What is a wheel bolt pattern?

A bolt pattern is the arrangement of bolts on a wheel — how many bolts and the diameter of the imaginary circle that passes through their centers. E.g., 5x100 means 5 bolts on a 100mm circle. It's the key number that determines if the wheel will bolt onto your hub.

How can I measure a bolt pattern at home?

For even bolt patterns (4, 6 bolts): measure from the center of one hole to the center of the hole directly opposite. For odd bolt patterns (5 bolts): measure from the center of one hole to the center of a NON-adjacent hole, then multiply by 1.051. Or take the wheel to a workshop with a bolt pattern gauge.

Do wheel spacers fix different bolt patterns?

No. A wheel spacer pushes the wheel further from the hub while maintaining the same bolt pattern. Bolt pattern adapters (which convert, for example, 4x100 to 5x100) exist but are dangerous — they increase stress on wheel bearings and are often illegal. A different bolt pattern means the wrong wheel.

Will a 5x100 wheel fit a 5x112 car?

No. There's a 12mm difference in the bolt circle diameter. The bolts won't align. There's no safe adaptation. These are mutually exclusive patterns.

What are the most common bolt patterns?

4x100 (popular cars: Gol, old Onix, HB20, Fiesta, Ka, Fit). Then 5x100 (Golf, old Fox, Saveiro), 5x108 (newer Fords: Focus, Fusion, old Ranger), 5x114.3 (Japanese cars: Civic, modern Corolla, Sentra).

Can I use a 6x139 wheel on a 6x114 car?

No. There's a 25mm difference in the bolt circle. These are completely different patterns. 6x139.7 is the Toyota/Mitsubishi/Ford T6 pattern. 6x114.3 is the Navara/new S10/Colorado pattern.

PCD stands for Pitch Circle Diameter. It's the technical term for a bolt pattern. "5x100" means a 100mm PCD with 5 bolt holes. International sites often use PCD; local shops might use 'bolt pattern'. The meaning is identical.

Wheel Bolt Pattern Guide: The Complete Guide — 4x100, 4x108, 5x100, 5x110, 5x114.3, 5x120, and 6x139.7

All Common Bolt Patterns Explained: Which Cars Use Them, What's Interchangeable, and Why Spacers Aren't a Universal Fix

Every day I receive at least one message: "I bought a beautiful wheel on Mercado Livre, it arrived home, and it doesn't fit my car. Now what?"

99% of the time, it's the wrong bolt pattern. The person bought a 5x100 wheel for a 5x108 car. An 8-millimeter difference. It seems small — but it's the difference between bolting on and not bolting on.

This guide is the complete map of common bolt patterns. Which car uses which pattern, what's interchangeable, and the most common mistakes I see weekly.

What is a Bolt Pattern (PCD) — The Basics

A bolt pattern is the arrangement of bolts that secure the wheel to the hub. It has two numbers:

Number of holes: 4, 5, or 6 (rarely 3, 7, or 8 on specific cars)
PCD (Pitch Circle Diameter): the diameter in millimeters of the imaginary circle that passes through the center of the bolt holes

Example: 5x100 = 5 holes, 100mm PCD. 6x139.7 = 6 holes, 139.7mm PCD.

Both numbers must match. A 5x100 wheel will NOT fit a 5x108 car. Period.

Why There's No Easy Adaptation

A wheel bolt is designed to pass through the wheel's hole and thread into the hub. If the positions don't match, you can't force it — there's no compatible thread.

There are "bolt pattern adapters" (wheel adapters) that convert one PCD to another. E.g., a 5x100 → 5x114.3 adapter. How it works: a metal plate with threads on the hub side (5x100) and threaded studs on the wheel side (5x114.3). You bolt the plate to the hub, then the wheel to the plate.

Problems:

Illegal in most cases (requires engineering certification)
Increases stress on the wheel bearing (plate + wheel = greater leverage arm)
Quality varies greatly — a cheap adapter can crack
In an impact, it's an extra point of failure

In practice: a different bolt pattern = the wrong wheel. Forget adapters.

