy Cruze
For the Chevy Cruze’s bolt specifications, we have included its center bore diameter, wheel fastener, thread size, and torque specification.
The center bore of each Cruze will be dependent on which of the previously-discussed bolt patterns it has.
As for the wheel specifications, they’ll simply be a combination of the tire and rim sizes available within a certain trim level.
We would like to note that each generation of the Chevy Cruze, excluding the Ignis-based one, includes a set of facelift model production years.
These production years have their own set of wheel specifications based on the trim level (engine size).
Also, to avoid confusion with an influx of trim levels, the details of the 2nd-generation Cruze will be specifically for the US domestic market (USDM) only.
2nd-Generation Cruze (J400) (2016 – Present)
The 2nd-generation USDM Cruze, with the “J400” designation, is divided into two separate production years for the facelift (2019 to present) and pre-facelift (2016 – 2019) models.
While the bolt specifications are shared among all of the 2nd-generation Cruze models, the facelift models starting from 2021 have only one wheel specification that’s unique to them.
This is due to the discontinuation of the 1.6 diesel-powered trim level for the 2021 model year, leaving the gasoline-powered 1.4T as the sole option from that point on.
In contrast, the pre-facelift Cruze had more wheel specifications overall and even two different center bore diameters depending on the engine.
The pre-facelift 1.4T had 3 different tire and rim sizes, while the 1.6TD (Turbo Diesel) had the same wheel specification that can be found on the facelift version.
Center Bore Diameter: 56.6mm (Gasoline), 70.2mm (Diesel)
Wheel Fastener: Lug Nuts (5)
Thread Size: M12x1.5
Torque Spec: 103lb-ft (140Nm)
2019 – Present (Facelift)
| Trim Level | Tire Size | Rim Size |
| 1.4T | 215/50R17 | 7Jx17 ET44 |
| 1.6TD (2019 – 2020) | 205/55R16 | 7Jx16 ET41 |
2016 – 2019 (Pre-Facelift)
| Trim Level | Tire Size | Rim Size |
1.4T | 195/65R15 | 6Jx15 ET41 |
| 205/55R16 | 7Jx16 ET41 | |
| 225/45R17 | 7.5Jx17 ET44 | |
| 1.6TD | 205/55R16 | 7Jx16 ET41 |
1st-Generation Cruze (J300) (2009 – 2018)
The 1st-generation Cruze, known as the J300, also underwent a facelift of its own, which led to a variety of trim levels and wheel specifications depending on the production year.
Even with the 2nd-generation Cruze already kicking off in 2016, the production of the 1st-generation Cruze continued until 2018 via the facelift model.
Cruzes manufactured from 2009 to 2012 were the “pre-facelift” models, while the facelift models were further split into those made from 2012 to 2015, and 2015 to 2018.
Due to the complicated nature of this split, we listed the details in a way that summarizes all of the possible trim levels and wheel specifications regardless of the year they were offered.
Other than that, the bolt specifications will remain the same for all of them. Just take note of the center bore difference between gasoline and diesel options that we’ve discussed earlier.
Center Bore Diameter: 56.6mm (Gasoline), 70.2mm (2.0/1.7 Diesel)
Wheel Fastener: Lug Nuts (5)
Thread Size: M12x1.5
Torque Spec: 103lb-ft (140Nm)
2012 – 2018 (Facelift)
| Trim Level | Tire Size | Rim Size |
1.4L | 205/60R16215/60R16 | 6.5Jx16 ET39 |
| 215/50R17215/55R17 | 7Jx17 ET42 | |
1.6L | 205/60R16215/60R16 | 6.5Jx16 ET39 |
| 215/50R17 | 7Jx17 ET42 | |
1.7TD | 205/60R16 | 6.5Jx16 ET41 |
| 225/50R17 | 7Jx17 ET44 | |
1.8L | 205/60R16215/60R16 | 6.5Jx16 ET39 |
| 215/50R17 | 7Jx17 ET42 | |
| 205/60R16 | 6.5Jx16 ET41 | |
| 2.0L | 215/55R17225/50R17 | 7Jx17 ET44 |
2009 – 2012 (Pre-Facelift)
| Trim Level | Tire Size | Rim Size |
1.4T | 215/60R16 | 6.5Jx16 ET39 |
| 215/55R17 | 7Jx17 ET42 | |
1.6L1.8L | 205/65R15 | 6.5Jx15 ET39 |
| 205/60R16 | 6.5Jx16 ET39 | |
| 215/50R17 | 7Jx17 ET42 | |
2.0L | 205/60R16 | 6.5×16 ET41 |
| 225/50R17 | 7Jx17 ET44 |
Chevrolet Cruze (Suzuki Ignis Platform) (2001 – 2008)
The “Cruze” nameplate was first used by General Motors to refer to the subcompact hatchback that was based on the Suzuki Ignis.
