It can be quite a frustrating experience to find out that your dream set of 5×112 wheels doesn’t really match your car’s 5×114.3 bolt pattern.
It’s much like the saying “If the shoe fits, then wear it”. But the good news is that there are some proven ways to make a wheel and a hub fit together perfectly that even Cinderella would be jealous of.
So before you attempt to drill more holes in your shiny new wheels, here are some “less invasive” methods to mounting them on your ride!
Can you put 5×112 wheels on a 5×114.3 bolt pattern/PCD?
It’s possible to put 5×112 wheels on a 5×114.3 bolt pattern by using either adapters, wobble nuts (PCD adjusting lug nuts), or hub-centric rings depending on your vehicle and wheel setup.
When you first find out that the wheels you really want don’t exactly match your car’s bolt pattern, you may be tempted to think that all hope is lost as you can’t give your car the makeover you always dreamed of.
However, things aren’t exactly that black and white when it comes to wheel fitment, which is why there is a way to fit something like a 5×112 wheel on a 5×114.3 car safely, as many people have already achieved.
With today’s tech and equipment used to modify your pride and joy, we managed to find ways to fit unidentical wheel bolt patterns (also called PCDs) by using adapters, hub-centric rings, and the so-called “wobble nuts”.
There’s also the alternative of re-drilling the bolt pattern of the wheels to accommodate your ride’s wheel studs, but that should really be just a last resort that’s combined with the other options when deemed necessary.
Thus, to figure out which method is applicable to your case, let’s further dissect each one in the next part to help you fit those sweet new rims!
What do you need to fit 5×112 wheels on a 5×114.3 bolt pattern?
A 5×112 wheel may be fitted on a 5×114.3 bolt pattern using wheel adapters that can adapt to both your bolt pattern and hub bore size.
Hub-centric rings may also be used if your 5×112 wheel’s bore size is larger, while wobble nuts can allow the pairing of bolt patterns with up to 2 or 3mm difference.
Using Adapters
Wheel adapters, or PCD (pitch circle diameter) adapters, are commonplace in the world of wheel fitment, and there are dozens of variations depending on which two bolt patterns you’re trying to pair.
This means that if you’re trying to fit a 5×112 wheel on a car with a 5×114.3 bolt pattern, then you specifically need to search for a wheel adapter that’s made for this particular conversion.
When you look online, you may notice that some shops sell such adapters as “5×112 to 5×4.5” instead, but this is exactly the same since the “4.5” is in inches, and when converted, you get 114.3 mm.
The way the wheel adapter works is that you’re going to be fitting it on your car’s wheel studs or lugs, and then using the studs of the adapter to fit your new wheels properly.
In the case of a 5×114.3 bolt pattern, you would have 5 studs or lugs in total, so naturally, you will also be using a wheel adapter that also has 5 studs on it, except that they make a 112-mm diameter this time around.
Depending on your vehicle model, you may even find some wheel adapters that are a lot more versatile and do more than just convert your bolt pattern. Some can also allow you to convert your hub size to match your chosen wheel’s hub bore
If you’re unable to find an adapter that matches your wheel’s hub bore, then that’s what hub-centric rings are for, which is our next topic!
Using Hub-Centric Rings
Apart from getting your car’s bolt pattern to match that of your wheels, you also need to consider the size of the hub bore (or center bore), which is the big hole in the middle of your wheel that you mount on the car’s hub.
To ensure that your wheel sits properly snug on the hub with no extra movement, there should not be any difference between your wheel hub bore and the size of your hub, and this is where hub-centric rings come in.
Hub-centric rings, which are usually made of plastic or metal, fill in the gap between the mounting points of the wheel’s center bore and the hub of the car. Hence, these rings are essential when your wheel’s center bore is larger than your hub size.
If you don’t run hub-centric rings, then the gap created will cause your wheels to vibrate a lot while also passing a lot more load on the lugs or studs instead, which can also potentially break off and result in a wheel coming loose.
Of course, the size and thickness of the hub-centric ring you need will depend on how big of a difference your wheel hub bore has to your hub size.
For instance, if your wheel hub bore measures 70.1mm and your hub only measures 65.1mm, then you need to go for a “70.1 – 65.1” hub-centric ring.
Using Wobble Nuts (PCD Adjusting/Variation Nuts)
Another alternative to getting your 5×112 wheel to fit on your 5×114.3 hub is by using “wobble nuts” or PCD variation nuts (bolts may also be used depending on the car).
Wobble nuts, despite what their name suggests, do not cause your wheels to wobble, but are rather specialized nuts designed to “float” or give an allowance of about 2 to 3mm (depending on the nut) between different PCDs or bolt patterns.
Aside from the 2 to 3mm allowance, it’s also important to consider the shape of your wheel’s lug seats, as most PCD variation nuts are designed with either a conical or tapered seat that measures 60 degrees for normal everyday applications.
A wobble nut or a PCD variation nut has a lug seat that’s separate from the main body of the lug, which allows it to shift either +2mm or -2mm back and forth. Some wobble nuts are also sold with a maximum of 3mm variation.