Common Bolt Patterns — Complete Catalog

3x112

Very rare. Old Fiat 126, some very specific European cars. Not found in the modern market.

4x98 (Fiat until 1995)

Historic Fiat pattern. Old Uno, Panda, old Tempra, Prêmio. Hard to find aftermarket wheels — it migrated to 4x100 in 1996. Today, only those restoring classic cars look for it.

4x100 (The Popular Choice)

Most common. Used in:

Volkswagen Gol, Voyage, Parati, Saveiro, Fox until 2014
Chevrolet Celta, Corsa Classic, Onix until 2019, old Prisma, Cobalt
Ford Fiesta, Ka, old Escort
Hyundai HB20, old i30
Honda Fit until 2014, old City
Fiat Palio, Siena, Strada, Uno (1996+), Punto, Idea, Linea
Renault Clio, Logan, Sandero, old Duster (2010-2014)
Toyota Etios
Monza, Kadett, Calibra (GM Opel models)

Hub varies: 54.1mm (Honda, Hyundai), 56.6mm (Chevrolet, Monza, Kadett), 58.1mm (Fiat), 65.1mm (Renault).

4x108 (Ford / Peugeot / Citroën)

French-American pattern:

Ford Escort XR3, old European Ka
Peugeot 206, 207, 208, 2008 (until ~2020)
Citroën C3, C3 Aircross, Xsara
Old Nissan Versa (not the current one)

Hub 63.4mm (Ford/Peugeot), 67.1mm (Nissan).

5x100 (Volkswagen / Small Audi)

Compact German pattern:

Volkswagen Golf Mk4 / Mk5 / Mk6, Polo, current Fox, Up!, Virtus
Audi A3 8P until 2013 (then changed to 5x112)
Volkswagen Bora, Jetta Mk5
Skoda Fabia, Octavia until 2013
Subaru WRX, STi, Impreza, Forester (all generations)
Toyota Prius

Hub 57.1mm (VW/Audi/Skoda) or 56.1mm (Subaru).

5x105 (Modern Chevrolet)

Relatively new:

Chevrolet Onix Plus / New Onix (2020+)
New Chevrolet Tracker, Spin, Cobalt (2016+)
Chevrolet Trailblazer

Hub 56.6mm.

5x108 (Modern Ford)

Global Ford change in the 2000s:

Ford Focus Mk2 / Mk3
Ford Fusion, Mondeo
Ford EcoSport (2013+)
First-generation Ford Edge
Volvo S60, S80, V70 (Ford partnership in the 2000s)

Hub 63.4mm.

5x110 (European FCA)

Alfa Romeo/Italian Fiat pattern:

Jeep Compass, Renegade
Fiat Toro, 500X, Pulse, Fastback
Current Fiat Tipo
Alfa Romeo Giulietta, Giulia (some markets)

Hub 65.1mm.

5x112 (Modern Premium VAG)

Premium German pattern:

Volkswagen Jetta Mk6, Passat B7+, Tiguan, Touareg
Audi A3 8V+ (2013+), A4, A5, Q3, Q5
Mercedes-Benz A-Class, C-Class, E-Class
Skoda Octavia RS, Superb
SEAT Leon Cupra, Ateca

Hub 57.1mm (VW/Audi) or 66.5mm (Mercedes).

5x114.3 (Japanese and American)

Global Asian-American pattern:

Honda Civic (all modern generations), HR-V, Accord, CR-V
Toyota Corolla, Camry, Yaris sedan, old Etios hatch
Nissan Sentra, current Versa, Kicks, old Frontier
Mitsubishi Lancer, Eclipse Cross, ASX
Hyundai Elantra, Tucson, Santa Fe
Kia Cerato, Sportage, Sorento
Mazda 3, 6, CX-5, MX-5
Modern Ford Fusion (some markets)

Hub varies: 64.1mm (Honda), 60.1mm (Toyota/Nissan), 67.1mm (Mitsubishi/Mazda/Kia/Hyundai).

