Ford Explorer Wheels and Rims

Ford Explorer Aftermarket Wheel Fitment

The Ford Explorer has been in production since 1991 and has run as a body-on-frame SUV, a front-wheel-drive-based unibody crossover, and a rear-wheel-drive-based unibody crossover across six generations. The bolt pattern is 5x114.3 on every Explorer we have ever stocked, from the 1st generation forward. The centerbore is the spec that moved. The body-on-frame Explorers (1991-2010) and the 6th gen Explorer (2020 and up) both run a 70.5mm hub bore. The 5th gen unibody Explorer (2011-2019) ran a smaller 63.4mm hub bore because Ford built it on the front-wheel-drive-based D4 platform shared with the Taurus. When Ford moved the 6th gen back to a rear-wheel-drive-based platform for 2020, the hub bore stepped back up to 70.5mm. Find your generation below and the fitment specs follow.

Find Your Ford Explorer Generation

Pick your year range to see wheels and rims that fit your specific Explorer. Bolt pattern is 5x114.3 (the 5x4.5 imperial nickname) on every Explorer back to 1991. Centerbore changes by generation: 70.5mm on the body-on-frame trucks (1991-2010) and the 6th gen (2020 and up), 63.4mm on the 5th gen unibody (2011-2019). The Explorer ST and the off-road oriented Timberline are trims within the 6th gen and use the 6th gen fitment window.

The Ford Explorer Bolt Pattern and Centerbore

Every Ford Explorer from 1991 forward uses the 5x114.3 bolt pattern. The imperial nickname for this pattern is 5x4.5 because 114.3mm equals 4.5 inches exactly. The bolt pattern has stayed the same across six generations and across two platform switches (body-on-frame to unibody in 2011, unibody-FWD-based to unibody-RWD-based in 2020). The centerbore is the spec that moved. The body-on-frame Explorers (1991-1994 1st gen, 1995-2001 2nd gen, 2002-2005 3rd gen, 2006-2010 4th gen) all run a 70.5mm hub bore on the Ranger-derived truck chassis. The 5th gen Explorer (2011-2019) moved to a 63.4mm hub bore because Ford built it on the front-wheel-drive-based D4 unibody platform shared with the Taurus and Flex. The 6th gen Explorer (2020 and up) sits on the rear-wheel-drive-based CD6 platform, which stepped the hub bore back up to 70.5mm.

The 5x114.3 bolt pattern crosses to other Ford 5-lug platforms including the Edge, the Flex, the Taurus (2008 forward), and the Mustang. The Explorer's centerbore varies by generation, so a wheel that fits a 5th gen Edge will not necessarily fit a 6th gen Explorer without hub centric rings or a different bore. Offset and brake clearance are also different across these platforms, so a wheel that fits an Edge does not automatically fit an Explorer. Confirm centerbore against the table above and verify offset against the generation page for your specific Explorer.

Why the 2020 Ford Explorer Changed Wheel Buying

The Explorer has had two platform shifts in its production. The first was in 2011, when Ford moved the Explorer off the body-on-frame Ranger-derived chassis (1991-2010) and onto a front-wheel-drive-based D4 unibody platform shared with the Taurus and Flex. The 5th gen ran from 2011 through 2019 and that is the generation that uses the 63.4mm centerbore. The second shift was in 2020, when Ford moved the 6th gen Explorer onto a rear-wheel-drive-based CD6 platform. The 2020 and up Explorer is longitudinally-mounted-engine RWD or AWD, with a 70.5mm hub bore that matches the body-on-frame Explorers from 2010 and earlier. The Explorer ST, Platinum, and the off-road Timberline all sit on the CD6 platform and share the 6th gen hub bore.

How We Confirm Fitment on Ford Explorer Wheels

Element Wheels measures fitment on the platforms we sell wheels for, including every Explorer generation back to 1991. For the Explorer that means clearance from the wheel to the fender, gap between the back of the wheel and the front strut, brake caliper height across the body-on-frame trucks and the unibody crossovers, hub protrusion and bore confirmation across the 70.5mm (body-on-frame and 6th gen) and the 63.4mm (5th gen) hubs, lug seat geometry, and turning clearance at full lock on the larger 22 to 24 inch diameters. At our fitment facility in Chandler, Arizona, the Element Wheels team measures directly on the physical platforms we support. We don't pull specs from manufacturer sheets the way most retailers do.

That measurement work is why we track the 2011-2019 5th gen and the 2020 and up 6th gen separately even though both are unibody Explorers, and why a wheel listing measured on the 5th gen does not automatically apply to the 6th gen. The hub bore is different, the platform layout is different, and the offset window is different. Every wheel we recommend is backed by our Fitment Guarantee. If a wheel does not fit, we pick up the wheels and refund 100 percent. No risk to you.

Ford Explorer Wheels and Rims FAQ

Get Ford Explorer Wheels and Rims Right the First Time

Pick your generation above to see wheels and rims that fit. We measure on the Explorer across all three eras (body-on-frame trucks 1991-2010, FWD-based D4 unibody 2011-2019, RWD-based CD6 unibody 2020 and up), track the centerbore step between the 5th gen 63.4mm and the 6th gen 70.5mm, and separately track the lifted and lowered fitment rows on the body-on-frame Explorers and the 6th gen. Find your fit and start enjoying your build sooner.