In short. On a Porsche with center lock wheels, each wheel is held by one central nut or bolt instead of five wheel bolts, and Porsche's figure for it is 600 N·m (442.5 lb ft), against 160 N·m (118 lb ft) for each bolt on the same cars. Porsche's own bulletin for technicians sets the rules: the wheel unladen or off the ground while it is tightened, never the parking brake to hold it, never an impact tool, a calibrated torque wrench with enough capacity, the specified lubricant on the contact faces, and new parts tightened and loosened three times. A conversion changes the hub side, the fastener and the wheels, not just the nut, and your insurer needs to know.
How a center lock wheel is held
A five-bolt wheel is clamped to the hub by five fasteners spread around a circle. A center lock wheel has one large fastener in the middle. Porsche's documents call it a "center locking nut" in the tightening bulletin, and a "central wheel locking bolt" on the 992, where the recall names the part "Central lock wheel bolt" and the workshop manual procedure is titled "Removing and installing wheel with central bolt" (Part 573 report; bulletin 164/24).
The fastener does not work alone. Porsche's bulletin on rear wheel noise for the 991 GT2 RS, GT3 RS and GT3 mentions "wheel driver pins", screwed in at 22 N·m, that are checked when the wheel, caliper and brake disc come off (bulletin 105/18). The same bulletin explains why cleanliness matters: particles of dirt on the contact surfaces between rim, brake disc and hub "can cause micro-movements" and loud noises after track use. On the 992, a locking unit with a safety pin, under a wheel trim cover, keeps the bolt from turning (bulletin 164/24).
Porsche is frank about where the design comes from. Its tightening bulletin opens: "The center-locking wheel design was originally developed for racetrack use", so wheels could be changed quickly in a race, and adds that the designs for street vehicles differ "significantly from that of pure race cars" (bulletin 1506.2, 23 April 2026).
Which Porsches use it
The latest revision of that bulletin lists the cars it covers: the 911 line from 2004 on (types 997, 991 and 992, plus the 918), the 718 GT4 RS and Spyder RS (type 982) from 2022, and the Panamera (G3) from 2024, each "with center-locking wheels" (bulletin 1506.2). The December 2024 recall instructions name the 992 Carrera GTS, Turbo, Turbo S, GT3, GT3 RS and T among them (ARC4). The Taycan wheels list gives a central wheel lock figure too (37/25).
On most of these cars center lock is equipment, not a model: Porsche's wheels lists give one torque "using wheel bolts" and another "using central wheel lock" for the same model lines, and mark some wheels for vehicles with or without central wheel lock. The PCD, bore and bolt data for the five-bolt versions are in our PCD and centre bore guide by car make, and the pages for the 911 (992) and 911 (991) cite the Porsche bulletins behind them.
The torque, and what it takes to reach it
Every Porsche wheels list we read that mentions the central lock gives the same pair of figures.
| Porsche document | Wheel bolts | Central wheel lock |
|---|---|---|
| 911 (991) list 31/18, November 2018 | 160 N·m (118 ft lb) | 600 N·m (printed as 444 ft lb) |
| 911 (992) list 38/25, October 2025 | 160 N·m (118 ft lb) | 600 N·m (442.5 ft lb) |
| Taycan list 37/25 | 160 N·m (118 ft lb) | 600 N·m (442.5 ft lb) |
Sources: 31/18, 38/25, 37/25. The 2018 list prints 444 ft lb, the later ones 442.5; with 1 lb ft = 1.355818 N·m (NIST SP 811), 600 N·m is 442.54 lb ft. The newton-metre figure is the one Porsche sets; if your wrench reads in foot-pounds, use 442.5. Check the figure for your own car in its documents: these lists cover the cars named on them.
600 N·m is 3.75 times the figure for one wheel bolt. Torque is force times lever length, so here is the force your hands have to put on the end of the wrench, worked out by us with F = T / L:
| Torque | Lever length | Force at the handle |
|---|---|---|
| 600 N·m (central lock) | 0.5 m (about 20 in) | 1,200 N (122 kgf, 270 lbf) |
| 600 N·m | 0.75 m (about 30 in) | 800 N (82 kgf, 180 lbf) |
| 600 N·m | 1 m (about 39 in) | 600 N (61 kgf, 135 lbf) |
| 160 N·m (one wheel bolt) | 0.4 m (about 16 in) | 400 N (41 kgf, 90 lbf) |
Conversions: 1 lbf = 4.448222 N, 1 kgf = 9.80665 N (NIST SP 811). Those forces match two lines of Porsche's bulletin: it asks for "calibrated, high quality standard torque wrenches with sufficient capacity and leverage", and says torque multipliers are "no longer sanctioned for use on any Porsche vehicle" (bulletin 1506.2). The recall instructions list a torque wrench of 150 to 800 N·m and a dedicated socket (ARC4 instructions). Check the range printed on your wrench before you start: it has to reach 600 N·m, not just pass the 160 N·m of a wheel bolt.
