In short. PCD stands for pitch circle diameter. It is the diameter of the circle that passes through the centres of a wheel's bolt holes, and "bolt pattern" is the same thing seen from the other side: the number of holes and that diameter, written together. 5x112 means five holes on a circle 112 mm across. A wheel only fits a car whose hub has the same bolt pattern, exactly. The centre bore is a different dimension: the diameter of the hole in the middle of the wheel, which sits over the hub. It must be at least as large as the hub; if it is larger, a hub ring fills the gap so that the wheel is centred. The numbers 5x112 and 5x114.3 differ by only 2.3 mm, and a wheel with the wrong one can seem to fit and still be dangerous: do not force it. The table below gives the bolt pattern and bore of recent cars, with the basis for each figure.
What 5x112 means, and the other ways it is written
The holes are spaced evenly on a circle around the centre. Two numbers describe the pattern: how many holes (4, 5 or 6 on most cars), and the diameter, in millimetres, of the circle through the centres of the holes. The same pattern is written in several ways:
| Written | Where you meet it | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| 5x112 | Most wheel makers and sellers | 5 holes on a circle of 112 mm |
| 112/5 or LK112/5 | German-language manufacturer documents: Audi writes "Lochkreis 112/5", Volkswagen "LK112/5" | The same pattern, diameter first |
| 5x4.5" or 5x114.3 | Patterns that began in inches | 4.5 inches is exactly 114.3 mm (an inch is exactly 25.4 mm, per NIST) |
| 6x5.5" or 6x139.7 | Trucks and pick-ups | 5.5 inches is exactly 139.7 mm |
Volkswagen explains its own marking this way: in "7,0 J x 17, ET49, LK112/5", the Lochkreis (LK) is the diameter of the circle on which the bolt holes lie, here 112 mm, and the last number is how many bolts hold the wheel (Volkswagen). The 49 is the offset, which our guide to wheel offset explains.
How to measure a PCD
The PCD is the diameter of a circle you cannot see, so you measure between holes. With an even number of holes it is direct; with five it needs a calculation, because no hole faces another.
| Holes | Measure | Then |
|---|---|---|
| 4 or 6 | Centre of one hole to the centre of the opposite hole | That is the PCD |
| 5 | Centre of one hole to the centre of the next hole | Multiply by 1.701 |
| 5 | Centre of one hole to the centre of the hole two places away | Multiply by 1.051 |
| 4 | Centre of one hole to the centre of the next hole | Multiply by 1.414 |
| 6 | Centre of one hole to the centre of the next hole | Multiply by 2 |
The multipliers come from the geometry of the circle: for five holes the distance between neighbours is the PCD times sin 36 degrees, so the PCD is that distance times 1.701. For example, 65.8 mm between neighbours gives 65.8 x 1.701 = 111.9 mm: a 5x112. Two holes apart, 106.5 mm gives 106.5 x 1.051 = 112.0 mm. To place the callipers on the centres, measure from the left edge of one hole to the left edge of the next; the distance is the same as between centres. Callipers do better than a tape measure.
These are the distances to expect between two neighbouring holes, and between two holes with one between them, for the five-hole patterns you are most likely to meet:
| PCD | Next hole, centre to centre | Hole two places away, centre to centre |
|---|---|---|
| 5x98 | 57.6 mm | 93.2 mm |
| 5x100 | 58.8 mm | 95.1 mm |
| 5x108 | 63.5 mm | 102.7 mm |
| 5x110 | 64.7 mm | 104.6 mm |
| 5x112 | 65.8 mm | 106.5 mm |
| 5x114.3 | 67.2 mm | 108.7 mm |
| 5x120 | 70.5 mm | 114.1 mm |
| 5x127 | 74.6 mm | 120.8 mm |
| 5x130 | 76.4 mm | 123.6 mm |
Avoid measuring "from the centre of one hole to the outer edge of the hole opposite" on a five-hole wheel. There is no hole opposite, and that measurement is wrong by a millimetre or two, which matters because 5x112 and 5x114.3 differ by 2.3 mm in diameter: it cannot tell them apart. When in doubt, the reference is the manufacturer's document for your car's exact version.
What bolt pattern does my car have?
The one the manufacturer states for the exact version. A make does not have one bolt pattern: it changes from one model to another and sometimes from one generation to the next. Make-by-make tables found online are usually compiled from databases: ask which manufacturer document a figure comes from.