The way that this works when fitting a 5×112 wheel on a 5×114.3 bolt pattern is that the wider part of the lug seat will be able to sit firmly on the mating surface. It’ll allow the lug body to shift freely while still providing a clamping foundation when torqued.
Thus, you need to make sure that you familiarize your wheel’s lug seat type before using wobble nuts since another pro to using them is that you don’t have to re-drill your wheel to accommodate the hub’s lugs in the first place.
Is it safe to fit 5×112 wheels on a 5×114.3 car?
It’s safe to fit 5×112 wheels on a 5×114.3 car as long as you use the correct-sized equipment and get it done at a reputable shop.
Some adapters, hub-centric rings, and wobble nuts are designed for 5×112 to 5×114.3 applications, so opt for those and consider pairing them up with each other.
The question of whether it’s safe to get different-sized bolt patterns to match each other really depends on the type of equipment you’re using and whether you (or your chosen mechanic) know what you’re doing.
If you asked people decades ago, then they would have said it’s way too risky and you would be better off actually buying a set of wheels with the correct bolt pattern for your car.
But with today’s endless inventory of aftermarket parts for every car, there are proper ways to get mismatched bolt patterns to work with each other, and that includes a 5×112 wheel and a 5×114.3 hub.
One of the most important things that make this sort of conversion possible (and safe) is simply getting your hands on the correct equipment or hardware.
As an example, if you’re in need of a wheel adapter for your specific setup, then there are wheel adapters that are specified for 5×112 to 5×114.3 applications. Any other adapter measurement will otherwise not fit right and will then be considered unsafe.
This also applies to hub-centric rings and wobble nuts, which are both recommended and commonly used when fitting 5×112 wheels on a 5×114.3 hub bolt pattern.
Ideally, a combination of an adapter, a hub-centric, and some wobble nuts would be your safest bet, assuming all three of them can actually be applicable to your wheel conversion.
Now, assuming you’ve got the hardware down but don’t exactly know how or have the proper tools to do it, then it’s also really important that you get a trustworthy shop that’s experienced in doing proper wheel conversions to do it for you.
Is drilling/re-drilling safe when fitting 5×112 wheels on a 5×114.3 bolt pattern?
Re-drilling your 5×112 wheels to fit a 5×114.3 bolt pattern is generally not recommended unless you’ve already exhausted all other options like installing adapters, hub-centric rings, and wobble nuts.
It’s quite a common practice to re-drill wheels in order to change their bolt pattern, but it can be considered unsafe depending on your wheel’s construction.
If you were to re-drill cast wheels, then their structural integrity may be more compromised compared to when you re-drill forged wheels or “blank” wheels that have no bolt pattern yet.
Also, re-drilling is more of a “last resort” or just an optional step when getting 5×112 wheels to fit on 5×114.3 hubs, in particular.
At least if you were to install things such as adapters, hub-centric rings, and wobble nuts, you can easily remove them afterward if you change your mind. But once you re-drill your wheels, you can’t really go back.
How do I know if my rims are 5×112?
If your rim has 5 lug holes, then that would be its lug/bolt count (5). If the distance between the center of one lug hole and the far end of the opposing hole is 112mm, then your rim has a bolt pattern of 5×112.
5×112 to 5×114.3 Sample Build: 1987 Ford Mustang Fox Body (Stalker Vert)
Arguably one of the most well-known (and cleanest) “5×112 to 5×114.3” builds on the internet is that of a 1987 Ford Mustang Fox Body that goes by the name “Stalker Vert”.
Owned by “The Infamous Project”, Stalker Vert sits on a rare set of 18-inch Borbet Type A wheels with a staggered fitment and a bolt pattern of 5×112.
However, the SN95-converted hubs on Stalker Vert have a bolt pattern of 5×114.3, which is very different from the usual 4×108 on a stock Fox Body Mustang. Either way, the 5×112 was not going to fit just then and there.
To get the Borbet wheels to fit, the wheel offset had to be considered first, which measured +26mm for the front and +16mm for the rear.
For Stalker Vert’s case, the initial idea of using adapters with the right bolt pattern and hub bore was a no-go since the Borbet wheels have an aggressive offset and would make the wheels poke out more than preferred.
Instead, the owner opted to bore out the Borbet wheels’ 66-mm hub bore 4mm more to match the SN95 hub’s 70-mm bore.
Otherwise, if it was the other way around and the hub’s bore was smaller than that of the wheels’, then you would need to use hub-centric rings to fill in the gap.
Afterward, a set of 1/2-inch UNF wobble nuts (PCD variation nuts) was used to actually address the differences in PCD (pitch circle diameter) between the Borbet wheels (112mm) and the SN95 hubs (114.3mm).
The wobble nuts allow the inner part of the nut to shift and adjust up to 2mm while still keeping the wider nut housing/body firmly mounted on the wheel’s mating surface.
This was done so that there wouldn’t be a need to “re-drill” the wheels’ bolt pattern to fit the 5×114.3 hub.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
