What is My Bolt Pattern? How To Find Your Vehicle’s Lug Pattern

Is it time to replace the wheels or tires on your ride? There are a couple of reasons you might want to. Let's begin by making sure you know what we're talking about when mentioning wheels and tires, as they are not the same.

A wheel is the metal component that connects to the hub of your car through an axle. The tire is a rubber casing attached to the wheel. Tap or click here for our report describing the difference between rims and wheels.

You might want to replace your old wheels because they could be damaged after years of use. You want to avoid driving with damaged wheels, which can significantly impact how your vehicle handles. Safety always comes first.

Another reason to get new wheels is if you want a fresh look for your vehicle. There are so many sharp-looking wheels to choose from that can make your car stand out in a crowd.

As you decide on your next set of wheels, you might hear experts talk about bolt patterns or lug patterns. Keep reading to find out what bolt pattern is, how to know what bolt pattern your vehicle has and why it matters.

What Is a Bolt Pattern?

The bolt pattern of a tire indicates how many bolts or lug nuts are used to secure a wheel to your vehicle and the diameter of the pitch circle. I know. That sounds confusing.

Let's break it down. There are two numbers to look for in a bolt pattern. For example, 5×110. The first number means five bolt or lug holes on the wheel.

Then what does the 110 number mean? The boltholes at the center of your wheel form an imaginary circle. The diameter of the imaginary circle around those holes determines the second number.

So our wheel with a bolt pattern of 5×110 means five boltholes are evenly spaced around a circle with a 110 mm diameter.

Why Does Bolt Pattern Matter?

Safety. Safety. Safety.

Knowing your bolt pattern is crucial because it determines how your lug nuts lock your wheels to your vehicle. The correct bolt pattern ensures a secure fit.

What Is the Most Common Lug Pattern?

Wheels come in several bolt patterns. You'll find wheels with three, four, five, six or eight boltholes. The most common are four and five bolt patterns.

The size of a vehicle typically determines its wheels' lug pattern. Smaller vehicles will require fewer lug holes and larger vehicles more. Passenger cars usually have four lug holes.

SUVs, pickup trucks and larger vehicles will generally have wheels with five or more lug holes.

What Bolt Pattern Is My Car?

Your first step is to look at the wheels on your vehicle. You can determine the first number in its bolt pattern visually. If you see five lug nuts, its bolt pattern begins with the number five.

Honestly, the easiest way to determine your vehicle's bolt pattern is to go to Tire Agent's website and enter the make and model of your car. Once you enter that information, Tire Agent will only show you compatible tires and wheels.

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Here's an example of what you'll see when searching Tire Agent for wheels:

Notice the Bolt Pattern section that shows this vehicle is 100x5.

That was a deep dive into bolt patterns. But there are other factors that help determine the correct wheel for your vehicle. Here are a couple more factors.

Wheel Offset

The distance between the wheel's mounting surface and the centerline, measured in millimeters, is known as wheel offset.

Check out our report on wheel offset and how to choose offset for new rims for more details. It's a great resource to help you better understand wheel offset.

Center Bore

The machined opening in the middle of a wheel that centers the wheel properly on a vehicle is known as the center bore. A wheel must be "Hub Centric" to reduce vibration.

Lug Nut Sizes

The lug nut size must match your vehicle's requirements to install your wheels safely. If your lug nuts or bolts don’t fit your vehicle’s thread pitch, they won’t work.

Two numbers represent lug nut sizes. The first number is the stud's diameter. The thread pitch is the second number. The thread pitch on metric studs is the spacing in millimeters between each thread. The thread pitch on standard lug nuts is the number of threads per inch.

An example of a standard lug nut size is 12mm X 1.75. That indicates a 12mm diameter and a 1.75 thread pitch.