May be a "newbie" question, but I just must know.

I had a request for a quote on some PIAA Super Rozza in a Silver Finish and specifically said that I did not want to have to use "wheel spacers". The quote came back and included the Wheels, tires (mounted and balanced), shipping from CA to FL, and all the extras... valves, lug nuts, hub rings and center caps.

So this brings to light the source of my question... What is the difference between hub rings and wheel spacers?

As always, TIA.

<font color=blue>The above statements are only my take on the issue. If you disagree with anything I typed then you are 100% right!</font color=blue>

 

hub ring helps the wheel to be perfectly centered when installed. Spacers increase (or should I say decrease) the offset of the wheel. They basically push the wheel out towards the fenders giving it a more aggressive look.

 

Damn, those look good. If it weren't for the rivets, I'd be all over them in the hyperblack. Seems everything with the spokes toward the inside has damn rivets and if I don't want rivets I gotta get the ones where the spokes are toward the outside which prohibits ease of cleaning.


2004.5 Coupe/5AT/Ivory/Everything but front spoiler/Nismo CAI/Crawford V5/Crawford Cats

 

See my latest post in the wheels section -fish.

<font color=blue>The above statements are only my take on the issue. If you disagree with anything I typed then you are 100% right!</font color=blue>

 

Exactly....Manufacturers try and make wheels that will fit many different vehicles. Your hubs have a little lip in the center. The best wheel fittment is "Hub Centric" meaning the wheel fits over the hub with no play, and the hub rings are an adaptor to remove all possible play, resulting in almost perfect balance.
Without them, the wheel would be "lug centric" at best allowing for possible play around the lug nuts.
Hope this makes sense.

"I like you.....You remind me of myself when I was young and foolish"

 

Sure it does. Then how would a tire place "balance the wheel" if the wheel is hub centric and not lug centric?

My wifes Toyota Sequoia is hub centric and the dealership has a "key" or fitting that they put on their road force balance machine to pick up the hub of the wheel. Most tire places balance the wheels with a lug centric machine. If I go after market, how will I balance my rim/tire without this "key"?

<font color=blue>The above statements are only my take on the issue. If you disagree with anything I typed then you are 100% right!</font color=blue>

 

the hubs also help with road noise...

2 G or NOT 2 G, there is no question!

Injen SES, Kinetix cats, K&N Typhoon, 19" PIAA Super Rozza's (19x9 & 19x10)

 

Hub centric better be the same as lug centric, otherwise you'll be bouncing up and down.

The centerpoint of the wheel should be the same in both cases.

Balancing should take care of flaws in rim or tire mass distribution.

2004 G35C 6MT Black. Killer.

 

Al503, Thanks for the informative post!

DED, I think it depends on how the rim is designed. The hub "should" be the primary axis for the lugs to be located from. Any true position tolerance (GD&T 101 here) or size tolerance (MMC) should be applied to the lug holes. If you then locate the "center" or rotational axis of the wheel about the lugs, that tolerance (which is different for every lug hole) will allow the wheel to rotate on the hunter balancing machine about the wrong rotational axis (or an axis that is not parallel or through the hub axis). Thus, when you add weights to your wheel, they will be in the wrong place and your balance job will suck.

I experienced this phenomenon with the Sequoia the first time I let Tire Kingdom do a lug centric balance on my brand new vehicle with only ~4000 miles on it. They screwed the vehicle up so bad that at 70 mph the steering wheel almost shook my hands off of it. The dealership tech. showed me the "key" that they use to balance the wheel via the hub and the balance job came out PERFECT.

It is important to know whether the wheel is hub centric or lug centric. Just as it is important to do the balance with a simulated road force applied to the wheel.

<font color=blue>The above statements are only my take on the issue. If you disagree with anything I typed then you are 100% right!</font color=blue>