Here is what we have recorded for recent cars, with where each figure comes from. We publish a dimension only if a primary source gives it (a manufacturer's own document, an original-parts catalogue or the maker of the original wheel), or if at least two independent specialist sources agree and no primary source contradicts them. Otherwise we write "not published".
| Car | PCD | Centre bore | Thread and fixing | Where the PCD and the bore come from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audi RS 3 (8Y), 2021 on | 5x112 | Not published | M14 x 1.5, wheel bolts | PCD: Audi parts catalogue. Bore: not published (no sufficient source) |
| Audi RS 6 Avant (C8), 2019 on | 5x112 | 66.5 mm | M14 x 1.5, wheel bolts | PCD: Audi parts catalogue. Bore: specialist sources |
| BMW M3 (G80), 2020 on | 5x112 | 66.5 mm | M14 x 1.25, wheel bolts, cone seat | PCD: BMW original wheel listing and specialist sources. Bore: specialist sources |
| BMW M4 (G82), 2021 on | 5x112 | 66.5 mm | M14 x 1.25, wheel bolts, cone seat | PCD: BMW original wheel listing and specialist sources. Bore: specialist sources |
| BMW M5 (F90), 2017 to 2023 | 5x112 | 66.6 mm | M14 x 1.25, wheel bolts, cone seat | PCD and bore: specialist sources |
| Porsche 718 Cayman (982), 2016 to 2025 | 5x130 | 71.6 mm | M14 x 1.5, wheel bolts | PCD and bore: specialist sources |
| Porsche 911 (991), 2011 to 2019 | 5x130 | 71.6 mm | M14 x 1.5, wheel bolts; central nut on centre-lock versions | PCD and bore: specialist sources |
| Porsche 911 (992), 2019 on | 5x130 | 71.6 mm | M14 x 1.5, wheel bolts; central nut on centre-lock versions | PCD and bore: specialist sources |
| Tesla Model 3 (Highland), 2024 on | 5x114.3 | 64.1 mm | M14 x 1.5, wheel nuts | PCD and bore: specialist sources |
| Tesla Model Y, 2020 to 2024 | 5x114.3 | 64.1 mm | M14 x 1.5, wheel nuts, 60 degree cone seat | PCD and bore: specialist sources |
| Tesla Model Y (Juniper), 2025 on | 5x114.3 | 64.1 mm | M14 x 1.5, wheel nuts, 60 degree cone seat | PCD and bore: specialist sources |
| Ford Bronco, 2021 to 2026 | 6x5.5" (6x139.7) | 93.25 mm | Not stated | Ford Racing wheel listing, for both |
"Specialist sources" are hub-ring makers, fitment databases and parts makers that publish application lists; the manufacturers' own documents we read for the Audi, BMW, Porsche and Tesla rows do not print the centre bore. Where a seat is not named, we have found no source for it. The full source list for each car is on our pages for 5x112, 5x130 and 5x114.3 (in French).
Two things stand out. First, the same PCD does not mean the same bore: the five 5x112 cars above share a PCD and have bores of 66.5 and 66.6 mm, and the RS 3's is not published. Second, the Porsches and the Teslas each share a single bore across the generations listed (71.6 mm and 64.1 mm), so a wheel bored for one fits the hubs of the others; the width, the offset and the fixings still have to be checked car by car.
The gap between 66.5 and 66.6 mm is only 0.1 mm. Our sources give those two values for different cars, and we do not settle a gap that small on paper: it is measured on the hub of the car in front of you.
The centre bore and the hub ring
The bore fits over the hub, the round boss that stands out at the centre of the car's mounting face. When the hole in the wheel has exactly the diameter of the hub, the hub centres the wheel and the bolts or nuts only pull it against its mounting face: the wheel is hub-centric. On some cars and wheels it is the cone or ball seats of the bolts or nuts that centre the wheel instead (lug-centric). Either way, a wheel that is not centred runs out of true and vibrates, most at speed.
A hub ring (also called a centring ring) is a ring, in plastic or aluminium, that sits in the bore of the wheel to bring it down to the diameter of the hub. It is for a wheel drilled larger than the hub, which is usual when one wheel is sold for several makes. The rule runs one way: the bore can be larger than the hub, with a ring, and never smaller, because the wheel would not go over it.
A wheel whose bore is machined to the exact diameter of the hub needs no ring. That is the case of an original wheel and of a wheel made to measure for a given car.
Bolts or nuts, thread and seat
Two systems exist: wheel bolts, which pass through the wheel and screw into the hub (Audi, BMW, Porsche in the table), and studs with nuts, threaded rods fixed in the hub with a nut screwed over them (Tesla, and the Ford Racing wheel above). Some 911s have a single central nut in place of five bolts.
