Does Pilot Diameter of Replacement Wheel Need to Match That of Old Wheel

Updated 12/06/2020 | Published 12/05/2020

Question:

I was curious how important the pilot diameter is. Can I replace a 4 on 4, pilot diameter = 2.5 with a 2.65 or 2.84?

asked by: John A

Expert Reply:

The answer to your question will depend on if you have hub centric or lug centric wheels.

What's the difference?

Lug centric wheels use wheel studs embedded in the hub and lug nuts to attach the wheels. The wheel studs provide all the support for the wheel. In this case, the wheel's pilot diameter isn't important as long as it's large enough for the hub grease cover to pass through it with some room to spare.

Hub centric wheels are a different story. Hub centric wheels are held on by lug bolts that are driven into threaded holes in the hub. The wheel is actually supported by the portion of the hub that passes through the wheel pilot hole, so in this case it'd be very important that the pilot diameter of a new wheel matches that of the old wheel.

expert reply by: Mike L