[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Front or rear? I am assuming the rear, since the four-lug front hubs are part of the brake rotor. (Likely a 911 front end on the car?)

The biggest thing to worry about with a badly-done five-lug rear conversion is parts failure. Holes that are too close to the edge, in metal that is too thin, or are too close to other holes, can cause problems. Which can be more easily provoked by driving the car hard, with lots of power or by large cornering forces or any impact (with potholes, curbs, etc.).

If the new lug holes are not centered around the center of the hub, the rear wheels will never balance correctly and there will always be some vibration. It's usually not unbearable, but it can get annoying after a while.

Wheel failures are unlikely unless the bolt pattern is messed up. (E.g., the 5 holes are not evenly spaced or some are 127mm from the center instead of 130mm.)

Cookies are great wheels for a 914. They look nice on most 914s, they're not expensive, and most of them fit our cars pretty well.

If you're worried about the hubs, replace them. It's not worth it to be worried the whole time you drive your car. (BTDT--other worries, but still!) I believe that Eric at PMB Performance carries correctly-modified hubs. I wouldn't be surprised if other places did as well. I don't think that we do, but it is worth pinging Bruce Stone or Glenn Sager in our Sales department to make sure. They're both 914 guys and pretty cool people to boot.

--DD