S13 5-lug conversion guide

In this guide, we will show you how to convert your S13 to a 5-lug setup, and discuss the benefits and disadvantages.

What is an S13 5-lug setup?

The S13 comes standards with 4 lug hubs in a 4×114,3 pattern. This was a popular stud pattern before the 1990s and is seen on many older Japanese cars. The stud pattern works fine and there is a good selection of wheels available in this stud pattern. Many S13 owners however decide to convert their S13 to a 5-lug setup so let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages & disadvantages of a 5-lug setup

The biggest reason that makes people convert their S13 with a 5-lug swap is a bigger selection of wheels. The 4×114.3 lug pattern is somewhat old school and this means that you are limited in choice and most importantly sizes. Older style wheels are generally smaller in diameter and width and this might not be preferable if you make more power. There is also a larger selection of wheels available in a 5×114,3 pattern, especially when it comes to more modern wheels. A lot of popular JDM wheels are no longer produced and finding them in 4×114,3 patterns is sometimes impossible. in short, if you want the largest amount of choice in wheels, a 5-lug conversion is the way to go.

Another advantage of a 5-lug setup is that it opens up the doors for some amazing brake upgrades for your S13. A 5-lug setup is also stronger than a 4-lug setup and will be more suitable for motorsports applications.

There are not a lot of disadvantages to a 5-lug conversion. Keeping a 4-lug setup means that you will have a greater selection of old-school wheels and small-diameter wheels and you will maintain the OEM look and feel of the car.

Which S13 5-lug conversion should you get?

There are a couple of brands out there that produce a 5-lug conversion for the S13. Various brands make conversion kits such as ISR Performance, Ichiba, Megan Racing, and various generic eBay kits.

Most of these kits claim to use OEM or SKF bearings which should be of high quality. All these kits use the same size bearing as the OEM hub and you can easily replace the bearings later down the line should one fail.

How to do the S13 5-lug conversion

The tools and parts you will need

To perform this conversion you will require the following tools and parts.

• S13 5-lug conversion hubs
• 5-lug brake rotors
• 30mm socket
• 36mm socket
• 14mm socket
• 14mm wrench
• 19mm socket (for your wheel nuts)
• Bearing grease
• Flathead screwdriver
• Impact wrench (or ratchet/breaker bar)
• Torque wrench (technically optional but highly recommended)
• Hammer (in case anything is seized and needs some persuasion)
• Pliers (optional but helps to remove the cotter pins)
• Something to lift the car up

Step 1: take the wheels off

This should be pretty self-explanatory but start by either jacking your car up or placing it on a lift and taking your wheels off. Make sure you have your new 5-lug wheels ready to go otherwise you won’t be able to get your car off the lift or jack stands.

Step 2: unbolt the front hubs and install the new hubs

Let’s start with the front hubs because they are the easiest. Once you have your wheels off you can remove the brake rotor and brake caliper.

The brake caliper is attached with 2 bolts on the back of the hub assembly. You can simply unbolt these with a ratchet, or if they are stuck try to get an impact wrench on there. Once you have removed the brake caliper the brake rotor should come off on its own.

With the brake caliper and rotor out of the way, you can now remove the dust cap with a flathead screwdriver. Underneath the dust cap is a 30mm nut with a cotter pin in it. Remove the cotter pin and remove the nut with an impact wrench.

Once you have removed the nut and cotter pin, the hub should slide right out without any issues. You can now clean the spindle and regrease it with bearing grease.

Step 3: bolt everything up again

You can now bolt everything in the front up again. Start with the large 30mm nut and replace the cotter pin. It is very important that you install a (new) cotter pin as this will prevent your wheel from falling off should the nut loosen whilst driving. The torque specification for the 30mm nut is 146-206nm (108-159 ft/lbs). Make sure you torque this nut up properly, and press the dust cap back in.

You can now install the new brake rotors and the brake caliper. Slide on the rotor and bolt the calipers back on. You can add some anti-seize compound to the bolts of the brake caliper to make future removal easier. The torque spec for these bolts is 38-52nm (28-38 ft/lbs).

The front 5-lug conversion is now completed so let’s move on to the rear

Step 4: unbolt the rear hub

With the wheel removed, you can pry the dust cap off. Once removed, you will find a 36mm nut that is similar to the fronts. This nut will spin freely if you try to loosen it so you will have to crank your handbrake hard to get it to stop moving. If your handbrake doesn’t work you can use something like a prybar in between some of the studs to hold the hub into place.

With the 36mm nut removed, the axle is theoretically free to move out of the hub. This is however not always the case as the axles can get seized to the hub. To get the axle out you can put the nut back on for most of the way and tap it with a hammer until the axle pops out slightly.

With the axle loose we can start to remove the hub. There are 4 bolts on the back that hold the hub on but they are practically impossibly to get out withour removing the entire hub assembly. I recommend removing the 2 upper arms and the lower balljoint. If the loewr ball joint looks like it might be seized you can also remove the entire lower arm. With all the arms disconnected you can take the entire assembly off the car.

You can now reach to the back of the hub and remove the 4 bolts that hold the hub in. The hub also tends to seize so in order to loosen it you can unbolt the 4 bolts slightly and hit the bolts to pop the hub loose.

Step 5: bolt on the new hub

With the hub removed you can now install the new 5-lug S13 hub. I recommend putting some anti-seize compound on the back of the hub to prevent seizing in the future. Tighten up the 4 bolts to 78-98nm (58-72 lb/ft).

Install the hub assembly back into car starting with the lower arm. The torque spec is 77-98nm (57-72 ft/lbs) for the lower arm bolts and 71-86nm (52-64 ft/lbs) for the ball joint.

Apply some anti-seize to the axle and slide it back into the hub. You can now install the upper arms with a torque spec of 49-69nm (36-51 ft/lbs) for the arm in the front and 77-98nm (57-72 ft/lbs) for the rear arm.

Next, install the 36mm nut with a torque spec of 235-314nm (174-231 lb/ft). Install a new cotter pin and press the dust cap back in.

You can now install your new brake rotors and reinstall your calipers. The torque spec for the caliper bolts is 38-52nm (28-38ft/lbs). Remember to degrease your new rotors as they come protected with a small film of oil.

Step 6: Do a bolt check and put your new wheels on

Do a bolt check to make sure everything is tight. You don’t want anything coming loose whilst your driving. You can now put your new wheels on and enjoy the fruits of your work. The wheel nuts should be torqued to 98-118nm (72-87 ft/lbs).

Conclusions

Doing a 5-lug conversion on your S13 is an easy straightforwards process that only requires some basic tools and knowledge. With this guide, everyone should be able to convert their S13 to 5-lug. The conversion brings a lot of advantages such as a wider selection of wheels, a stronger hub, and a potential for several brake upgrades. A 5-lug conversion is a great first upgrade for your S13.