Tires, Wheels, & Brakes Discussion about wheels, tires, and brakes for the new MINI.

question on hub centering rings

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Old 12-13-2004, 04:21 PM
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question on hub centering rings

i recently got winter wheels(rage enduro 16") and tires(dunlop wintersport m3). i had them mounted and balanced at a local shop which i've dealt w/ before. after i installed the wheels, i noticed an occasional vibration from about 55mph to 70mph. i had the shop check the balance, and everything was correct. the wheels i got came w/ metal hub centering rings which were the correct size, but don't fit very tightly. has anybody had any issues w/ metal centering rings? how tightly are they supposed to fit? i was thinking possibly w/ the cold weather and them contracting that it isn't seating properly. is there something else i should check out? would the plastic rings work beter? any other recommendations? thanks for your help
 
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Old 12-13-2004, 04:26 PM
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I don't even run hub-centering rings on my wheels and get zero vibration at any speed up to 120mph (the highest I've had it up to). Try taking them off and running without them to see if that's the problem. Be sure to torque your lug nuts to spec too
 
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Old 12-13-2004, 04:57 PM
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Hub Centering Rings

I had a similar problem - I got plastic centering rings with the aftermarket wheels I bought this spring. Turns out they ship all of them with the wrong ID, but they were in the ballpark. I do think the metal ones are better - they should fit pretty tight. Not a force-on, but snug enough to require you to pull them off straight. The correct ID is 56.1mm, and of course the OD has to fit your wheels. Another potential problem is the small lip on the ring. If the inside of the wheel doesn't have a large enough chamfer, that can prevent the wheel from seating properly.

Check out DiscountTireDirect on eBay Motors - They're always running auctions where you can pick the size you need.
 
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Old 12-13-2004, 08:37 PM
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It's also a good idea to clean and lube the center bore (wd40)
when using centering rings to make sure they are on straight and
flush.

But again, I've also run wheels that were not hubcentric in the past
with no vibrations. I think it's your wheels/tires out of balance or
your lugs are loosening...
 
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Old 12-14-2004, 07:38 AM
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I have the same problem. Around 60-65mph I can feel and see the steering wheel kind of vibrating.....my solution is pushing the car pass 60mph as soon as possible ... so I only go real slow or real fast...no choice!
 
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Old 12-14-2004, 12:03 PM
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I had vibration with the composite rings. I bought a couple of sets of the metal rings (from Discount Tire Direct, only $15 per set of 4) and the
vibration went away. It sounds to me like you have the wrong size rings.
 
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Old 12-14-2004, 05:17 PM
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As the car was designed to be hubcentric, that is the weight carried on the hubs not the lugs, are you taking a chance loading the lugs with the weight and stress?
 
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Old 12-14-2004, 05:42 PM
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Originally Posted by ZAMIRZ
I don't even run hub-centering rings on my wheels and get zero vibration at any speed up to 120mph (the highest I've had it up to). Try taking them off and running without them to see if that's the problem. Be sure to torque your lug nuts to spec too
So pretty much you're riding on the lugs.. correct?
 
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Old 12-15-2004, 05:17 AM
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Yeah, he is and that is not a good thing.

My vibration problem was the result of the slop allowed by the
composite rings due to their being compressible. Even if I was
extremely careful in tightening the lugs when putting the wheels
on, the wheel would not center properly or would go out of
center when I hit a bump in the road. Everything is silky smooth
since I put on the metallic rings.
 
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