From 2001 to 2008, the Ignis-based Cruze was sold with either a 1.3 or a 1.5-liter engine option in only a select few countries.
It also came with either a front-wheel drive (FWD) or an all-wheel drive (AWD) system.
But despite all of these options, there was only one tire-and-rim combination that was offered from the factory for every single one of them.
Even the bolt specifications were exactly the same as the ones found on the Suzuki Ignis, which was expected.
Center Bore Diameter: 54.1mm
Wheel Fastener: Lug Nuts (4)
Thread Size: M12x1.25
Torque Spec: 63lb-ft (85Nm)
| Trim Level | Tire Size | Rim Size |
| All Trims | 165/65R15 | 6Jx15 ET45 |
How to Properly Tighten the Bolts on the Chevy Cruze
The proper way to tighten the bolts on the Chevy Cruze will be dependent on the number of lugs used on the bolt pattern
As you may have noticed earlier, all of the 1st and 2nd-generation Chevy Cruze models utilize a 5-lug pattern despite the diesel and gasoline variants having different diameters.
On the other hand, the Suzuki Ignis-derived Cruze uses only a 4-lug pattern, as denoted by its 4×3.94-inch (4x100mm) bolt pattern.
Keeping these in mind, we will be guiding you on how to properly tighten the bolts on both a 4-lug and 5-lug pattern using the diagrams below.
The diagram on the left shows the 4-lug tightening pattern, which simply demonstrates how to tighten the lug nuts following a criss-cross pattern.
The 5-lug diagram on the right shows that you need to follow a star-shaped pattern as you’re tightening one lug nut after another.
When you have raised the car off the ground using jack stands, only tighten the lug nuts to about half of the recommended torque value.
You should only tighten them to the full torque specification of 103lb-ft (1st and 2nd-generation Cruze) or 63lb-ft (Ignis-based Cruze) if you already lowered the car back to the ground.
It’s a lot safer and easier to put force on the torque wrench that you’re using if all four wheels are firmly planted on the ground.
After this, it’s generally industry practice to drive the car for about 50 miles and check the tightness of the lug nuts again afterward.
Retighten them the same way as explained above if you notice any changes in their torque value.
Changing the Chevy Cruze’s Tires
If you still keep the factory-recommended wheels on your Cruze, then it’s also a good time to talk about its tires.
No matter what set of wheels you go for, the tires will be your car’s main point of contact with the road.
Therefore, it’s important to be aware of just how much life you still have on your tires by learning about the proper tire change and rotation interval.
As with other Chevrolet models, the factory tires on the Cruze will last for about 60,000 to 75,000 miles (97,000 to 121,000km) depending on how frequently you drive.
If you’re not entirely sure about just how many miles you’ve already accumulated on your tires, then you can either resort to doing the “penny test” or looking for your tire’s “indicator bars”.
As shown on the left image, insert a penny in between the tire treads with Lincoln’s head first. If you can’t see half of his head, then that means your tires are still good to go.
If you see his entire head, then your treads are already too thin and it’s time to swap your tires for new ones.
The right image shows the tread wear indicator bars, which start off deep within the grooves on newer tires.
When your tires are already worn out to the point where these bars are already at the same level as your treads, then it’s time for a tire change.
Rotating the Chevy Cruze’s Tires
As for the hows and whens of the Chevy Cruze’s tire rotation, it’s going to depend on whether it’s an FWD or AWD one.
Remember that the “AWD” mentioned is only in reference to the Ignis-based Cruze, which offered both FWD and AWD systems during its time.
Generally, tires on FWD cars should be rotated every 5,000 to 7,500 miles (8,000 to 12,000km) while following the “forward cross” pattern demonstrated below.
AWD cars, however, should have their tires rotated a bit sooner at 3,000 to 5,000 miles (4,800 to 8000km) with the “rearward cross” pattern instead.