Porsche's rules for fitting the wheel
These come from bulletin 1506, first published on 20 November 2015, revised in 2018 and again on 23 April 2026 (2018 version, 2026 version). It is written for Porsche-trained technicians, and the work procedures in Porsche's PIWIS diagnostic tester take precedence over it. In order:
- Wheel unladen or off the ground while the nut is tightened, so the wheel can "self-center properly on the hub".
- Never the parking brake to hold the rear wheels. Porsche says the mechanism is not designed for the forces involved, that damage "may not be immediately apparent", and that this is especially true of electronic parking brake actuators. The bulletin does not say what holds the wheel instead, and we did not read the workshop procedure that does: one more reason this is a workshop job.
- No impact tools, to loosen, remove or tighten. The nut and hub may be damaged without visible signs.
- A calibrated torque wrench with enough capacity and leverage, no torque multiplier.
- Reach the final torque in one smooth, continuous movement, "not while tugging and pulling".
- The specified lubricant on the contact surfaces of the central nut and the wheel. The recall instructions list a mounting paste among the materials (ARC4). This is the opposite of the rule for most five-bolt wheels, where EUWA, the European wheel makers' association, says nuts and threads "should not be lubricated" unless the car maker says otherwise (EUWA ES 1.07, 3.4). The car maker's instruction decides in both cases, and here it asks for lubricant.
- New nut, hub or wheel: tighten to the final torque, loosen, and tighten again, three times.
- Clean wheel and brake rotor hub, free of all debris.
The 2026 revision adds one exception: for Panameras from model year 2024 and 911s from model year 2025, if all relevant parts are reused, the repeated tightening is not required. We could not read the owner's manual for these cars, so we do not know how it words the same steps for an owner using the car's toolkit; the 164/24 bulletin confirms that the socket wrench for the 992 II and Panamera G3 is the one contained in the toolkit.
If you have never done it, have a Porsche workshop or a specialist do it, and if you work on the car yourself, raise it and set it on axle stands before going underneath; use Porsche's torque for your car, from its own documents. A refitted wheel that then vibrates must not be driven on: have it checked before you go back on the road.
The safety pin and the trim cover (992)
On the 992 the central bolt sits behind a wheel trim cover, levered off with a release tool, and a locking unit with a safety pin keeps the bolt from turning. Porsche's bulletin 164/24 describes a case where the bolt cannot be opened because the safety pin is jammed, due to static friction between the pin and the bolt that is "too high". The workshop fix is a plastic mandrel and a small hammer of about 150 g, used gently; Porsche warns that "excessive impact force damages the locking unit" (bulletin 164/24, revision of 26 May 2026).
Signs of a damaged locking unit, per the same bulletin: the socket will not go fully in or stay in its clip, the pin does not sit flush, or the locking plate shows bumps. Any of these means a new central lock. In the UK, MOT testers must not remove wheel hub caps (MOT manual, 5.2.2); on our reading, that trim cover stays on during the test, so the test is no substitute for this check.
The 2024 recall: what happened
In the US, Porsche decided on 21 October 2024 to recall the cars; the NHTSA report for recall 24V-809, in its version submitted on 2 December 2024, covers 2,251 vehicles: 2021 to 2024 911s, 2024 718s and 2025 Panameras. The defect: center lock wheel fastening parts "manufactured out of specification" that "could fracture". Porsche reported four US incidents between September and mid-October 2024: one fracture while tightening in a workshop, one found through abnormal vibration at highway speed, and two wheel losses with no deaths or injuries. Porsche asked owners to stop using the cars until they had been checked (Part 573 report).