5x120 (BMW and some Land Rover)

Classic BMW pattern:

BMW 1 Series, 2 Series, 3 Series, 4 Series (up to recent models)
Historic BMW 5 Series, 6 Series, 7 Series (changed to 5x112 in modern E-chassis)
Land Rover Discovery (up to 2nd generation)
Range Rover Sport

Hub 72.6mm.

5x127 (American GM)

Imported American cars:

Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette
Dodge Challenger, Charger (SRT)
Jeep Wrangler (some years)

Very rare.

6x114.3 (Modern Pickups)

New pickup pattern:

Chevrolet S10 (2013+)
Current Nissan Frontier / NP300
Nissan Navara
American Colorado

Hub 66.1mm.

6x139.7 (Classic Pickups)

Most common pattern for mid-size/full-size pickups:

Toyota Hilux, SW4
Mitsubishi L200 Triton
Ford Ranger (2013+, T6)
Old Nissan Frontier (until 2017)
Old Chevrolet S10 (until 2012)
Isuzu D-Max

Hub 93.1mm (Ranger) or 106.1mm (Hilux, L200, old Frontier, old S10).

5x205 (Old Air-cooled VW — Beetle, Kombi, Brasilia)

Unique worldwide. Beetle, Kombi, Brasilia, TL, SP2, Variant 1/2. Wheels only interchange among these cars or with a special adapter.

Hub 106mm.

How to Measure at Home

With a digital caliper, 10 minutes:

Even Bolt Patterns (4 or 6 bolts)

Measure center-to-center of 2 diametrically opposed holes. E.g., 4 holes, measure between hole 1 and hole 3 (across). The direct result is the PCD. E.g., 100mm between opposite holes = 4x100.

Odd Bolt Patterns (5 bolts)

There is no diametrically opposed hole. Calculate like this:

Measure center-to-center between 2 NON-adjacent holes (skip 1)
Multiply by 1.0515
Approximate result = PCD

E.g.: hole 1 to hole 3 measures 95.2mm. 95.2 x 1.0515 = 100.1 → 5x100.

Alternative: go to a workshop or tire shop; most have a bolt pattern gauge.

What's Naturally Interchangeable

Bolt pattern matches + hub matches = direct swap (sometimes a hub centric ring is needed). Practical list:

Celta / Corsa / old Onix / Monza / Kadett: 4x100, 56.6mm hub — direct swap
Gol / Voyage / Parati / Saveiro / old Fox: 4x100, 57.1mm hub — same
Fit / City / HB20 / old i30: 4x100, 54.1mm hub — same
Civic / Corolla / Sentra / Kicks: 5x114.3 (different hub, needs ring)
Hilux / L200 / Ranger T6 / old Frontier: 6x139.7 (hub varies, ring helps)
Compass / Renegade / Toro: 5x110, 65.1mm hub — direct swap (offset differs)

Common Bolt Pattern Mistakes

Confusing 5x100 with 5x114.3. Gol with 5x100 (Gol G5+ 1.0 MI had it), Corolla with 5x114.3. Seller says "it fits, it's 5-lug." It doesn't fit at all.

Thinking 5x105 is 5x100. New Onix vs. old Onix. 5 mm difference. The bolt won't reach. A very common mistake.

Buying "pickup truck" wheels without knowing which pickup. 6x114.3 vs. 6x139.7. Different.

Cheap adapters. Ignore them. Dangerous.

If Your Car is Rare

Some cars have exotic bolt patterns:

Peugeot 504: 5x118
Hyundai Tucson 2006-2008: 5x114.3 with a unique hub
SsangYong Kyron: 6x114.3 but 67.1mm hub (rare)
Old Mitsubishi Pajero: 6x139.7 with 67mm hub (requires hub reducer)

In these cases, consult the manual or bring your old wheel with you for comparison.

Before You Buy

Always confirm 3 numbers before finalizing your purchase:

PCD (e.g., 5x114.3)
Hub bore (e.g., 64.1mm)
Offset (ET, e.g., +40)

If the listing doesn't have these 3 numbers, don't buy. Ask. If they don't respond, move on.

And before anything else, use the simulator. Put the wheel on, place it on your car, see if it matches. It costs little — but saves you from a costly pitfall.