Feb 16th 2025
The best wheels for the Kia K5 & DN8 Sonata
Today we have a two-for-one fitment guide on the latest model of Kia K5 and Hyundai Sonata. So called ‘sister’ cars that are essentially the same, with the same engine, transmission, and possibly the biggest breakthrough in recent automotive engineering; the Kia Boyz can no longer steal your car with just a USB charger.
- This guide is for the newest models of the 5th Gen K5 Optima (2021+) and the 8th Gen Sonata (2020+)
These cars look super futuristic, and we see that design philosophy carried over to the wheels. Kia went for two-tone wheels full of odd geometric shapes. And TBH, they look kinda lame.
In our opinion (and probably yours if you’re reading this), there’s a reason certain aftermarket designs are timeless and look good on anything, regardless of how modern the front clip looks. So, if you like dished or concave wheels with aggressive fitment, stay tuned…
Quick links
- Basic fitment info
- Factory wheel specs
- Examples of aftermarket wheels
- 18" K5/Sonata wheels
- 19" K5/Sonata wheels
- 20" K5/Sonata wheels
Basic fitment info
- Lug pattern: 5x114.3
- Lug thread: m12x1.5
- Center bore: 67.1mm
- Lug torque: 80 ft/lbs
If this is your first time dabbling in aftermarket wheels, the good news is there are a ton of options thanks to the widely used 5x114.3 lug pattern used on these cars. In fact, we got over 100K possible wheels in this PCD. Not all of these will fit your K5 or DN8, which is why in the next section we’re going to whittle down the search by looking at the best specs for these cars.
You might need some accessories to fit your aftermarket wheels. As far as hub bore is concerned, you’ll usually need a hubcentric ring to adapt your aftermarket wheels to your car’s bore size. Most aftermarket stuff will come with a 73.x mm bore, making them suitable for a range of cars.
You can find hubcentric rings, lug nuts, and other accessories you might need on our site.
Factory wheels specs
Here’s a look at what your K5 or DN8 will come with from the factory.
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Factory Fitment |
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Wheels |
Tires |
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16” |
16x6.5 +43 or +46 |
215/60R16 |
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17” |
17x7 +48 |
215/55R17 |
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18” |
18x7.5 +18 |
235/45R18 |
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19” |
19x8 +50 |
245/40R19 |
From the factory, they get 16s all the way up to 19-inch diameter wheels. This doesn’t narrow it down much, but with aftermarket wheels, we can pretty much rule out 16s and 17s.
Recommended specs for aftermarket wheels
For aftermarket wheels, we recommend sizes between 18 and 20”. Even for winter tires, we don’t see a reason to go smaller than 18s as the tire for this diameter is already pretty thick. If you want to go for a big and bold look with nice slim tires, 20s are a great look, especially when lowered.
19” diameter seems to be the Goldilocks size for these cars. It fills out the arches nicely, but still leaves room for a 40 sidewall tire in most cases.
For width, the preferred specs are between 8.5 and 9.5”; and offsets somewhere in the mid 30’s - pretty typical on modern midsize sedans. Of course, you could go more or less aggressive, depending on the look you want.
Kia K5 and Hyundai Sonata wheel fitment
Deciding the diameter can be the hardest part, so we broke this guide down by diameter, starting with 18s, then 19s, and finally 20s.
18” wheels for the K5 & Sonata
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Fitment Facts |
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Wheels |
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Notes |
Stock tire size |
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Starting out with a basic setup, this 2021 GT-Line K5 is sitting on Enkei Raijin wheels but the tires are still the factory Pirelli All-Season. This is a modest upgrade to the factory wheel sizes being only ½” wider with a slightly lower offset. The fitment isn’t quite flush, but does look a lot better than stock 18s.
This car is lowered on Godspeed coilovers. A similar setup would look good on stock-height cars, too. As you can expect, there is no rubbing or other clearance issues.
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Notes |
Lowered on coilovers, no rubbing issues |
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If you like 18s, but with more aggressive fitment, you could go for an 18x8.5 +30, like we see on this Sonata. Note that the tires are a size smaller which might be necessary to fit these wheels without rubbing. The owner chose cheaper tires, which are typically better for stretching.
This car is also lowered on coilovers and there are no rubbing issues.
19” wheels for the K5 & Sonata
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Fitment Facts |
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Notes |
Adro lowering springs |
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Width and offset aren’t going to change much between the various diameters. These MRR wheels are 19x8.5 +35, which is pretty much the perfect spec for flush fitment without adding extra camber.