The report says the warning sign of a fracture is "immediate perceptible vibration". The check reads the production week stamped on each of the four central locks; if one falls in the affected period, all four are replaced (ARC4 instructions). The two Porsche documents do not give the same list: the parts withdrawal of 28 February 2025 names weeks 36 to 49 of 2023 and week 5 of 2024 (parts withdrawal), while the revised remedy instructions keep only weeks 39 to 48 of 2023 and say that locks from weeks 36, 37, 38 and 49 of 2023 and week 5 of 2024 "no longer need to be replaced". A dealer works from the current instructions for your VIN.
We read the US documents only. In the UK, use the DVSA vehicle recall checker on GOV.UK or ask a Porsche Centre; in Australia and Canada, ask the Porsche dealer with the VIN. Buying a center lock car produced between September 2023 and October 2024, the period the report names? Ask for proof that the campaign was done.
Track use: Porsche's replacement intervals
In 2013 Porsche ran workshop campaign WD13 for 997 Carrera GTS, Turbo, GT3, GT3 RS, GT3 RS 4.0 and GT2 with central wheel lock, model years 2009 to 2013. Its reason: without new intervals, "the failure of highly stressed components cannot be ruled out" (WD13). The intervals count track use only, cumulatively:
| Cumulative track use | Porsche's list (997 with central lock, 2009 to 2013) |
|---|---|
| Every 7,000 km (4,200 miles) | Replace rear wheel hubs and wheel bearings; replace rear central lock bolts |
| Every 14,000 km (8,400 miles) | Replace rear wheel bearing housing; replace front wheel hubs and wheel bearings; replace front central lock bolts |
| Every 28,000 km (16,800 miles) | Replace front wheel bearing housing |
Porsche's miles are about 3.4 per cent shorter than an exact conversion (7,000 km is 4,349.6 miles), so the miles figure is the stricter one. These are for those 997s; we found no equivalent list for the 991 or 992, which does not mean none exists. Ask a Porsche Centre for your car and log track miles separately from road miles. The rest of a track-day check is in our track day checklist.
Center lock against five bolts
| Center lock (Porsche) | Five wheel bolts (Porsche) | |
|---|---|---|
| Fasteners per wheel | One central nut or bolt, with driver pins and, on the 992, a locking unit | Five bolts |
| Torque | 600 N·m (442.5 lb ft) | 160 N·m (118 lb ft) each |
| Tools | Torque wrench up to 800 N·m class, dedicated socket | Ordinary torque wrench |
| Lubrication | Specified lubricant on contact faces | Clean threads, per the car maker's instruction |
| New parts | Tighten and loosen three times (exceptions from MY2024 Panamera, MY2025 911) | Not in these bulletins |
| Track maintenance | WD13 replacement intervals on 997 | None listed in these documents |
Sources: Porsche bulletins 1506.2, 38/25, ARC4, WD13 and EUWA ES 1.07. The general rule on five-bolt torque, seats and friction is in our wheel nut torque guide.
Converting to or from center lock
Whether you add center lock to a five-bolt car or go back to five bolts, the change is larger than the fastener:
- The hub side. The hub, the threaded end or bolt hole, the driver pins and the locking unit belong to one system. Porsche's own bulletins treat them together.
- The wheels. A center lock wheel has one central hole and seats for the driver pins; a five-bolt wheel has five bolt holes and seats. Porsche's lists also tie some wheels to one system: in its list for the 911 (991) from model year 2017, an 11J x 20 rear wheel appears with a 56 mm offset marked "vehicles without central wheel lock", and, in a winter-tyre line, an 11J x 20 rear wheel with a 59 mm offset marked "vehicles with central wheel lock" (bulletin 31/18). A wheel made for one system cannot be assumed to fit the other, and a change of offset moves the tyre in the arch; the offset guide and the offset calculator show by how much.
Converting five bolts to studs is a different change, covered in our wheel stud conversion guide.
Onyx Forged does not recommend a size or an offset, nor a conversion kit: the parts must be those listed by the car maker for your car, or documented by whoever supplies them, and fitted by someone who follows the procedure above.
The law and your insurer. No text we read names center lock conversions, so the general rules apply.
- Great Britain. The MOT fails a wheel with a loose or missing wheel nut, bolt or stud as major (more than one as dangerous), a spigot hub worn so that wheel security is affected as dangerous, and "a wheel and its fixings not compatible" as major (MOT manual, 5.2.1 and 5.2.2). The manual does not distinguish one central fastener from five. Outside the test, regulation 100 of the Construction and Use Regulations requires all parts of a vehicle to be in a condition that causes no danger (legislation.gov.uk). The Financial Ombudsman Service says a policy "may be invalid" if significant changes are not disclosed, and gives changing the alloy wheels as an example (FOS, 1 October 2024). The guide to new wheels and the MOT covers the rest of the test.
