is it possible to change bolt patterns?

[Dwn2Race]

is it possible to change bolt patterns from 5 by 112 to 5 by 120. like redrilling the holes? and is it safe?

John

ps. this one place said it can be done.

[gmessori]

A good machinist could do it, but it might weaken wheel. (I am no engineer) To be on the safe side I would say not a wise move.....

[Dwn2Race]

whats involved with it anyways? like do they drill new holes or just make the same holes bigger? thanks

thanks,
John

[gmessori]

They drill holes in opposing area, so you would have a 10 hole pattern, not a 5.

[JeffRR]

There's a good chance that a wheel with a pitch circle of only 112mm was designed for use with a lighter vehicle. If you exceede the load rating that the wheel was certified to, you could fail/break the wheel. Possible failure/breakage could be increased with track/agressive driving.
Then there is also the possibility that redrilling will weaken the mounting structure.

[Daved]

I was going to have some wheels remachined too but instead of just drilling new holes by the old ones, they offered me to fill up everything and then drill the new holes.

[Dwn2Race]

well i guess is this all safe and stuff? probably depends on the wheel face style too huh? well we will see

John

[Daved]

well i guess is this all safe and stuff? probably depends on the wheel face style too huh? well we will see

John
So you're going to do it?

[Dwn2Race]

im gonna wait until the seller tells me the offset and see if i can get adapters to fit.

John

[gmessori]

I was going to have some wheels remachined too but instead of just drilling new holes by the old ones, they offered me to fill up everything and then drill the new holes.

Once again I am not an engineer but I was a machinist for many years so I know a thing or two about metal

Anytime you fill holes you will have to heat up the surrounding area, anytime you heat up metal it expands and contracts generating stress fractures. These can not be seen under the naked eye, but under a high power microscope you can see them. Any reputable shop will then send them out for x-ray, Fluorescent Penetrant or Magnetic Penetrant/particle inspection. The end result is not cheap and I would highly recommend since we are talking about such a critical component on your vehicle.

On the other hand, would you put Honda springs on your car if with a little modification they would work?

Look at this from a liability standpoint also. If those rims fail causing you to crash, you can be sued for gross negligence. Use your head and do the right thing, avoid the hassle of what MIGHT happen.

Do yourself a favor, find the RIGHT size rims for your car, or contact the company DIRECTLY and find out if they can manufacture a set in your bolt pattern.

[Daved]

Once again I am not an engineer but I was a machinist for many years so I know a thing or two about metal

Anytime you fill holes you will have to heat up the surrounding area, anytime you heat up metal it expands and contracts generating stress fractures. These can not be seen under the naked eye, but under a high power microscope you can see them. Any reputable shop will then send them out for x-ray, Fluorescent Penetrant or Magnetic Penetrant/particle inspection. The end result is not cheap and I would highly recommend since we are talking about such a critical component on your vehicle.

On the other hand, would you put Honda springs on your car if with a little modification they would work?

Look at this from a liability standpoint also. If those rims fail causing you to crash, you can be sued for gross negligence. Use your head and do the right thing, avoid the hassle of what MIGHT happen.

Do yourself a favor, find the RIGHT size rims for your car, or contact the company DIRECTLY and find out if they can manufacture a set in your bolt pattern.
That's interesting but hold on...

Everytime I take one of my wheels to a wheel shop to get them repaired, they DO heat them up in order to avoid fractures. They say they cannot fix them in cold because it will cause very small fractures. What you're saying is exactly the opposite, you're saying that they don't have to do what they say they should do to do it right.

Can you elaborate more?

[gmessori]

That's interesting but hold on...

Everytime I take one of my wheels to a wheel shop to get them repaired, they DO heat them up in order to avoid fractures. They say they cannot fix them in cold because it will cause very small fractures. What you're saying is exactly the opposite, you're saying that they don't have to do what they say they should do to do it right.

Can you elaborate more?


There is a diffrence between a little heat and a lot of heat. In order to fill the holes, you have to get the area around the hole almost molten. Also, the company that is repairing your rims could get away with no heat if they took time to work the material slowly. They probably heat up the wheels to 3 or 4 hundred degrees to soften the rim and make the job go faster, Vs. heating it up to 1200 degrees to melt metal.

[BrokeMyWallet]

yes you can redrill wheels from 5x112 to 5x120. It is done a lot here in California. The only thing that will happen is that the bolt holes will get a little scratched. You will need a custom hubring made so that the hub size will match your car (so you will not have steering wheel shake).
it's pretty safe and I have not heard of any problems before.

[Daved]

yes you can redrill wheels from 5x112 to 5x120. It is done a lot here in California. The only thing that will happen is that the bolt holes will get a little scratched. You will need a custom hubring made so that the hub size will match your car (so you will not have steering wheel shake).
it's pretty safe and I have not heard of any problems before.
Do you have any details on the process? What do they do with the old holes?

[BrokeMyWallet]

Well, they usually drill the bolt hole outwards with a giant drill press(to accomodate a socket to remove the lugbolt). Then they drill out the hole for the lugbolts to go through. After that they insert a metal ring in the hole so that the lugbolt will seat properly. It's a really confusing process and it's hard to describe. I've been around a lot of wheels and seen a lot of custom fitment work done. The process is called inserting. I don't know if that helps.

The use the old holes to do this process.

[lethe5]

check out this website, they may have what youre looking for under spacers,ect.

hrsprings.com

[Daved]

Well, they usually drill the bolt hole outwards with a giant drill press(to accomodate a socket to remove the lugbolt). Then they drill out the hole for the lugbolts to go through. After that they insert a metal ring in the hole so that the lugbolt will seat properly. It's a really confusing process and it's hard to describe. I've been around a lot of wheels and seen a lot of custom fitment work done. The process is called inserting. I don't know if that helps.

The use the old holes to do this process.
Oh, I got it. I haven't heard of that before but it sounds like the best way to go when you need to change the bolt patern (but I guess it won't work if you want a BMW pattern from a 4 bolt wheel).

[grecobeemer]

Just get adapters that are 5x120-->5x112, redrilling a wheel sounds like a dumb idea to me. Check ebay and get them custom made. Also be sure to get the hubcentric ones.

[bmw1600ti]

I have the same problem.I have a set of BBS ,that I love,but came of my old Mercedes.

[Miguel]

hey buddy... I possibly found a new 4th ACS wheel!!!

anyways, you can get all sorts of adapters.
I know ECS has a 5X100 to 5X120 adapter (part ES#2182), I dont see why they shouldn't have or be able to make a 5 X 112 to 5 X 120.

Alternatively, view this:
http://www.hrsprings.com/site/products/trak.html

[Capital]

^ Interesting I was actually looking at some wheels that only came in 5x112, do you have a link for ECS.

How exactly does this work, wouldn't the added thickness of the adapter throw the offset off?

[Miguel]

^ Interesting I was actually looking at some wheels that only came in 5x112, do you have a link for ECS.

How exactly does this work, wouldn't the added thickness of the adapter throw the offset off?
Check Here:
http://www.ecstuning.com/stage/edpd/pagebuild_v2.cgi?make=Volkswagen&engine=TDI&model=New%20Beetle&submodel=&category=Suspension&subcategory=Wheel%20Adapters

They are the H&R adapters.
I see 5X100 to 5X120 on the site, it might be worth it to give them a call and ask.