If you have a GT-Line that comes with factory 19’s, you could reuse the tires, as the owner of this car did. There’s nothing wrong with the Pirelli All-seasons that come on these cars, especially if you’re using yours in inclement weather. But, if you wanna upgrade, quality summer tires definitely have more potential.
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Fitment Facts |
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Wheels |
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Notes |
Lowering springs |
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The wheel specs are pretty much exactly the same as the last, the difference here is the Continental ExtremeContact tires sized at 235/40R19. If you’re looking to swap out the all-seaons for a summer tire, these are one of the hottest options on the market - they’re very affordable, yet give awesome performance.
This car is also lowered on springs, otherwise, not much more to say about this one considering the specs are very similar.
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If you want a 9.0 or 9.5” wide wheel, it’s better to err on the side of a slightly higher offset. This K5 is running +40 offset on 19x9.5 wheels. Note that this is pretty aggressive and might require trimming to the fenders.
This is another case where the stock 245/40R19 tires were retained. Once again, Adro springs were used on this build.
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Wheels |
Weds Kranze Cerberus 2 19x10 +22 (effective +17) |
Weds Kranze Cerberus 2 19x10 +22 (effective +17) |
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Tires |
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Notes |
lowered on Scale coilovers Fenders trimmed, slight rub at full turn. See more here |
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Our final look at 19s is with wheels far outside the specs we normally recommend - this car is undoubtedly a stance build; so, unless you don’t mind stretched tires, trimmed fenders, and fully adjustable suspension arms, this probably isn’t for you. But, for the small percentage looking to stance their K5, here are the details:
This 2022 K5 is static on coilovers rather than air suspension. It’s sitting on 19x10 +22 wheels; with 5mm spacers, bringing the effective offset is +17. Note that 10” wider wheels will require fender trimming, so they’re not for the faint of heart.
With fitment this aggressive, you’re going to need to mess with the alignment; front camber is normally adjustable with the coilover tophats, while the rear needs adjustable suspension arms.
This car is featured in our Gallery, head over there to find even more details about the build.
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20” wheels for the K5 & Sonata
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Fitment Facts |
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Front |
Rear |
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Wheels |
Enkei TSR-X 20x8.5 +40 (effective +37) |
Enkei TSR-X 20x8.5 +40 (effective +35) |
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Tires |
Bridgestone Potenza 245/35R20 |
Bridgestone Potenza 245/35R20 |
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Notes |
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This 2022 Sonata shows how good 20s can look when combined with lowering springs. In general, larger wheels normally pair best with lowering, whether it's on springs, coils, or air suspension. This 22’ is lowered on TruHart lowering springs, which provides a nice 1.5” drop.
With small spacers, these wheels are right in the perfectly flush range that we keep harping on about. Just because the diameter is different doesn’t mean other specs need to change.
Where you will see a change is in the tire sizing, particularly the aspect ratio. With 20s, you definitely want a 35 aspect ratio instead of 40 or 45 like on 19s.
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Fitment Facts |
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Tires |
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Notes |
BagRiders air suspension kit No rubbing when aired up |
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There are a few companies that produce air suspension kits for these cars, this GT-Line is running one from BagRiders. With bags, you get the best of both worlds for drivability and looks. This car has zero rubbing or scraping when it’s aired up.
As far as wheel specs, sure, you could go crazy with a bunch of camber and super-stretched tires, or, you could keep it relatively tame for more tucked fitment. This car runs Rotiform wheels, the specs are: 20x9 +35. As we know, these specs work great regardless of ride height.
Besides the air kit, this car doesn’t have any other fancy parts, simply the natural camber that comes from being this low.
Wrap up
Looking back, the KN5 and GN8 use pretty standard specs for modern mid-sized sedans. The ‘money’ size for these cars is 18 to 20 diameter, 8.5 to 9.5-inch width, and an offset around +35 to +40. Given how common these sizes are, you have a bunch of options to choose from, we just scratched the tip of the iceberg in this guide.
At the moment, other aftermarket support is still being developed, but that hasn’t stopped owners from lowering, adding aero, lighting, and other mods - just look at the cars here, almost everything we featured is lowered. When you’re ready to set your car apart, we got all the parts you need to do it, starting with wheels and tires, but also suspension, lights, and all the other goodies you’ll need.