- United States. Rules are set by each state. Pennsylvania's inspection rejects a car when "the wheel nuts or bolts are missing, loose or have improper thread engagement" (67 Pa. Code § 175.80, (e)(1)(xi)); check your own state's list, and tell your insurer.
- Australia and Canada. Modifications are handled by each state, territory or province. We did not read a rule that names wheel fastening systems; ask your registration authority before the work, and your insurer.
Wheels from Onyx Forged
The Onyx Forged design office works out each wheel for the car as you describe it, and the fitment sheet you agree before machining states the fixing. This guide does not say which hub systems a made-to-order wheel can take: if your car has center lock, say so when you design your wheels, and customer service will answer from the car's documents. Our wheels are designed to JWL/VIA standards.
Frequently asked questions
What is the torque for Porsche center lock wheels?
600 N·m in Porsche's wheels lists for the 911 (991 and 992) and the Taycan, which is 442.5 lb ft; a 2018 list prints 444 ft lb for the same 600 N·m. The wheel bolts on the same cars are 160 N·m (118 lb ft). Use the figure in your own car's documents.
Can I use an impact gun on a center lock nut?
No. Porsche says impact tools are never to be used to loosen, remove or tighten it: the nut and hub may be damaged without visible signs.
Do I grease a center lock nut?
Porsche asks for the specified lubricant on the contact surfaces of the central nut and the wheel, and its recall instructions list a mounting paste. This is the reverse of the usual rule for five-bolt wheels, where EUWA says threads should be clean and not lubricated unless the car maker says otherwise.
Why can't I use the parking brake to hold the wheel?
Porsche says the mechanism, especially an electronic actuator, is not designed for the forces of a 600 N·m tightening and may be damaged without it showing.
Why tighten a new center lock three times?
Porsche's bulletin asks that a new nut, hub or wheel be tightened to the final torque, loosened and tightened again three times. Since April 2026 it exempts Panameras from model year 2024 and 911s from model year 2025 when all relevant parts are reused. The bulletin does not give the reason.
Was there a recall on Porsche center lock wheels?
Yes, in the US: recall 24V-809 (2024), 2,251 cars whose central lock bolts could fracture, after four incidents including two wheel losses. Dealers read the production week on each lock and replace all four if one is affected.
How often should center lock parts be replaced on a track car?
For 997s with central lock from 2009 to 2013, Porsche's WD13 campaign sets track-use intervals: rear hubs, bearings and central lock bolts every 7,000 km (4,200 miles), front ones every 14,000 km (8,400 miles). We found no equivalent list for later cars in the documents we read; ask a Porsche Centre.
Can I convert center lock to five bolts, or the reverse?
It means changing the hub side, the fastener and the wheels, not just the nut, and Porsche's wheels lists mark some wheels for one system or the other. Tell your insurer, and in Great Britain the MOT fails wheels and fixings that are not compatible.
Design made-to-order forged wheels.
Sources
- Porsche Cars North America, bulletin 1506 Center-Locking Wheel Nut Tightening: revision of 23 April 2026 and revision of 6 November 2018.
- Recall 24V-809: Part 573 Safety Recall Report (2 December 2024); ARC4 remedy instructions (4 December 2024); parts withdrawal, central locking (28 February 2025).
- Porsche technical information: 164/24, safety pin on the central wheel lock (26 May 2026); 21/13, WD13 track-use intervals (9 April 2013); 105/18, rear wheel assembly noise (16 August 2018).
- Porsche wheels and tyres lists: 911 (991) 31/18; 911 (992) 38/25; Taycan 37/25.
- EUWA, ES 1.07, Safety and Service Instructions for the use of Wheels in Tyre Workshops (June 2020), 3.4 and 3.5.
- GOV.UK, MOT inspection manual, section 5; The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, regulation 100; Financial Ombudsman Service, car modifications and insurance.
- Pennsylvania Code, 67 Pa. Code § 175.80.
- NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B.9, conversion factors.
All pages were read on 16 October 2026.
The Onyx Forged design office.