[Asleep]

im having a very hard time wrapping my head around this one. i know this is one of those topics where people adamantly say you need them and there are others that say you dont. i searched this site and tons of sites on google and its the same conclusion - split on whether theyre really needed or not. since i am ordering wheels next week, id kinda like to get this out of the way.

i personally, dont see why they are needed. tapered lugs with aftermarket wheels will center the wheel. that piece of plastic is not going to change a thing once you start applying tq to those lug nuts and the wheel is forcibly pulled into position. ive been a technician for a very long time - from city buses to cars to helicopters. im not a scrub with no technical know-how so this is kind of perplexing to me. ive never used them and i really cant see how they make a difference.

a simple, "you need them" is not what im looking for here. id like a sensible reason as to why i absolutely have to have them. a reason that convinces me that tapered nuts dont do what they do and that that ring overrides them and all their torque.

id kind of like this to be an end all debates type of thread, if possible.
pros and cons and not 3 word or 4 word replies.

 

[wicked_evo11]

i had this question too. i bought new wheels for my car and i didnt need them. a lot of guys on here dont even use the hubcentric rings. you are correct, with tapered lug nuts the wheels should be centered. plus you should be doing a star pattern when bolting them down. my answer is no you will not need them, unless your going with hellaflush (which then you may need the hubcentric rings) dont bother with it.

 

[Asleep]

yeah im not going to get them im thinking. if someone can come up with a really good argument as to why they are absolutely needed, id consider it, but its gonna have to be a good argument. when you tighten those tapered lug nuts down and the wheel is pulled into position, theres just no way that a plastic ring is going to change that. i just cant see it.

 

[wicked_evo11]

i agree with you. plus then rings gets stuck sometimes and its a PITA to remove.

 

[FLK]

Aftermarket wheels with tapered lugs that are lug-centric (ie. Enkei's) you don't need a hub ring (which only guides to center the wheel).

Remember to tighten your lug-centric wheel off the ground.

 

[SiliconTek]

Aftermarket wheels with tapered lugs that are lug-centric (ie. Enkei's) you don't need a hub ring (which only guides to center the wheel).

Remember to tighten your lug-centric wheel off the ground.

:+1: the only reason I use rings is I thought I had a bad wheel, in the end I had a bad balance. There is no reason to run hubcentric on lug-centric wheels. Just tighten in star pattern off of the ground.

 

[dkevox]

finally a thread that said what I figured. thanks!

never had any problems with my volks without hubcentric rings, but had someone telling me i should get them with my wheels. Can't figure out for the life of me what purpose they serve with tapered lug nuts.

 

[akhon]

as long as you have tapered lugs then you dont have to worry about them, but if you don't have tapered lugs then they are useful to get it as close to center as you can.

 

[DaveolutionX]

i don't even know why i put them. lol. it's just that they said you would lose the vibrations at 70+ mph on the freeway but i never really noticed them.

 

[GGevo10]

:+1: the only reason I use rings is I thought I had a bad wheel, in the end I had a bad balance. There is no reason to run hubcentric on lug-centric wheels. Just tighten in star pattern off of the ground.

On just the stock wheels and lugs, tighten them on or off the ground?


Sent from AutoGuide.com App

 

[KickAss]

I ended up damaging one of my hub-centric rings at Road Atlanta last year. I was running the RPF1 rims at the time. So I decided to run the one wheel without it. When I was accelerating, there was little to no vibration. But when braking...god damn did I feel feel it. My instructor looked at me like WTF! I checked the torque between sessions and everything was fine.

I have since noticed that the lack of the ring basically magnifies an out of balance wheel and also significantly impacts braking behavior. As oon as I put in a replacement ring, all vibration disappeared.

 

[dkevox]

do rpf1's have tapered stud-centric lug nuts?

I mean, I have no vibrations or issues on my te37sl's. none at all. and never used hubcentric rings.

I don't understand how the wheel could be mounted improperly if using tapered lug nuts unless the wheel design is off center. even then a hubcentric ring shouldn't fix that problem cause it means the holes for the studs are off.

not doubting your experience, but just trying to understand how it's possible.

I guess I might find out when I install my new wheels.

 

[KickAss]

I don't remember and cannot confirm right now either, car is with Dino and the rims are on the car. I was using the 5Zigen proracer aluminum lugs at 80ft-lbs of torque. They had a tapered end, is that what you mean? Also, I think you meant stud-centric lug nut "holes" in your first sentence there.

 

[Yxd68]

They're really cheap and can't do any harm. So use them.

 

[dkevox]

yeah, i meant holes lol. I don't know all the terminology.

is it like the one on the left in the below image?

 

[KickAss]

no, like first one from the right, the ball seat.

 

[dkevox]

hmm, would think those would have the same effect. I guess though the ball seat type would be much more dependent on how well the tips of the lug nut line up with the mating surface on the wheel.

 

[turbo x gsr]

Ok we'll now I'll tell you why hub centric rings are a MUST have item. Your hub is designed to take the punishment from the pot holes, rough roads and hard braking and deliver that directly to your shocks. If you do not have them they deliver that punishment to your studs and wheels causing breakage and hairline cracks that lead to failure of those items. Your studs were not designed to take that kind of abuse, they will eventually fail and cost you thousands of dollars in damage. Protect your investment and your life and pay the measly 25 bucks for a must have safety part!!!!!!

 

[DaveolutionX]

there's no harm on using them. it's better safe and protect your wheels than sorry. and for $25 that's not so bad.

 

[Natek]

What rings should I get, aluminum or plastic?