The Wide Five Era: 5x205 from the Start
From the very beginning of series production in the late 1940s, the Volkswagen Beetle used a five-lug hub with a bolt circle diameter of 205 mm — universally known as the Wide Five, or 5x205. This five-stud pattern was inherited from American industrial conventions of the postwar period and was common across many vehicles of the era. Volkswagen adopted it across their entire aircooled lineup: Beetle, Karmann Ghia, Type 3, and the VW Bus.
The Porsche 356 shared this exact same bolt pattern, which is why the two brands long exchanged wheels and accessories. The fasteners were M12x1.5 bolts torqued to 10 mkg — a specification unchanged across two decades of production.
Today, the 5x205 Wide Five is a world unto itself in the custom and resto-mod scene: a distinct bolt pattern with its own ecosystem of vintage wheels and specialty hardware.
August 1967: Volkswagen Switches Standards
The break came with the Beetle's revision for the 1968 model year, introduced in August 1967. As part of a broader technical modernisation of the platform, Volkswagen dropped the 5x205 in favour of a new four-lug pattern: 4x130.
Moving from five lugs to four reduced unsprung mass, simplified production, and aligned the platform with where Volkswagen and Porsche were heading. The fasteners changed from M12x1.5 to M14x1.5, with the torque spec raised to 13 mkg to compensate for the reduced number of clamping points.
The 4x130 pattern quickly became the shared standard across the next generation of aircooled vehicles: Beetle from 1968 to 1979, Karmann Ghia post-1967, Type 3, and later the Porsche 914. It's the bolt pattern you'll find on the vast majority of aircooled VW and Porsche vehicles from the 1970s.
Worth noting: the VW Bus kept the 5x205 Wide Five until 1971, before transitioning to 5x112 — a third bolt pattern specific to late T2 models.
How to Identify Your Beetle's Bolt Pattern
The simple rule: before August 1967 → 5x205 | from August 1967 onward → 4x130
In practice, transition-year vehicles (some late 1967 builds) can cause confusion. The most reliable method is to count the studs on your hub: five studs → 5x205; four studs → 4x130. If you're uncertain about torque specs or thread pitch, always refer to your vehicle's original specifications.
Choosing the Right Wheels
Knowing your bolt pattern is the first step — but not the only one. Offset, centre bore diameter, and rim width all matter depending on your setup and whether you've made suspension modifications.
At Raw Classics, we stock wheels specifically selected for aircooled Volkswagen and Porsche vehicles:
- 4x130 wheels — for post-1967 Beetles, Karmann Ghias, Type 3s, and Porsche 914s
- 5x205 Wide Five wheels — for pre-1967 Beetles, Karmann Ghias, and Porsche 356s
Every product listing specifies compatibility by model and year. When in doubt, our compatibility table is there to guide you.
