If you’re trying to figure out which Subaru models run a 4×140 bolt pattern, you’re almost certainly dealing with a vintage Subaru — this pattern was used on Subaru’s older lineup before the company moved to a 5-lug setup in the early 1990s. I run a salvage yard with around a hundred of these cars on the lot, all from the 1980 to 1984 era, so this isn’t something I looked up. It’s something I deal with every day pulling wheels for people.
Here’s what I’ve learned from having that many of these cars in one place.
Every early 80s Subaru that’s come through my yard runs the 4×140 pattern. That includes:
I’ve got a couple of every body style sitting on the lot right now, all from that 1980 to 1984 window, and every single one shares that same 4×140 bolt pattern. If you’re working on an early 80s Subaru of pretty much any body style, you’re in 4×140 territory.
The bolt pattern itself stays consistent, but I have noticed an offset difference between the early cars and the later ones. If you’re swapping wheels between a really early model and a later model in that same general era, don’t assume the offset is identical just because the bolt pattern matches. It’s a detail people overlook, and it’s the kind of thing that turns a quick wheel swap into a fitment headache.
Here’s the question I get more than any other at the yard: can I get bigger wheels on this thing?
Stock on these cars is a 13-inch rim. Almost everyone who comes through wants to step up to a 14 or a 15. The problem isn’t the bolt pattern — it’s availability. Once you go looking for 4×140 Subaru wheels in 14s or 15s, the options thin out fast. That pattern simply wasn’t used long enough or widely enough for aftermarket manufacturers to keep making wheels for it, so you’re hunting through old stock, swap meets, and other 4×140 vehicles to find anything beyond the stock 13-inch size.
One thing I always point people toward: Peugeot also used the 140mm bolt pattern on some of their cars. If you’re struggling to find 14s or 15s for your Subaru, Peugeot wheels are worth tracking down — they’ll bolt right up. It’s not a perfect solution since those wheels aren’t exactly common either, but it opens up another pool of wheels to search through besides just Subaru-branded ones.
I want to pass along a specific example, because it’s the kind of thing that’ll save you a headache if you’re swapping wheels between years.
If you take a 1981 white-spoke rim and try to put it on an ’86 or ’88 Subaru, it will rub on the brake caliper. The wheel bolts up fine — same pattern — but it doesn’t actually clear. The only way to make it work is to shave the brake caliper down so the wheel has room to spin freely.
This is exactly why I bring up the offset difference earlier. Two Subarus can share a bolt pattern and still not be a clean swap. If you’re pulling a wheel off an early car and putting it on a later one, check your clearance before you call it done. Don’t assume that because the lugs line up, you’re in the clear.
If you’re trying to fit wheels on an early 80s 4×140 Subaru, here’s what I’d tell you straight from the yard:
This pattern doesn’t get talked about much because most people are dealing with modern Subarus on 5-lug setups. But if you’ve got an early 80s GL, DL, BRAT, wagon, or coupe, this is everything I’ve learned from having a yard full of them.
