What is the centre bore?
The centre bore (also called hub bore or centring bore) is the diameter of the large central hole in a wheel. It fits over the hub spigot on your car and — together with the wheel bolts — ensures the wheel is perfectly centred.
Why does the centre bore matter?
If the wheel's central hole does not match the hub spigot, vibrations can occur even with correctly torqued bolts. The wheel is then centred by the bolts alone rather than the hub, leading to uneven tyre wear, a vibrating steering wheel or a humming noise at speed.
Smaller or larger than the hub spigot?
- Centre bore = hub spigot: perfect fit, no action needed.
- Centre bore < hub spigot: the wheel won't fit without modification. The hole can be enlarged by machining, but this is irreversible.
- Centre bore > hub spigot: the hole is too large. Hub centric rings (small rings of aluminium or plastic that fill the gap) allow the wheel to centre correctly. The bolts are then not relied upon for centring.
Common centre bore sizes
- 56.1 mm – Ford, Mazda
- 57.1 mm – Volkswagen, Audi (4×100 / 5×112)
- 60.1 mm – Renault, Citroën, Peugeot
- 63.4 mm – Opel/Vauxhall
- 66.6 mm – BMW (5×120)
- 72.6 mm – Mercedes-Benz (5×112)