The part of the bolt or nut that presses on the wheel is the seat, and it must match the wheel. UN Regulation No. 124 asks that the profile of the bolts or nuts be compatible with the profile of the location hole in the wheel, and that the length of thread engagement be the same as with the manufacturer's own fixings (Annex 10, § 2.3). A 60 degree cone seat is a seat for a wheel with a matching taper (McGard); spherical (rounded) and flat seats exist too. A cone-seat bolt in a rounded hole bears on a line of contact instead of a surface: the wheel can feel tight at the wrench, then work loose when the car is driven. This is why you should not refit a car's original bolts on a wheel from another maker without checking the shape of the seat and the length.
Tightening torque
Use the figure the vehicle manufacturer gives, with a torque wrench, tightening in a star pattern. The figures differ between cars, and you should not copy them across. Two examples from manufacturer documents:
- Porsche gives 160 Nm (118 lb ft) for the wheel bolts of the 911 (992) and 600 Nm (442.5 lb ft) for the central wheel lock (bulletin 38/25);
- Tesla gives 175 Nm (129 lb ft) for the lug nuts of the Model 3 from 2024 (service manual).
UN Regulation No. 124 asks a replacement-wheel maker to give the tightening torque, to recommend a calibrated torque wrench preferably, and to say that the fixings must be tightened again after 50 km of driving (Annex 10, § 1.4). Finish with the torque wrench, not an impact gun, and follow the manufacturer's instruction on lubricant.
The mistakes that cost the most
- Forcing a wheel onto a neighbouring PCD. A 5x112 wheel on a 5x114.3 hub seems to go on, but the bolts work at an angle.
- No hub ring where the bore is larger than the hub.
- Refitting the original bolts without checking the seat and the length.
- Tightening by feel, or finishing with an impact gun instead of a torque wrench.
- Adding spacers without checking the bolt length: a spacer also moves the wheel out, like a lower offset.
Frequently asked questions
What does 5x112 mean on a wheel?
Five bolt holes on a circle 112 mm in diameter, measured through the centres of the holes.
Are PCD and bolt pattern the same thing?
Yes: PCD is the pitch circle diameter, and a bolt pattern is the number of holes with that diameter. Bolt circle and lug pattern are other names for the same thing.
Can a 5x112 wheel go on a 5x114.3 hub?
No. The circles differ by 2.3 mm, so the holes do not line up with the fixings and the wheel would be held at an angle.
Where is the PCD marked on a wheel?
When it is marked, it is on the back of the wheel on a spoke or around the mounting area, as 5x112 or 112/5, say. No text requires it, so if it is not there you measure it.
Do I need a hub ring?
Whenever the bore of the wheel is larger than the hub of the car. With a bore machined to the diameter of the hub, there is nothing to fill.
Does the PCD change where the wheel sits in the arch?
No. The PCD only fixes the wheel to the hub; its position depends on the offset and the width. Our wheel offset calculator compares two wheels from that point of view.
Can a wheel be drilled again to another PCD?
We do not do it. The area around the fixings carries the load of the wheel; for another PCD, we make another wheel.
Where to go next
For where a wheel sits, see wheel offset; for the tyre that goes on it, how to read a tyre size; for how wheels differ in the way they are made, forged, cast and flow-formed wheels. When you order forged wheels from Onyx Forged, you are not asked for the PCD, the centre bore or the width: they follow from your car. The Onyx Forged design office sets out the PCD and the bore from your car's exact version and checks them with you before anything goes into production, so no hub ring and no spacer is needed. Onyx Forged is a French brand of made-to-order forged wheels, designed to JWL/VIA standards: see Onyx Forged and the catalogue.
Sources
- Volkswagen, Felgenkennzeichnung (in German); Audi Original Zubehör, RS 3 wheel, RS 6 wheel and wheel bolts.
- BimmerWorld, BMW style 826M wheel and BMW wheel bolt M14 x 1.25.
- Porsche bulletin 911 (992) 38/25 and bulletin 982 34/24; Tesla Model 3 service manual 2024+; Ford Racing Parts, Bronco wheel.
- UN Regulation No. 124, Annex 10 §§ 1.4 and 2.3; McGard, cone seat; NIST SP 811, appendix B.9.
- The figures for the other rows come from the source lists of our pages /entraxe/5x112, /entraxe/5x130 and /entraxe/5x114-3 (in French), checked on 10 October 2026.
All other pages were read on 15 October 2026.
The Onyx Forged design office.