HUBCENTRIC RINGS; TO USE OR NOT TO USE

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ronc
Posts: 23
Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2010 6:10 am

HUBCENTRIC RINGS; TO USE OR NOT TO USE

Post by ronc »

hey brian; i was reading your FAQ and you said hub rings are a convienence and are not required. why when you ask any person who sells rims they insist you use them because of vibration issues;centering etc. they are very cheap so i don't think its a money making thing. i just bought some koseis for my nc and while i do have them on i would prefer not to use them so my rims could be as flush to the hub as possible. is there a trick on how to place the rims on the hub when mounting the rims to the hub without the rings or are all the rim sellers covering their ass for something that may or may not happen down the road. although my koseis perform well on my dd i could swear my oem 16s are a pinch smoother at higher speeds. should i experiment with them on and off the car and see what happens. could you shed any addional light on the subject that you haven't said on your FAQ. THANKS RON
Brian
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Re: HUBCENTRIC RINGS; TO USE OR NOT TO USE

Post by Brian »

Hub rings align the wheels before the lugs go in. IF you properly hand tighten your lugs then the wheels will still be centered just as well. Thus, nobody actually needs the rings....assuming proper install.

On the other hand, if you skip the rings and then take your car in for a brake job and the mechanic uses an air gun to slam the lugs back on, then the wheels will likely NOT be centered.

Thus, I usually suggest them for anybody not 100% in charge of EVERY time the wheels are removed and loaded again.
Brian Goodwin
Good-Win Racing
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CHeavin_2006
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Re: HUBCENTRIC RINGS; TO USE OR NOT TO USE

Post by CHeavin_2006 »

I actually just switched from my set of RPF1's back to my set of Mazda FD RX-7 wheels. After removing the RPF1s I realized the hub rings were stuck on the hub REALLY good. I used WD40 and a small flat head screwdriver to try to pry them off, but no success. Finally I just had to take a chisel to them to knock them off. Any way to avoid the hub rings from sticking to the hub if I order another set for the RPF1's?
Reitrof
Posts: 83
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Location: Carleton Place Ontario

Re: HUBCENTRIC RINGS; TO USE OR NOT TO USE

Post by Reitrof »

When I was using them, I used to put on a bit of caliper grease. You don't need much. Never had a problem of getting them off.
2008 PRHT Touring True Red, MazdaSpeed body kit
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morrisg
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Re: HUBCENTRIC RINGS; TO USE OR NOT TO USE

Post by morrisg »

You could use plastic hub centric rings, which will never corrode to the hub.
Brian
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Re: HUBCENTRIC RINGS; TO USE OR NOT TO USE

Post by Brian »

The plastic rings work great for street, but for track work the higher heat load can melt them to the hub.
Brian Goodwin
Good-Win Racing
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CHeavin_2006
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Re: HUBCENTRIC RINGS; TO USE OR NOT TO USE

Post by CHeavin_2006 »

Brian wrote:The plastic rings work great for street, but for track work the higher heat load can melt them to the hub.
That's exactly what happened in my case...
hmh5
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Re: HUBCENTRIC RINGS; TO USE OR NOT TO USE

Post by hmh5 »

CHeavin_2006 wrote:
Brian wrote:The plastic rings work great for street, but for track work the higher heat load can melt them to the hub.
That's exactly what happened in my case...
Happened to me too. I used needle nose pliers to grab on to them and pulled it off. However this year they won't fit. Odd. I just skipped them and haven't had any vibrations problems. I swap wheels myself and hand tighten them as Brian mentioned.
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