Wheel Bolt Patterns

[bowlofturtle]

Anyone know the reason why some cars do it one vs the other?

I figured the OE car companies could dictate to the wheel/hub makers what they wanted.

Hondas used to be 4 or 5 bolt in the 90's and now are pretty much 5 x114.3
VW used to be 5x120 and now are 5 x112.
Subaru used to be 5x100 and then now 114.3

While 5x114.3 seems to be one of the more popular ones for Japanese cars. I just wondered about the logic.

I have no experience of Domestic cars but I figure they change patterns as well randomly.

 

[paulo57509]

IMO, likely design (not the wheel) that dictates wheel bolt patterns. That and not having to manufacture (purchase) a bunch of different wheels from suppliers.

 

[skyactiv]

The older heavier Subaru's were 5X100 but switched to a larger pattern because those vehicles tended to have a higher rate of wheel bearing failure vs other auto makers. The Impreza still uses 5X100. Subaru uses a larger wheel bearing in vehicles with the 5X114 pattern.

 

[RooflessVW]

VW has never been 5x120 but my Honda is

 

[tasch72]

I believe its vehicle weight, wheel bearing size, and axle diameter that guides bolt pattern.

Seems like the most common are 4x100, 5x114.3, and 6x139.7

 

[Jimmy_Russells]

Hondas used to be 4 or 5 bolt in the 90's and now are pretty much 5 x114.3

Some are 5-120 now

VW used to be 5x120 and now are 5 x112.

I've never seen a 5-120 VW...?

To answer the question it's all about load. More load, bigger car etc simply needs larger bearings and wheel studs.

 

[D60]

I've always figured some of it was simply engineers' ways of wanting to put their stamp on it.

My way is better because it's my way. Just in case I'll whip up some seemingly complicated calculations to confuse the suits so they'll just be bored to tears and sign off on MY WAY. Works every time, heh heh heh!

 

[CR94]

I believe its vehicle weight, wheel bearing size, and axle diameter that guides bolt pattern.

Seems like the most common are 4x100, 5x114.3, and 6x139.7

Obviously more force on a wheel requires more clamping force.

114.3 mm and 139.7 mm are translated inches dimensions, specifically exactly 4½ and 5½ inches. Why are they still following inch dimensioning?

 

[ChristianReske]

Some older, smaller and lighter french cars only had 3 Bolts up to the 80s. Renault R4 and R5 cam to my mind.
Number and pattern of the bolts are related to vehicle weight and topspeed, i guess.

 

[14Accent]

Speaking of lug spacing: here's one for any member who may on the off chance have inside info as to why this decision was made:

Although I've never seen one in person, there appears to be some F-150's out there from the '06ish era with an optional HD package which included SEVEN stud wheels and hubs. Not six, not eight. Seven. How on earth did the engineers settle on that setup?

 

[97prizm]

Speaking of lug spacing: here's one for any member who may on the off chance have inside info as to why this decision was made:

Although I've never seen one in person, there appears to be some F-150's out there from the '06ish era with an optional HD package which included SEVEN stud wheels and hubs. Not six, not eight. Seven. How on earth did the engineers settle on that setup?

Certain F150s were built with essentially F250 lite suspension and the plow option. The E150 had a 7 lug for a few years

 

[The_Jeff]

Speaking of lug spacing: here's one for any member who may on the off chance have inside info as to why this decision was made:

Although I've never seen one in person, there appears to be some F-150's out there from the '06ish era with an optional HD package which included SEVEN stud wheels and hubs. Not six, not eight. Seven. How on earth did the engineers settle on that setup?

It was a between body styles model created for "coverage"-- the f150 7700, with 7700lbs being its payload capacity.

You know how the 1/2 ton gets the new sheetmetal first, then the 3/4 and 1 tons follow suit? There are multiple truck factories and they don't all change over at once. (Ram is still making the Ram Classic with a several years overlap now!)

They needed "heavy half tons" and these were the answer.