Nuts and bolts are used to fasten wheels to the car and are arguably one of the most important parts on a car and usually overlooked.
Alloy wheels do use specific nuts and bolts depending on the manufacturer of your car or if you have purchased aftermarket alloys for your car.
The most common things for you to check when buying a new set of alloy wheel nuts or bolts is the thread size and seat type.
Common thread sizes
Most cars are measured in mm (metric) where the M number is the thread width and the small number is the pitch.
M12 x 1.5
M12 x 1.25
M14 x 1.5
M14 x 1.25
Common Seat Types
The seat refers to the section of the nut or bolt that makes contact with the wheel. This is very important as there must be sufficient surface contact to ensure correct fitment.
Taper (60 degree)
Radius
Flat
How do I know what nuts or bolts I need for my car wheels?
If you are not sure which wheel nuts and bolts you need then you can use our simple search on the home page or at the top of the page in the menu bar. Simply type your car model and our system will give you the correct fitment nuts or bolts.
If you are still unsure then you maybe able to find the thread size in your owner’s manual, if not then a quick search online should provide the information. When it comes to the seat type the easiest way is to look at one of your existing nuts or bolts, if the section directly under the head is a cone shape then you will need a taper seat. If the shape is curved more like a bowl then you will need radius seat and probably the most obvious is if your nuts or bolts have a flat washer then you need flat seat.
Common taper seat fitment are: Alpha Romeo, BMW, Fiat, Ford, Renault, Saab, Vauxhall.
Common Radius seat fitment are: Audi, Mercedes, Seat, Skoda, VW
Common Flat seat fitment are: Citroen, Jaguar, Lexus, Peugeot, Toyota.
What are tuner nuts and bolts?
If you have purchased aftermarket alloy wheels for your car then you may find you have what is called multi fitment. This is where the wheels have more nut and bolts holes than usual. Most cars are either 4 or 5 stud, but multi fitment may have up to 10 holes.
To allow the extra nut and bolts holes on these aftermarket alloys they require slim / narrow nuts or bolts. This is where tuner nuts come in, they are round and usually 20mm in diameter. There is no hexagonal head and instead a splined key is fitted into the top of the nut or bolt to fit them.