Jeep Wrangler Bolt Patterns

Are you ready to invest in a new set of wheels and tires for your Jeep? Combined with a fresh set of wheels, some bulky, meaty tires will turn any Wrangler into a rugged, trail-conquering beast. Maybe you’ve been browsing the CJ’s website and found a set of rims that caught your eye, like these aggressive Fuel Wheels. You’ve decided on what style you want, but how do you know what Jeep Wrangler bolt pattern you have? While wheel size can be determined easily by what size tires you have, the lug pattern is a bit trickier.

What Are Jeep Wrangler Bolt Patterns?

The first step to finding out the bolt pattern for your Jeep is to count how many mounting holes or studs there are in the wheel. Similar to the majority of modern vehicles, most Jeeps will have five lugs. Seems simple enough, right? Well, we’re not done quite yet.

While most Jeeps have five lugs, that doesn’t mean that the spacing between each stud will always be identical. So the bolt pattern will not only tell you how many studs or holes there are, but it will also tell you the spacing between them. If you imagine the lug nuts form an invisible circle, it’s a bit easier to conceptualize.

Both the JK and JL Wrangler have 5-lug wheels with 5-inch spacing, meaning the bolt pattern would be 5 x 5 inches. Older Jeeps often used a 5 x 4.5" spacing.

Wheels that don’t have the same bolt pattern as your stock rims will not fit, which is why it is vital to make sure you have the correct information before dropping a bunch of cash on new wheels. Using the proper lug nuts is also important to prevent any damage to the wheel or potential fitment issues.

Jeep Wrangler Bolt Patterns: How to Measure

Measuring the bolt pattern on your rig doesn’t have to be overly difficult. Remember that imaginary circle? Now you just need to find out the diameter. How you measure the bolt pattern will be based on how many lug nuts the wheel has. As we already established, most Jeeps have five lug nuts.

Starting from the outer edge of one stud, measure from the back of the hole to the center of the opposite stud, which means there should be one lug nut between the two lug nuts you are measuring. If you happen to have a four-lug, six-lug, or eight-lug pattern, you just measure from the center of one stud to the center of the stud directly across.

Jeep Wrangler Bolt Pattern Chart

For detailed information on Jeep Wrangler bolt patterns and other wheel specifications, be sure to check out this handy chart!

Along with taking your Wrangler’s bolt pattern into consideration, backspace and offset are two other important factors to account for when shopping around for new wheels and tires. If you’re planning on doing any off-roading and thinking about putting larger tires on your rig, then you’re going to want to make sure you have the proper fitment.

Without measuring properly, you could run into some issues with tire rub, which will be prevalent especially when traveling over obstacles on the trail. Nobody wants tire rub, as it can negatively affect handling.

Wheel Offset & Backspacing

Wheel offset can be described as the distance from the centerline of the wheel to the hub mounting surface. The offset basically tells you how much the wheel will cave in or extend outward. There are three main types of offset: zero, positive, and negative.

Zero offset simply means that the wheel’s centerline is even with the hub mounting surface.

Positive offset wheels have a hub mounting surface close to the front of the wheel, which gives it a flatter appearance. Most stock wheels have a positive offset.

While positive offset wheels extend outward, negative offset rims are going to cave in, with the hub mounting surface closer to the back of the wheel. Deep dish wheels are a great example of negative offset. Having a negative offset typically leads to a more attractive design as there is more room to work with.

So now that we have a better understanding of wheel offset, what is backspacing? Similar to offset, backspace is the distance from the hub mounting surface to the back of the wheel.

Backspacing is important to account for in order to make sure that there’s enough room to fit all the important brake and suspension components behind the wheel. Measuring both the offset and backspacing are key to preventing tire rub and fitment problems. Offset is typically measured in millimeters, while backspace is measured in inches.

Find the Best Wrangler Wheels

Since buying new wheels and tires is a huge investment, it is extremely important to make sure you have all your ducks in a row before purchasing.

Replacing the factory rims and tires will not only give your rig a killer, more aggressive look but it will also enhance off-roading performance as well. Swapping out the stock rims for some menacing black wheels will definitely give your Wrangler a meaner look, but nothing will improve your off-road cred like a new set of mud-terrain tires. Be sure to check out the CJ Off-Road YouTube channel for installation guides, product snapshots, off-roading videos and more!

Image Credit: jeep.com

Back To Top