[Walms]

I'm a bit perplexed! I'm in the process of looking for winter rims for my 2012 Focus.
I found a set on kijiji with the 5 bolt pattern but they don't fit
It currently has the 18x8J rims which I'm told is the same as the ST model other than the ST model I'm told have a 108mm bolt pattern
But this is not the case with my car!
I measure about 102mm but I've had zero luck finding something on the web...
Does anyone have knowledge about this oddity?
TIA

 

[RebelDevilCustoms]

I'm a bit perplexed! I'm in the process of looking for winter rims for my 2012 Focus.
I found a set on kijiji with the 5 bolt pattern but they don't fit
It currently has the 18x8J rims which I'm told is the same as the ST model other than the ST model I'm told have a 108mm bolt pattern
But this is not the case with my car!
I measure about 102mm but I've had zero luck finding something on the web...
Does anyone have knowledge about this oddity?
TIA

Where are u measuring? all 2012+ Foci have 5x108.

 

[Walms]

I'm measuring with digital callipers the center distance between 2 studs, jumping over a stud. And I get 102mm
I measured the same way with the winter tires I bought and I get 108mm

Could I have an early build date freak???

 

[RebelDevilCustoms]

One was built Aug of 2011. Measure center stud to center or other stud. [thumb]

 

[Walms]

Stud to stud is 63mm

 

[sailor]

It's not adding up to me to measure stud to stud, even jumping one you won't get the 'bolt circle" measurement since it's a 5 bolt.

Only the 4 bolt can be measured that way to get the circle measurement.

 

[Walms]

Fwiw I've worked in a machine shop my whole life so I know how to measure! Lol
I've spent more time trying to prove this fact than anything...
Maybe what I'll do is send my dealer the vin number and try to put it in their lap.
Pretty fricken strange if you ask me!

 

[Joeywhat]

Ford didn't make a set of wheels just for your car... It's 5x108, you're probably not measuring correctly.

Also, to measure 5 stud patterns, you measure the diameter of the circle created by the center of the studs, not from one stud to the other.

 

[sailor]

^^^ that's what I was sayin'

No doubt about the accuracy of the measurement, just about WHAT was being measured.

Silly way to measure for an odd number of bolts, you'd have to mount paper or cardboard across the center & use geometry with a compass to get the center mark - then measure bolt center to pattern center & double it.

 

[Walms]

As far as I know the 108mm bolt pattern is NOT the bolt hole circle, it's the center distance been 2 studs, skipping a stud... If you google this you will see what I mean.
I

 

[Walms]

Would it make you guys feel better if I told you the 108mm bolt center rims I bought from another Focus owner do not fit my car?

 

[RebelDevilCustoms]

Would it make you guys feel better if I told you the 108mm bolt center rims I bought from another Focus owner do not fit my car?

What rims?

 

[Joeywhat]

As far as I know the 108mm bolt pattern is NOT the bolt hole circle, it's the center distance been 2 studs, skipping a stud... If you google this you will see what I mean.
I

It's not.

1) your car has a 5x108 bolt pattern, regardless of your measurements.

2) your car does NOT have a special set of wheels that Ford made specifically for a weird bolt pattern that only happened on one set of cars (not that it would every actually happen in the first place)

3) I am correct in how I said to measure the studs. Easiest way is to measure from center of top stud, then use a straight edge to create a straight line (parallel to the ground) between the center of the bottom two studs and measure to the center of that straight edge.

I don't need to google it since I just know how to do it, but if Google is showing otherwise I would be interested to see the sources (so I know to never use them).

ALSO, another way to get close to the actual pattern measurement without using a straight edge and such, is to measure from the center of one stud to the outer edge of one of the bottom studs. Once again, not exact (as this is not how it's measured...it's measured like I described above) but it'll be very close.

 

[sailor]

Googled, and I'll believe Tire Rack:http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...9zRVzCBeqUd_pYg&bvm=bv.79189006,d.cWc&cad=rja

Approx. the distance from a bolt center to a straight edge across the outside of the two opposite bolts - for a rough estimate without an official "gauge".

I edited my last to include the way to geometrically arrive at an accurate measurement while you were typing the last post.

 

[Joeywhat]

ALSO, in addition to all that, are you in the United States and have an actual MKIII Focus as we call them here?

 

[Walms]

They are steel after market, the ones that don't fit.
I googled how to measure a 5 bolt rim again and it seems it's a bit inconclusive now!
Some say to measure from the center of 1 stud, skipping a stud to the edge of another.
Theoretically the bolt hole circle would be about 108mm on my rims but I don't think the spec is for bhc...
How would the average guy sort that out on the side of the road?

Anyway, the only other possibility I can think of is the guy that sold me the rims grabbed the wrong set of rims???

 

[sailor]

I could describe the exact way to geometrically measure them, but there's no point.

Assume your bolt to bolt is correct for 5x108, and compare the stud to opposing stud (as I think you did) to prove whether the aftermarket wheels match.

 

[Walms]

Certainly what you guys are saying makes sense.
In the end, I'll probably find out the guy that sold me the rims, didn't come off his Focus as he said they did and by chance the method I used to measure equalled exactly 108mm
I'm in Canada and the model of the car is Titanium.

 

[sailor]

yeah, prob. the wrong size wheels.

The 108 pattern is a 4 1/4" one in English measurement, the next size up that's more popular is the 114mm or 4 1/2".


Many have asked if the hubs can be redrilled to that size (there's a guy on here that can do a change to 4x100 for example) but it's too large for him to trust the amount of material left on the outside. 5x114 won't fit on a 5x108 hub safely.

That next size up would prob. measure 108 across a skip one stud measurement.

 

[Walms]

Thanks for the input guys, I went ahead and ordered some new rims with the premise that the rims I bought are the wrong ones.
From what I've learned from you guys today, I believe was sold a set of rims with a 4-1/2" or 114mm bhc